When To Shift Into 1st?

by Tim Joseph

I read an interesting article today. You can click the below link to read it for yourself. Someone wrote in and asked a couple of car experts an interesting question I wondered about when I got my stick shift vehicle two years ago. The guy had just purchased a 2008 Nissan 350Z and let his friend drive it. When his friend would take off from a red light he would start off in 2nd gear. He said it was better for the engine and easier on the clutch and transmission.

The answer was the complete opposite. It is actually harder on the clutch and engine and will wear out 2nd gear quicker. Typically 1st gear does not get worn out and if any gear does, it's usually 2nd according to the article.

If you are interested in saving money at the pump, this is not the way to do it. We have several articles written here about how to save money. You can check some of them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 3 1/2, Part 4

http://www.courant.com/business/yourmoney/hc-ymclick0928-ylif.artsep28,0,6207868.story