Is It Okay To Start In Second Gear?

Is It Bad To Start Accelerating In Second Gear? Manual vs Automatic

Is it okay to start in second gear? Whether you drive an automatic, manual, or dual clutch transmission, occasionally the advice comes up: start in second gear. Why might this be? Perhaps if you're about to start accelerating downhill, perhaps if you're in the snow and you want to minimize wheel slip, or perhaps you've made up your own reason.

Whatever you ultimately decide on, this video will break down exactly what's happening with your engine and transmission depending on which gear ratio you choose to select. As is always the case, there are reasons why you may want to, and reasons why you might not want to, for each individual transmission style. Check out the video for full details!

Related Videos:

Engineering Explained is a participant in the Amazon Influencer Program.

Don't forget to check out my other pages below!

NEW VIDEO EVERY WEDNESDAY!

[EngineeringExplained]

Here are way too many links for related videos! Hope you're having a great day!

[adam]

Nah, I always start in reverse.
Start the car, get moving backwards, change to first, slam it hard. Wheels are rolling. Rubber is smoking. This is the way it should be.

[blakethomasbuchholz]

2nd gear? Those are rookie numbers, i always start in 5th, or 6th.

[angermanager]

Quick answer:
Unless you're going downhill, No.

[askhowiknow]

“I don’t want to wear out first gear”?
You don’t want to wear out your car either. Walk instead of driving your car. Wouldn’t want to wear it out.

[LukebeingLuke]

My engine asked the transmission to mary him. The are now engaged., ..

[labradormcgraw]

This guy's knowledge of how stuff works is unmatched. He doesn't even need to pause and consider his words.

[christianfoster]

I used to drive truck for a working band. We had the biggest truck you can drive without a CDL (that is if it wasnt overloaded. It was)
1st gear was fucked, So I had to start in 2nd as a matter of course. One time we had a bad alternator, and a nearly dead battery, and had to stop at a stop sign at the top of a hill. We were almost to the garage. I would have blown through it, but there was a cop at the intersection. After the cop goes on, I took a deep breath; if I stalled it, I'd have to roll it down a steep hill backwards at 4am and God willing parallel park it on a city street. With no power brakes or steering. In one of my proudest driving moments ever, I got that mother fucker over that hill.

[cypher]

You are one of the rare invaluable Youtubers who teaches people so much. Thank you for persevering through all these years, been occasionally watching your videos depending on my needs and you've always explained everything meticulously and flawlessly. Kudos for everything you've done!

[HongaTongaa]

thanks for wearing a seatbeld while explaining torque coverters. i feel much safer now

[naqibhusseinyar]

I started my dads car in the 5th gear,
And I’m homeless now. Does anybody wants a roommate?

[cdc]

Dude keeps flywheels in his back pocket

[MrWilliam.Stewart]

Apparently Matt LeBlanc from friends was always stuck in second gear. Now he's stuck in Top Gear, who knew?

[rimmersbryggeri]

You should always be at 5000rpm and control the speed with the clutch pedal. That's what grandma does.

[jacob-alexandremarineau]

I love the smell of my burned clutch in the morning

[Pining_for_the_fjords]

I'm always stuck in second gear. It hasn't been my day, my week, my month or even my year.

[skippy]

Don't forget people, clutch burning is proportional to torque transmitted X slip rpm X time.

So Grandad reversing out at 3500 rpm and 2 mph for 30 second actually uses more clutch than initiating a burnout or a moderate launch. So drive his car hard, it's better than he treats it.

[phitsf]

Started in 3rd gear, uphill one day. Was in a quarry and thought the wheel was stuck on a stone which made it difficult to move so I really gave it some beans, turned out to be in 3rd. Clutch released a lot of smell but didn't appear to die, differential happened to strip several teeth within the next few weeks

[thaik]

I always felt that starting in second gear was slipping the clutch way too much unnecessarily and therefore not forth the hassle, it takes longer too to start. Thank you for educating the masses! Improve your footwork, it's free, unlike clutches!

[AndrewKNI]

Great summary. I usually start in 2nd gear if already on an incline downwards. This does not cause undue wear if done gently. I have never had to replace a clutch prematurely in the last 30 years of driving.