The Student Room Group

30mph - 3/4th gear?

Hey, please can someone help me with this, my instructor tells me that when I do 30, I should be in 3rd gear (his car is peugeot 206 2L diesel engine), but when I'm in mine (vw golf petrol 1.6), my mum is always yelling at me that I should be in 4th gear if I'm doing 30. I thought 4th gear was for 40 mph and above? would I get a minor on the test for picking the wrong gear?

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Reply 1
I was told to put into 4th when going 30 by both of my instructors and that was in Clios. I go into 4th when doing 30 in my car too :smile:
well you can be in either 3rd or 4th depending on the card you may be over reving in 3rd in which case you should change to 4th if not then stay in third. its all about the way the engine sounds you see. also it depends if your on a hill or down a hill. If you think the car is struggling in a gear change it, if not then keep it in that gear
Reply 3
iceman_jondoe
well you can be in either 3rd or 4th depending on the card you may be over reving in 3rd in which case you should change to 4th if not then stay in third. its all about the way the engine sounds you see. also it depends if your on a hill or down a hill. If you think the car is struggling in a gear change it, if not then keep it in that gear


Oh yeah thats a point, if i was going up a hill at 30 then it would be 3rd.
I was always told that if I've got a clear road ahead of me, put it in 4th. I usually put in the highest gear I can anyways because I hate hearing my engine roaring!
Reply 5
apparantly its more economical to be in 4th, and the examiners like that :rolleyes:
Reply 6
the gears my instructor told me are:

1st- 0-10mph
2nd- 10-20mph
3rd- 20-30mph
4th- 30-70mph
5th- 40-70mph
Reply 7
i would say 4th definitely, but instructors can be a bit weird about stuff like that. When i was learning i was always in 4th at 40, ever since i've passed i'd definitely be in 5th, the difference between cruising around in a 30 in 3 or 4th in terms of fuel consumption will be fairly significant.

Basically i cant see any reason why you should be in 3rd at 30, especially with a 2L diesel, but as your instructor says 3rd, then u use 3rd, it may be one particular examiner likes it that way and he'd know that. As soon as you've passed use 4th though! save the planet!
.x.jen.x.
apparantly its more economical to be in 4th, and the examiners like that :rolleyes:


Yes that's what I was told too.
Reply 9
.x.jen.x.
the gears my instructor told me are:

1st- 0-10mph
2nd- 10-20mph
3rd- 20-30mph
4th- 30-50mph
5th- 50+mph


Thats pretty much what i use but the bits in bold are different from yours, although i dont look at the speedo to decide when to change gear but it normally works out to be around those speeds.
Reply 10
I was always told to be in 3rd at 30, mainly because its so much easier to control the speed and you'll know if the car is starting to creep above 30. Whereas in 4th it can run away with you without you realising it. My mum used to moan at me to why I wasn't in 4th. I'd use 30 until you pass the test - they can't give you a minor mark for being in 3rd at 30. Soon as you pass just use 4th, as you're not practising for a 40 minutes test with someone you'll hopefully never see again.
Reply 11
Personally, i'd be in third at 30. Much more power if you need it and if you're in too high a gear and try to accelerate, then often the fuel is not burnt fully/at all at the lower revs and as such, half of it just gets wasted.
Reply 12
MikeLayerPhotos
I was always told to be in 3rd at 30, mainly because its so much easier to control the speed and you'll know if the car is starting to creep above 30. Whereas in 4th it can run away with you without you realising it.


:ditto:
Reply 13
Depends on the car.

If the engine could go up a gear without labouring then do it.
Reply 14
Just look at the revs. Running at a lower gear is more economical, so it makes sense. In, for example, my 1.2l Fiat, I change up if I'm crusing at about 3k revs. If I need to speed up quickly (take over, for example), I change down. This has the dual advantage of better milage and lower frequency engine noise :P
Reply 15
For me, it depends on the road conditions. If it's a windy or narrow road or I'm likely to be slowing down/speeding up a lot, I'll do it in 3rd. If it's a reasonable straightish open road then I'll go in 4th.
Cortez
the gears my instructor told me are:

1st- 0-10mph
2nd- 10-20mph
3rd- 20-30mph
4th- 30-50mph
5th- 50+mph


I was taught about that as well. Personally, unless I'm going uphill or accelerating then I put it in 5th.
Reply 17
Kingspharm
I was taught about that as well. Personally, unless I'm going uphill or accelerating then I put it in 5th.


I'm in 6th :redface: or 1st / 2nd ready for a burn :ninja: but then I'm not being taught anymore.

I would personally say 4th gear on a flat road as examiners (if I remember corrcetly) prefer this due to better economy. 3rd gear on the majority of vehicles would be over-revving unnecessarily.
Reply 18
MikeLayerPhotos
I was always told to be in 3rd at 30, mainly because its so much easier to control the speed and you'll know if the car is starting to creep above 30. Whereas in 4th it can run away with you without you realising it. My mum used to moan at me to why I wasn't in 4th. I'd use 30 until you pass the test - they can't give you a minor mark for being in 3rd at 30. Soon as you pass just use 4th, as you're not practising for a 40 minutes test with someone you'll hopefully never see again.


i agree
Reply 19
Helenia
For me, it depends on the road conditions. If it's a windy or narrow road or I'm likely to be slowing down/speeding up a lot, I'll do it in 3rd. If it's a reasonable straightish open road then I'll go in 4th.


:ditto:

Although I sometimes do it in 5th, whatever the engine feels happy in.