Jackass

I cruise at 25 in 5th all the time. This car is geared so short I poke through the neighborhoods in 4th and 5th all the time. I think I skip 3rd and 4th all the time depending on how fast I need to be going and such. I do this in my tC and in my cavalier.

magyver

wow, somone who actualy read what was originaly written! LOL, couldnta said it better myself...

ehj

My shift points
1st - 2nd 15mph
2nd - 3rd 35mph
3rd - 4th 50mph
4th - 5th 60mph

io333

Same here. Except for the cavalier. My sympathies.

DTRUONG_112

i skip 4th once and awhile too...

web

Not so much. I do it on occassion but not much at all.

Jackass

The cav has served me well for over 7 years now. It is still my daily driver while the tC sits all nice and warm in the garage. Besides, the cav gets better mileage than our wonderfully short geared tCs.

Setiri

To think a manual transmission was meant for only linear progression is just silly. You have the brain, not the car, so use it. If you want to shift one gear at a time, fine, if you shift more than one, fine there too.

Since fuel efficiency and even cost sometimes has almost evened out on standard/autos, the whole point of a manual transmission these days is to give the driver the option to handle the car the way they want to handle it according to their driving style. So do what works for you.

I won't just skip 4th personally, I skip whatever gear is needed. If I'm coming up on a red light but I see it's about to turn green, I just drop it into second instead of first.. take off through the green once it changes, get up to speed and throw it into 4th (residential area for example). If I get going even faster in said residential area, maybe 5th.

Sometimes from a standstill I'll get up to speed casually in 1st, shift to 3rd (the car has pleanty of torque if you're not racing), cruise up to speed and then to 5th. Eh, it's all just what's needed at the time.

mdickson81

I will usually start out in 3ed at a stop. And then move to 2nd and back up to 4th.

Really though, I just drive, you have the control of what power you do need and what you don't. If you want to drive in 2nd going 50 more power to you.

brown_squad

hmmm 2nd gear to 5th.....i'll try it some day...

io333

Only works if you're in a driving very gently mood

paul34

naw, you can redline 2nd then drop it into 5th if you just want to hold that speed.

Anyone know what the max speed is on 2nd? I know I've gotten up to 65 (I believe) in 3rd before. I wasn't redlining 3rd yet, though...

Most of my normal driving involves going through all the gears for fuel efficiency. If I'm in "spirited driving" mode and common sense suddenly kicks in, then I'll pry my right foot off the floor and drop it into an appropriate cruising gear while hoping no cops heard me

Diversion

It's NOT bad for your tranny.. and I skip 4th all the time.. that's what is going to happen on a car with too short of gears like ours. Reminds me of driving my old 87 Mitsu Starion ESI-R.. it had gears much like the tCs...

Jay

Diversion

I doubt 2nd gear gets to 60mph, btw. Just a feeling... Maybe banging off the limiter, but otherwise I doubt it.

zm_br

i might skip 4th only when i'm downshifting. but, never when accelerating.

tcKing

I don't find myself skipping 4th gear, however...

by skipping to 5th gear, aren't your RPMs kinda low? And when the tC's brand new you know how it tells you not to rev it low? Is it bad for your engine ONLY when you're breaking it in?

And, who here agress that the tC manual SHUDDA come with a 6th gear!?!?!?! It kills me when I'm going 80 and my RPMs are just begging for a sixth gear!!!


GGGGGGrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

paul34

I think it probably should've come with a 5th gear, but I mean, its liveable. There were probably some reasons why Toyota didn't give us a 6 speed tranny. Maybe cost, or weight? I'm not sure. Maybe someone can chime in?

Yea, you don't want to skip fourth if that means you'll land yourself at somewhere below 2k (or even worse below 1.5k) when you go to 5th. In that case, use 4th, since that is what it is there for.

Never skip gears unless you've taken your current gear high and know you'll land above 2k in the next gear you choose - otherwise you'll just lug the engine, which is not only bad for it, but also pretty bad for fuel economy

engifineer

Hey I feel you there. Some will bash it simply because it is american. But until I own a more reliable car than my 96 saturn, I wont bash it either :D 170k with nothing but an alt (at 150k or so) and an idle air control solenoid (at 165k or so) is pretty good to me.. not to mention it kills the tC on mileage (by about 10mpg, the last tank, driving it back and forth to work in town was 32mpg)... and it is paid off It will be my winter/commute car till I drive the wheels off of it.. and judging by the others I know with them that is a long time to come.

Reese

yep ive caught myself on the highway too skipping 4th a few times. I think there should be a 6th gear, seems like this baby wants to keep going

neolusions

I grab my shifter sometimes outta habit and begin to "6th gear", but I catch myself before i shift it into reverse at 70+