What gear should you be in?

Casey Putsch talks about what gear you should be in for what condition for manual transmission drivers while driving his 1983 Porsche 944. Hills, passing, downshifting, and upshifting. It's time to talk about it. Thank you to Avalon King Armor Shield Ceramic Coating. The stuff really works and the company is really supporting our car culture!

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[king_brk]

"Well it is simple, you got brakes"
3:12
Bold of you to assume they work

[opieg]

Driving a stick requires a good feel for the driveline. It's why driving a stick tends to make one pay closer attention to driving. For any given speed, you have a few options as to what gear you can be in - and some gears that will not work for that speed. For a set speed, lower gears put the engine at high RPM ranges and therefore usually a higher power level. At that same speed, higher gears put you at a lower RMP and usually lower power level. You pick the gear for the power level you need/want.

In any car with a manual, I prefer to be "down one gear" from the most efficient option in turns, passing or going downhill. Better throttle response and better engine braking give me a little more cushion in emergency reaction situations IF they occur. One point I think should be noted, if you are driving aggressively in turns, avoid changing gears mid-turn. Better to lug through a turn than upset the cars balance if you can avoid it. (When you lift to shift gears, you unload the rear end and need to be very smooth about reloading it while most of the force is on a single rear tire as you turn).

[TheblueTraxxasRustler]

Q: What gear should you be in?


A: The one that gives you Mo Powa Babeah

[RedNineTeen]

Man I’m glad I got my first 6 speed manual this year and I like it so much it’s fun to drive

[whollymindless]

And you ARE going to screw up once in a while. Accept it. Learn from it.

[carlosmontoya]

It crazy how much my automatic mazda 3 taught me on what gears to be in since it has the gear number it in! Like going on hills lower gear more torque, down hill could be a higher gear! Thanks for more info brother!!!!

[theOneGuy]

Casey, I’m glad I found your channel. I just started driving a manual transmission (started with an auto almost 7 years ago). Became more in love with driving and cars after getting the MT.

BTW, you look like a mix of Ben Stiller and Seth Meyers :)

[EdBolian]

Great format for advice videos like this. Good stuff.

[whiskeytown]

I always downshift going down hills regardless, because V8 :)

[hydra]

I have just recently started to practice rev matching my down shifts, and man the difference between rev matched and un rev matched shifts is wild, sadly my pedals are poorly designed for heel-toe so its pretty impractical when coming to a stop. (and its more racey)

[smir]

Just, nice. Even though as a European, this is pretty much daily routine, it is always nice to hear something more about it. Some more information on what the engine/clutch/transmission is going through and why (except for the sound of the engine being happy) is it good to shift to certain gears. Keep up the good work Casey!

[movingshadow]

Hey Casey, shout out from Germany! 🇩🇪 I come back here to look for videos daily and it’s really a great learning experience and thoroughly entertaining. Really considering a 986 boxster or 987 cayman as a fun car next, 911’s are either too expensive (1975-1996) or too much old man (997 through now). I missed buying my dream car, the 993 turbo when it was still affordable. Anyway, keep on doing your thing - and please don’t change a bit :)

Cheers from Deutschland!

[fritzkuhne]

doing gods work, getting more americans into manuals!

[LeelandCopeland]

My first experience with manual transmission was in a '93 geo metro hatchback. Required a lot of attention to gear selection based on current situation.

[fogdood]

12:15, not since the last decade, automatics are more fuel efficient than manuals now. It's big reason why manuals are dying, they aren't good on paper at all. The only positive is that it's a bit lighter and more reliable, of course emotionally engaging, but these aren't selling points that people understand nowadays.

[hybridyd]

Just bought my first manual and I'm excited to learn.

[tkskagen]

Great Video Casey!

It's all about RPM's...

I converted to an Automatic Transmission because I was sick of suffering with "Clutchitus"!

But, when I use my Truck while hauling any material (Gravel, Soil, Pavers), I know that I have better Control of my Traction & Control! (1994 2WD 5-speed Ford Ranger Long Bed)

As though my Truck now has over 450K Miles on it, I am now loking for an Economy Safe conversion/swap in the thoughts of a "Newer" I-4 or V-6 so I don't have to spend too much for a Newer Truck!

[vladavujasinovic]

Hey Casey, although I consider myself a decent to a good stick shift driver, I really appreciate this kind of videos that you are making.
The thing that interests me and think that you could do a video on it is using pedals together with a steering wheel on a street. For example in order not to under(over)steer, how to approach a curve, should clutch/brake pedals be used in a curve or before it, what should it cause if done in different way or order, etc..

[jeremystacy]

So glad I hit the bell! This king brightens my day with every new video. Casey you're a treasure for the US and specifically college students in Genius Garage

[jamesransdell]

I've been watching your vids since I purchased my 124 Abarth and didn't realize you were just north of me. I live near Dayton.