A Couple Of Silly Questions
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From: G'day, mate!
A Couple Of Silly Questions
There have been two questions that have been bugging me for the past few weeks, so I decided maybe someone on here can give me some answers. 
1) I was told that if I continuously try to downshift into first going any faster than 5 mph I could break something. I was told this by a CRX owner whose car I was test driving (need a commuter car). Everytime I tried to downshift into first and I wasn't going slower than 5 mph, the gears grinded something awful. The guy said that on Civics it is normal because the shaft is aluminum and tends to break. He said he was pretty sure it would be the same way in my S2000. Any input on this?
2) Sometimes I drive in a higher gear than needed. For example, if I'm coasting to a stoplight and the light turns green, I will shift into 3rd gear if I'm at about 18 mph. I know the car can handle a downshift to 2nd gear, but I figure that the car doesn't have to work so hard if I just put it into 3rd. This means a slight savings in gas mileage, what with Premium shooting up to $2.15 a gallon, but I wanted to know if I am hurting anything by doing this.
Thanks in advance for your help everybody!
1) I was told that if I continuously try to downshift into first going any faster than 5 mph I could break something. I was told this by a CRX owner whose car I was test driving (need a commuter car). Everytime I tried to downshift into first and I wasn't going slower than 5 mph, the gears grinded something awful. The guy said that on Civics it is normal because the shaft is aluminum and tends to break. He said he was pretty sure it would be the same way in my S2000. Any input on this?
2) Sometimes I drive in a higher gear than needed. For example, if I'm coasting to a stoplight and the light turns green, I will shift into 3rd gear if I'm at about 18 mph. I know the car can handle a downshift to 2nd gear, but I figure that the car doesn't have to work so hard if I just put it into 3rd. This means a slight savings in gas mileage, what with Premium shooting up to $2.15 a gallon, but I wanted to know if I am hurting anything by doing this.
Thanks in advance for your help everybody!
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Nashville
you can match revs and shift into first at about 40mph if you do it right..... I don't think tranmissions in general like being shifted into first if you don't match revs.
as long as you are not "Bogging" the engine when you roll at 18mph that won't hurt anything.... if you bog and ping, etc... that will
as long as you are not "Bogging" the engine when you roll at 18mph that won't hurt anything.... if you bog and ping, etc... that will
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Randolph, NJ
minako
How have you been? Enjoying the car I hope.
As far as shifting into first, I think that Scot has it right. It is critical that you rev match.
As far as remaining in a higher gear when you coast to a light, I'm not sure that you are really saving that much gas. Your engine is probably working harder than it has to once the light turns and you accelerate. It's generally a good idea to shift down into second and be in the appropriate gear. Again, to agree with Scot, this is especially true if staying in the higher gear results in "bogging" the engine. It is usually better to be in the appropriate gear. The potential fuel savings are negligible.
How have you been? Enjoying the car I hope.
As far as shifting into first, I think that Scot has it right. It is critical that you rev match.
As far as remaining in a higher gear when you coast to a light, I'm not sure that you are really saving that much gas. Your engine is probably working harder than it has to once the light turns and you accelerate. It's generally a good idea to shift down into second and be in the appropriate gear. Again, to agree with Scot, this is especially true if staying in the higher gear results in "bogging" the engine. It is usually better to be in the appropriate gear. The potential fuel savings are negligible.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Randolph, NJ
I'm not too good at explaining this, but I'll try. Hopefully someone will come along and put it in better, more technical terms. Here goes:
Bogging is the kind of thing that you will know when you do it. Typically, when you are in too high a gear, at too low a speed, and your revs are too low this occurs. When you try to accelerate, instead of the surge of power you get a sluggish almost stalling feeling. You know you should downshift. That is bogging. Your engine feels like it is straining.
As far as the gas savings, in general, you are right. The lower the revs (higher the gear) the more the gas savings. I'm not sure that this holds true when, as in your example, you are coasting to a light. Yes, your revs are a bit higher for that short period, but when you accelerate (assuming you didn't stop) you will probably use more fuel to get back up to speed. Again, I think the amount of time and distance spent coasting to a light is negligible. I'm not sure it matter so long as you don't "bog" the engine.
Bogging is the kind of thing that you will know when you do it. Typically, when you are in too high a gear, at too low a speed, and your revs are too low this occurs. When you try to accelerate, instead of the surge of power you get a sluggish almost stalling feeling. You know you should downshift. That is bogging. Your engine feels like it is straining.
As far as the gas savings, in general, you are right. The lower the revs (higher the gear) the more the gas savings. I'm not sure that this holds true when, as in your example, you are coasting to a light. Yes, your revs are a bit higher for that short period, but when you accelerate (assuming you didn't stop) you will probably use more fuel to get back up to speed. Again, I think the amount of time and distance spent coasting to a light is negligible. I'm not sure it matter so long as you don't "bog" the engine.
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From: 3rd bedroom on the right
Bogging is when you try to accelerate and the car takes a while to catch up to burn the fuel as quick as your pumping it in. You can do it a couple of ways: 1) Hi revs off the line but no wheelspin or clutch slip or 2) put it in a high gear eg 6th when doing 20mph then push the accelerator hard.
As for shifting into 1st Minako there is a slide bolt that prevents mis-shifts into first and I think also reverse. This can be avoided by rev matching as people have said but I think that you need to double clutch it. In case you dont know what that means you have to put the gear in neutral, rev match with the clutch out, then push the clutch in and engage 1st.
BTW not to tell you how to drive but aren't these two habits contradicting each other?
As for shifting into 1st Minako there is a slide bolt that prevents mis-shifts into first and I think also reverse. This can be avoided by rev matching as people have said but I think that you need to double clutch it. In case you dont know what that means you have to put the gear in neutral, rev match with the clutch out, then push the clutch in and engage 1st.
BTW not to tell you how to drive but aren't these two habits contradicting each other?