What happens if you start in fifth gear

This has nothing to do with the direction you move the gear lever, it simply means that you change to a higher gear 4 or 5 or a lower gear 1 or 2.

The basic rule is that you change up through the gears as the speed of the car increases and down when you need more power from the engine.

For example, you would change down to a lower gear when climbing a hill or pulling away at low speed. First gear provides the most pulling power but the least potential for speed, whilst fifth gear which provides the least pulling power allows the greatest range of speed.

The following table indicates typical speed and revs for changing gears up or down. As the car increases speed, change up through the gears. When you want to slow down, use the foot brake. Selective gear changing means you sometimes miss out gears, for example, by changing from fifth or fourth gear to second gear.

There are also times when you might selectively change up, for example if you have used a lower gear such as third for better acceleration you might be able to change to fifth gear when you have reached your intended cruising speed. You can practice this when the car is stationary and the engine is switched off, but make sure that you keep the clutch pedal pressed down to the floor. The gear lever will automatically spring to the central neutral position when not in a gear. But you would not drive around all the time in first as the engine would be carrying high revs allot, leading to poor fuel consumption, high engine temperature, increased fluid usage and increased engine component wear.

The noise in the vehicle cabin would also be tiring. If you were driving at high speed in first and stepped quickly of the accelerator the effect would unsettle the car potentially leading to a skid.

If for example you were cornering with high revs in 1st gear there would be weight transfer to the rear of the vehicle due to acceleration and by quickly letting off the pedal, the revs would drop rapidly and the weight would transfer to the front of the vehicle leaving the rear un-weighted. In a corner this can produce a tail-slide even in a front-wheel drive car. This effect is known as Lift-Off Oversteer Skidding. What does the amount of gears have in relation to speed and acceleration.

Is it better to have more? The gearbox ratios in family cars are alot different to performance cars and racing cars. In a family car 1st gear is for driving up steep hills, driveways, towing boats up a boat ramp.

Therefore overtaking in 5th gear is not recommended as it takes longer and increases the risk of a head on collision. In a Porsche or similar performance cars the gear ratios are slightly different.

In a performance car with a 6 speed gearbox, 5th gear is also used for acceleration. In many forms of motorsport the gear ratios and diff ratios are set for each track depending on its layout. The aim is to keep the race car in the meaty part of the torque curve to allow better performance. With most family cars a driver redlining each gear to achieve maximum acceleration is a fool.

Best acceleration would be achieved by changing gears at the engine revs just past the maximum torque is achieved, depending on the next gear ratio. Drivers over-revving simply make more noise, wear more components and waste more fuel without achieving a performance gain. When making sudden stops, should you be concerned about putting it into neutral so the car doesn't stall? Like if you're driving and someone jumps in front of you out of no where, should you worry about slamming on the brakes and stalling?

I would think in those cases, you wouldn't have enough time to hit the clutch, brake and put it in to neutral. In a modern car with an electronic fuel injected engine and equipped with a catalytic converter in the exhaust system, when you take your foot off the accelerator does the engine revs on the tachometer drop slowly or instantly to idle? They drop slowly due to unburnt fuel being burnt and the process of the catalytic converter.

Therefore in a emergency stop if you brake with no clutch depressed the engine revs and driving wheels are still connected resulting in the brakes trying to slow the car while the wheels still drive the car. Independent tests have found that braking and depressing the clutch as soon as possible can improve stopping distance by up to 10 yards at 55 mph.

Don't worry about the gears, don't select neutral. But do depress the clutch. If you roll down a hill in 1st gear but don't push the gas pedal or brake do you pick up speed? Say max mph for 1st gear is 15mph, will your speed accelerate pass 15mph?

How do you roll down a hill in first gear. Try parking your car on flat ground with it in 1st and pushing the car. It won't move. Feb 21, 4, 0 0. What kind of car do you have and what's the highest gear you've tried starting it in? What are some possible damages you can cause by doing so? I've only done 2nd gear starts in winter time 'cause 1st gear has too much torque and the wheel would spin like crazy and I'd get nowhere at the intersections. Never tried higher.

This is in a 5th gen Prelude. Syringer Lifer. Aug 2, 19, 2 On Top Gear jeremy started a Z06 in 5th gear, an overdrive gear mind you, and got to mph in that one gear. Jul 25, 3, 1 Wow, are you serious? Stalling is when the load on the engine overcomes the power available and the engine stops, in a nutshell.

It's what happens if you dump the clutch without giving the car enough throttle. You can start a car in any gear the engine can handle, no damage will occur.

Most cars can be moved from top gear if you apply the clutch slowly enough. Worst case scenario, you burn the clutch out, but that's only if you're a moron who rides the hell out of it. Dec 22, 3, 1 0. Im pretty sure your car would just do the same thing when you let the clutch go with out enough gas. On a dirt bike it lurches foward and dies. Rubycon Madame President. Aug 10, 17, Colt45 Lifer.

Apr 18, 19, 0 0. Sep 22, 4, 0 0. Stumps Diamond Member.