Driving a manual car requires a lot of skills and effort, especially when you spend most of your time driving inside the city. Having said this, most of us sometimes find ourselves skipping gears sometimes but is it ok to skip gears in manual transmission? Here are all the details that you should know about this.
Before we start, in short, yes, it is perfectly fine to skip gears in manual transmission but there are a few points that you should take care of. For starters, skipping gears while upshifting is a rather simple process, but it is downshifting that is complex and requires some significant skills. What you should ensure while skipping a gear is rev-matching. For instance, if you are in the third gear and accelerate hard, the revs of the engine go up and in such a case, if you skip the fourth gear and directly shift into the fifth, you should wait before the revs come down. If the engine speed and the vehicle speed are not matched, you will notice a strong jerk. This not only increases the wear and tear but can also result in gearbox failure.
Likewise, while downshifting from a larger gear to the smaller ones, you should ensure that you rev-match the engine, i.e. increase the RPMs of the engine before you engage the clutch. If not done properly, there will be a sudden jerk and the wheels might lock up if the revs are too low. This can result in a major crash. Hence, utmost care should be taken while skipping gears in a manual transmission. If executed properly, there will be no issues or problems in the manual powertrain and it will be completely ok to skip gears in the right way.
However, it is worth noting that you should avoid skipping the gear while starting the car from a standstill, i.e. skipping 1st gear and starting in the 2nd. This causes extreme wear and tear to your clutch and significant stress on your engine. However, it is not very difficult to start your car in the second gear and we have seen a number of drivers doing the same in their day-to-day usage.
Do you think it is ok to skip gears in manual transmission? Do let us know in the comments box below. Also, do join our 91Wheels Telegram and 91Wheels Whatsapp group to know more about vehicles, conduct discussions on your favourite ride and much more! Also, you can subscribe to our Youtube channel for video content on the latest from the world of cars and motorcycles. Also, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more about vehicles!
