Preparing to stop and accelerate

[Vasaline]

Hello everyone!

I got a question to see if I'm hurting my transmission.

When slowing down to a stop sign for instance I would stay in gear without down shifting. Once my rpms is too low I will clutch in move push on knob into first. I don't force it in but i just keep constant pressure until it slips right into 1st. Now is it bad that im doing this? Or should i just put it into neutral and wait till I come to a complete stop before I put it into first. I'm afraid I might be wearing the 1st gear synchros

[Reverence]

You can stay in whatever gear you're in while braking to a stop, and clutch in to neutral at the very very very last moment just before car stops (later than most people think / do).

It is indeed damaging to your 1st synchros if you shift to 1st before car has stopped, and there really is no point in doing so unless you really must/want to accelerate hard straight away.

[Vasaline]

Im not forcing it into 1st gear tho when coming to a stop. I just put pressure on it until it slides into gear while slowing down to the stop sign. So would you suggest that I should go to a complete stop or be really really slow before i start trying to put it into first?

[Tups]

I often shift to 1st in that way, although I don't really have to apply hardly any pressure.

[theholycow]

Asking for 1st gear while still at speed is asking the 1st gear synchronizer to do its job when it shouldn't be doing its job. I don't know if I'd call it "damaging" but I'd definitely describe it as too much wear. I don't have enough experience to say that from an expert point of view.

My wife does it and I hate it.

Don't be afraid of neutral, it won't hurt you. Take your current gear down to idle then coast to a stop in neutral; wait until you're stopped or almost stopped to engage 1st.

If you're scared of neutral, then you're left with two options:
1. Add another gear to your downshift pattern. Shift to 2nd instead of 1st, then shift to 1st when you've stopped. This will at least spread the wear out.

2. Double-clutch into 1st, but don't engage the clutch until you're stopped. If you do it perfectly every time then wear will be minimal.

As a side note, my Buick's misbehaving carburetor makes it idle very fast and after neutral-coasting while braking I have to shift into 1st at 10-15mph if I want to avoid excessive synchro wear (and get into 1st quickly)...

[six]

You have a really nice car. Clutch out in neutral first before going into 1st gear. It will save you quite a bit of wear. Sure, your car is modern with a well-built gearbox, but still, why put extra wear on it when you don't have to? Don't go straight to first, go to neutral before doing so.

[Vasaline]

When guys say to go into neutral first would I have to blip the throttle a bit before I put it into first or is it good enough if I put it into neutral and just clutch in again to put it into first?
Sorry for all these dumb questions. This is my first standard car and I learned how to drive it when I picked it up.

[theholycow]

If you want to put it in 1st while you're still rolling then you'll need to blip while in neutral; then you've double-clutched. If you will wait until the vehicle is stopped before putting it in 1st then there's no need to blip.

[Reverence]

If you want to put it in 1st while you're still rolling then you'll need to blip while in neutral; then you've double-clutched.

I only know of one guy who does this and you know him too.

[theholycow]

I think we have a couple folks on here who do that, actually.

As a side note, my Buick's misbehaving carburetor makes it idle very fast and after neutral-coasting while braking I have to shift into 1st at 10-15mph if I want to avoid excessive synchro wear (and get into 1st quickly)...

I forgot, I can just step on the clutch a few seconds early and let it spin down on its own, or use another gear's synchro as a clutch brake...

[cimbali]

If you want to put it in 1st while you're still rolling then you'll need to blip while in neutral; then you've double-clutched. If you will wait until the vehicle is stopped before putting it in 1st then there's no need to blip.

I tried this the other day and it work well for me.

[six]

^ As it should

[IMBoring25]

If I want to go immediately after stopping, I've been known to DCHT into first while slowing for the stop sign. Any other case, and I just wait until going less than walking speed before starting to push the shifter into the gate. Applying pressure into the first-gear gate at road speed without a double-clutch will kill synchros.

[LHOswald]

If I want to go immediately after stopping, I've been known to DCHT into first while slowing for the stop sign. Any other case, and I just wait until going less than walking speed before starting to push the shifter into the gate. Applying pressure into the first-gear gate at road speed without a double-clutch will kill synchros.

+1