Hey friends- I wanted to get some opinions on something...

When I was taught to drive a stick, I was taught that it's okay to start out from 2nd gear, rather than 1st, if you're on a flat surface, etc. I've always done this, especially because the tC has such a short 1st gear. Recently a friend of mine told me that this is really bad for the transmission. I'm sure there are going to be lots of differing opinions, but I want to know- is this ok, or am I putting undo stress on my tranny? Do any of you out there do this, too (start out in 2nd)? Thanks!

 

Actually, it shouldn't hurt the transmission as much as it will hurt the clutch and the engine. You're putting a heavy load on your motor, even if it is just for a few seconds. It won't kill your car if you do it on occasion (especially from a rolling stop) but I wouldn't make a habbit of it.

 

What's the point? Who cares if 1st is short? If Toyota thought you didn't need it they wouldn't have put it there.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the tranny in this situation.. It's a much bigger deal for the clutch! I start out in 2nd for the extra traction ALL THE TIME -- It snows here, and is sometimes necessary to get to work in the morning.

I'll tell you a story about my tC.. I accidentally took off in 3rd one time -- got distracted and forgot to shift out at a stop -- anyway, it was a little slow, but there weren't any real problems.. this got me thinking.. and I tried 4th -- just for the hell of it -- *gasp* it still worked, no problem! Yeah, so, I'm thinking about our engine's torque, and.. you know what I'm thinking next and you are free to laugh at me for this... "WHY NOT TRY 5TH?!?!" Well, it got the car going.. but I got a good strong burnt-clutch smell soon after! Most intense clutch smell I've ever witnessed, but there is no immediate-long-lasting effect on my tC other than the burnt clutch -- it still drives great! I might even try it again some day to see if I can do it better...

SO, the moral of my story is that it's perfectly fine to take off in 2nd -- if it's bad for anything, it's bad for the clutch, it's all in the way you work the machine. When you start burning your clutch or 'killing' your engine repeatedly.. THAT's when you know you're doing something wrong or bad and you should either re-think your technique or give it up.

-K

 

as k_s learned from his experience, doing this repeatedly will damage your clutch. Keep it up and you can get a free one within 5 years ;). The problem is your putting your engine under it's chocking point and keeping it alive via increased throttle. Not a good thing.

 

Yeah, that was in 5th -- I think I did rev it too high in 5th.. no damage in 1st thru 4th..

1st or 2nd is really not a problem for a tC's engine, clutch, or transmission.

-K

 

I pretty much agree with what is being said here... Not so bad for tranny, not so good for motor, really bad for clutch! The only time I'll ever start from 2nd is in really deep snow. It minimizes wheel spin. I used to have to do this with my Echo, the xA RS I now have has Traction Control so I actually have only done it once.
Just my $0.02

 

i live on a steep hill and soon as the ebrake is disengaged i just put it in second and drive off after the car is already rolling, kind of like downshifting into 2nd....never thought it would harm anything, but ive never done it from a standstill

 

The whole "start in second" bit used to be SOP for truck drivers, because some trucks had a "granny low" first gear that was used for creeping up very steep hills. This gear was never meant to be part of the regular shifting progression.

Modern cars do not have a "granny low" so you should start in first.

Funny how folks can pick up certain actions without understanding the reason behind them!

George

 

Isn't the clutch a wear item - unless something else is wrong, i don't think they'd warranty that.

 

Funny how folks from LA are trying to tell people how they should drive! ;) j/k

But seriously.. if you drive on snow or ice, you should know how to get better traction by starting in 2nd gear, from a stop, without damaging the car in any, way shape, or form.
And IMO, it's a good skill for any driver to have. Who knows when you might need it.

My last $0.02.. consider me broke, I have nothing more to say on this topic.

-K

 

Well, I grew up in a place called "Nevada" (Spanish for "Snow Covered") and I was taught to put the transmission in 1st (granny low if available), let the engine idle, and carefully slip the clutch to get moving on ice. The idea was to keep all the slippage in the clutch and by using the lowest possible gear you could get the wheel speed matched to the ground speed with the clutch out as soon as possible.

Higher gears will work as well, but the tradeoff is that you have to apply throttle to keep the engine from stalling which increases the chance that the clutch will grab and spin the wheels. Using low allows you to concentrate on the clutch alone until you get moving.

My father was the one who taught this, and considering that he spent decades driving trucks in the Sierras I figure he must have known his stuff.

George

 

think of it this way if you start off in 2nd gear in snow you can kick that jackass's butt at the light ;) kind of fun really as he is still searching for traction your on your way

 

The gearing in the tC is low and the torque is high. On a rainy/snowy day, 2nd gear is the way to go. I wouldn't worry about the clutch-cars are made so well nowadays that you'll get sick of it long before you wear it out.

 

Starting out in 2nd from a rolling stop or downhill is fine. It's just like downshifting.

From a dead, level stop, starting out in 2nd won't blow your car up, but it isn't the greatest thing you can do.

 

2nd gear is all you got when you get no traction in snow

 

I may not have driven in snow yet, but I am a daily stop-and-go driver and sometimes when I'm in bad traffic, my car never really comes to a complete stop or slow enough to downshift to 1st. It will struggle a little while still in 2nd until I'm doing about 6+mph. What's this doing to my clutch/engine? I never get a burning smell.

 

It's all relative. You can start in 2nd gear in these cars without slipping the clutch too much. Most of the time I go to 1st, but if I have even a small bit of momentum or I just feel lazy and want to save myself a gear change I'll start in 2nd. The wear on the clutch is minimal and besides, clutches are designed to wear out anyways. Once it does you'll have an excuse to tear down your car a bit, clean some stuff out and add some new parts.

 

thats my look on it, gives you a reason to upgrade to a TRD clutch or any other aftermarket clutch