I just picked up my Navi 05 MT Anthracite today! The navi, bluetooth, HID the whole car.......
My question, is it ok to start off from a complete stop in 2nd gear instead of 1st when driving a MT? My old man used to do this all the time in my civic and the car held up just fine... so i was wondering can it hurt my car in anyways if i was to do this??

 

Might increase clutch wear and decrease gas mileage slightly. I think thats about it. Why would you do this except in slippery conditions?

 

Why not just slip it into first? It's not that much extra work.

 

I drive in traffic alot with my 6MT. My rule of thumb is, if I am still rolling I use 2nd, if I come to a complete stop I put it in 1st.

 

um, i do it all of the time-no problems.........

 

I am going to teach my wife how to drive stickshift, so i figure it will be easier for her to start in 2nd gear. If its not a problem... i might just give this a try

 

put it in first. It wont stall if you dont give it gas btw. most people dont know that about the 6MT TL!!

 

The only reason to start in second is snow. Perhaps mud too.

 

Ditto.

1st gear is pretty steep, so it's hard to grab that from a roll. You can push in the clutch and bip the gas to bring up the revs but the car might still lurch.

I try not to launch from a dead stop in 2nd in good weather because the car is heavy. A Civic is a lot lighter, over 500 lbs I bet. We have a 2005 TL 6MT and a 1995 Civic 5MT.

I found that the TL clutch engages lower than the Civic, but after a few thou miles it will come up a bit. First 1000 miles I stalled the car out a few times trying not to ride the clutch out too much.

Enjoy!

 

5+ Speed transmissions have a "usable" 2nd gear. Yes, you can do it. However, that being said, 1st gear is to put less stress on the engine during acceleration where 2nd gear will "choke" or "bog" it down unless needed.

 

Not trying to be chauvinistic, but I would find another MT to teach her on. When I was 16, there was no way my Dad was going to teach me on his BMW.

 

From a dead stop, I never start out in 2nd, always from 1st. I don't like slipping the clutch that much.

If I'm rolling, then almost always from 2nd (like Pro Stock John and hebrieden said).

 

No, don't do this. First gear is there for a reason and it's not so short that you have to shift out of it right away (unless you're getting on it).

Frequent starting out in second gear will most definitely shorten clutch life, plus increase the chance of lugging the engine.. not the best thing for bearings.

Be smart.. use first.



edit by Mod Ron A as requested.

 

Make that "not so short" instead of "not so tall".

 

Yeah, I'd have to agree with this.

Long ago in place far, far away I was trying to teach a GF how to drive a MT. Sadly her coordination was a bit challenged and the concept of a clutch escaped her. She rev'd the engine, slammed the shifter into 1st gear, but forgot about the clutch. She managed, in short order, to take first gear right out of the thing.

One new transmission later, I gave up on the drivers ed thing.
Fortunately the car was still under warranty and the dealer never questioned me on it.

 

Dang! Now i have to think this through, your starting to scare me

 

Be afraid, be very afraid. If you have a strong relationship and a good sense of humor and are patient it may work. Also help if you are not as anal as most of us on this forum. Also would help if she can walk down the street and chew gum without biting her tongue.

If you answer no to any of above, let someone else teach her or buy an automatic. I love my wife, she loves me, I bought an automatic and we agree that she should still only drive it when necessary. We both try to make sure that it's not necessary.

 

Don't fear too much. Most girls can get the hang of a manual transmission without much trouble. Just make sure she understands what to do before she does it. And try in an empty parking lot where there is NO rush to do anything. I taught my 16 year old friend Heather how to drive my old Toyota 4Runner (it was my only vehicle at the time and I was only 18, so I couldn't afford a clutch replacement). It had a much more finnicky clutch than any Honda I've ever driven. The TL is more forgiving than an old truck.

Here's how you do it:

1. Explain to her how to use the transmission with the vehicle OFF!

2. Get her to repeat back to you how to start in first gear. Then and only then can she attempt to use it.

3. Drill into her head "clutch, brake." Say it over and over. Get her to repeat it back. (this is so whenenver she goes to brake, she'll depress the clutch by instinct and not stall the car obviously).

4. Before you even turn the car on, go over to the driver's side door, with her sitting in the driver's seat (make sure she's adjusted properly), and get her to show you how she would release the clutch and how much she'd depress the gas. If she released the clutch too fast, tell her to try again. Keep making her do it again and again until she gets the hang of the right rate to release the clutch.

5. Keep in mind she MAY not be ready to drive it the first day. She might need a few practice sessions with the car off. Make her simulate how she'd shift through all 6 gears. Before she drives, she MUST know where they are without messing up or looking down. Give her instructions, like "First, third, second" and see if she can shift into those gears with the car off. If she masters your random patterns, she'll know where the gears are.

6. While YOU are driving, make random comments about what you do with the clutch and what you're doing with the shift knob. Also, randomly ask her questions like, "We're coming to a red light, how do I stop?" and see if she can remember.


Hopefully that helps. Southernboy might be able to explain it a lot better than me.

 

I sometimes start in second gear if the road is on a downslope, or isn't at a complete stop such as a roll thru a stopsign. Also, I usually jump second gear and go from first to third when driving in heavy traffic. Second gear seems redundant sometimes when you're not really going to get going that fast in traffic. Normally, I use all the gears, but there are times when conditions warrent skipping gears. Just because you've got 6 gears doesn't mean you've got to use each one every time. The beauty of a 6mt is the availability of so many gears to suit driving conditions and style.

 

In snow and mud you can vary clutch pressure. Thats the thing my dad whines about not having MT. I am trying to get him to get MT on teh TL, but as its for city driving looks like a no go.

 

To youngTL;

The only thing I might add is to teach a new manual operator the "how" and "why" of a clutch assembly. Why the various parts are there, what they do, and how they work.

Then I would add that if you have any bad habits, such as holding the car on an incline with the clutch or downshifting inproperly, DO NOT impart these habits to your new learner. Otherwise, you did well.

I learned to drive a manual transmission in an old panel truck which had no engine and no transmission. But the pedals and the shifter were there. I'd spend hours (I was around 10-12 years old) in that truck pretending I was driving. Then at 15, I drove my first manual (you could get a license at 15 in Virginia back then). It was a Jeep. I did fine.. had some rough spots at first, but within 30 minutes, all was well. Had a lot of work with a '57 VW bug when a friend lost his license. Then I bought my first car at 18 and of course, it was a manual.

 

lugging is bad for the valvetrain...it has nothing to do with the lower engine

 

Haha that is so true for 90% of the people on here.

 

MR1 - first off, @ the whole "only when necessary" agreement.

second, wouldn't it be better to have her drive your car every now and then, strictly under your supervision of course, so that she has a feel for the car?

 

Short answer NO!
She has driven it, 3 times in 7 months (only when necessary). My wife is a good driver but hates to drive. She knows that she is a good driver and therefore does not want or need instruction or critique from me.

She is capable of driving it but would rather drive her MDX all of the time. I agree with her 100%. Sometimes we have to chose our battles and decide whats really important. It made sense for me to get an automatic because of those occassional times when she has to drive it. The alternative is for me to take her and pick her up from someplace I'm not going. Also, I do have a 5MT delSol that she never drives!