Is It Okay To Skip Gears When Driving A Manual Car?

If you are often driving a manual transmission car, you've probably had instances where you skipped from first to third gear or even went from fifth gear down to third gear. It seems faster and more efficient than shifting the gear stick through each gear to find the one that matches your speed. While most manual cars are designed to allow drivers to select any gear they want, is it good for your car? The short answer is that it's okay to skip gears as long as you take the extra steps to ensure the gear jump goes smoothly. 

A common situation where drivers want to skip a gear is when the car is stationary. Do you need to go into first or can you skip right to second after the light turns green? Some manual cars can smoothly roll forward in second gear, but there will be more clutch wear, since the vehicle needs to be at a higher speed before you can lift the clutch. The bottom line — skipping gears while stationary or in motion is doable, but it can put extra wear on certain parts of the clutch, like uneven wear on the synchronizers, especially if you are not using the proper techniques. 

When it comes to upshifting, it's recommended that you wait longer to switch gears after you press the clutch to allow the revs to drop. That's because the higher the gear, the lower the rpm. If you release the clutch too quickly, the car will lurch as the engine and wheels attempt to match speeds. You can also put extra wear on your clutch if you make this jump without waiting, although downshifting without the proper technique is more damaging.

If you are on a highway in sixth gear and want to skip fifth to get to fourth gear to pass a slow car up ahead, you'll need to rev match — a skill many manual drivers want to learn. This is when you give a bit of throttle to raise the car's rpms, so it'll match up when you switch to a lower gear, which has higher RPMs. This way, the car will smoothly transition from sixth to fourth without lurching, and you can avoid damaging the clutch and potentially locking up the rear wheels.

A lot of manual drivers don't run into many situations where downshifting is necessary, especially if they are not driving on a track. However, one common situation where downshifting might be required is when transitioning from sixth gear on the highway and then slowing down off the exit is downshifting while braking. Do you really need to go from sixth to fifth to fourth and so on until you reach first and stop? No, but some drivers prefer it. 

There's some debate about whether drivers need to downshift or not when coming to a complete stop. While you can go from 5th to 4th to 3rd and so on until you come to a complete stop, this isn't necessary,and new manual drivers may find it a bit more approachable to just throw the car in neutral and coast to a stop. However, some seasoned drivers enjoy going through the gears as they slow down to have a sportier feel. 

Rev matching and blipping the throttle while going down every gear can be a fun challenge, and it sounds nice, but you may not always feel like going through the process in every situation. Leaving your car in gear while slowing down, however, can allow you to brake faster in an emergency situation. In the end, the choice to skip gears while speeding up or slowing down is totally up to the driver, depending on their skill level, driving style, and car model.