[dreamer247]

This is probably a really stupid question but I can change gears fine but I never know when to change gear. I know more or less when to go down (junctions, roundabouts etc) but I don't know the right moment to go up to 2nd, 3rd etc?

Also is there an easier way to know you are at the biting point, like looking at the revs level? These things are letting me down otherwise I would be well on my way to getting nearer to my test.

[brightonlad89]

You'll get a feel for your car because every car is different but generally...

1st gear= starting off from a completely stopped position.

2nd gear= as soon as you start moving and less than 20mph

3rd gear= 20mph- 30mph

4th gear= 30mph- 45mph

5th gear 45mph+

You'll know by the engine sound whether you're revving too much or not enough, and change accordingly. Generally, it is better to drive in a higher gear where possible (so, don't stay in 4th on the motorway or in 3rd through an empty town for eg.), and to keep it at 1.5-2.5 on the rev counter.

You'll get a feel for biting point-- the car will be humming differently and, sometimes vibrate. It's nothing to do with how much gas you're giving it, although especially in a petrol car give it a bit or it'll stall. Do this with music off etc until you get used to it.

[StarBunny]

I think it depends on the car.

In the car I was learning to drive in (a Ford Focus), the rev counter looked similar to this:


I was always told to "change gears when the needle goes past the '2', or the engine sounds too high".

That image has a 'green arrow' light that says the optimal time to change gear, but... I doubt most cars have that. Even the Ford car I started learning to drive in didn't have it, but then I switched instructors, and while the next Ford car I learned with did have the 'green gear change arrow', I never really used it as a guide and still relied on the needle and engine noise.


Either way, I honestly don't know if other cars are similar without having tried them, but with a Ford at least, going up a gear when the needle goes past the '2' works for every single gear.

As for going -down- gears, it doesn't really matter too much, as long as you slow down first before changing gear, and then change into the appropriate gear.

(ie. Being in 5th gear at 70mph... you can slow down to 20mph while staying in 5th gear, and then when you're at 20mph, change from 5th to 2nd gear).

[dreamer247]

Thank you for that. I think i will just ask him in the next lesson. I am learning in a Peugeot which i love.

[Runninground]

You can hear that the car is revving lots when you need to change up. You should also change up before you are able to put the gas pedal to the floor. Generally I stay in 3rd when driving around towns, and if I am on a longish bit of road then i'll go to 4th.

You should change back down when you slow down otherwise the car will take a long time to pick up speed.

I think of it as a bike- If you pick gear 1 when you are starting off, it will require more pedalling but less force to go. If you pick a higher gear, then it takes less pedalling but more force. I don't know if this helps you though :P

With the biting point, get your revs to about between 1 and 2 on the revs counter. Bring the clutch up and you want to hold the clutch there when you notice the revs drop. Eventually you get used to it. Just make sure you give it more gas when the air con is on!

[ROG.]

Generally for a standard 5 speed gearbox

Cruising speeds are easy - 1st=10 2nd=20 3rd=30 4th=40 5th=50+

Each gear will take you to the cruising speed of the next gear so for example 2nd will take you to 30 and then change to 3rd - that will be quite progressive

They can be changed up before getting to the next gears cruising speed if the intention is to gently increase speed

Depends what your intention is at the time

[minthumbugs]

I'm learning in a mini which helpfully tells you when to change gears and even has a 6th gear which we haven't got to yet. I can tell when to change to 2nd as it's pretty quick and you can hear it and into 4th when people start overtaking me *sigh* I try to judge it myself and look at the display to confirm it. It seems I'm mainly in 3rd when I'm just driving around.

[M4LLY]

I'd say from experiance 1/3 to 1/2 the way up the rev range

[Kage]

When slowing down, generally you will hold the clutch in coming to a stop, so being in a higher gear won't really matter. I do drop down though if I'm carrying on driving at a slower pace, but only to the gear I'll need once I get to that speed. I don't go 5,4,3 for example. I go from 5 to 3 once I've reached the appropiate speed for 3 (below 40 in my car).

If you look in the car manual, it actually states for the engine usually what the right shift up is.

I found mine to be >15 - Second gear,
>25mph - 3rd gear,
>40mph - 4th,
>45mph - 5th

But as I said, and have said, you will get used to your car and when you feel is the best time to shift. My car doesn't even have a rev counter, but you can feel when the engine is reaching a peak with practise.

It won't damage the engine if you change this somewhat. For example to get speed up, I generally stay in 3rd until I know to switch to 4th by the sound. Not by what I usually do, as it pulls better in lower gears to get past cars, etc.

But yeah, you will learn your car.

[lubus]

depends on what you want to achieve really. Its not wrong to drive at 5k rpm in certain situations, as long as the needle doesnt pass the red. If you're aiming for fuel economy, keep it below 3