IS IT OKAY TO SKIP GEARS IN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION?

Let us dive into car science to find out if its okay skip gears in a manual transmission.

Although physically possible, is it okay to change gears, for example, from first to third, or from something like fifth to second gear?

When upshifting, it is perfectly fine to shift from something like second to fourth, although you want to have your clutch engagement to take place over a slightly longer period of time in order to allow your revs to drop or else you could potentially put stress on both your clutch and transmission and you'll experience a jolt and unsmooth gear change.

When skipping gears on downshift you have to take a few more things into consideration before you do so. If you are in a gear like fourth or fifth, you are normally cruising at a higher speed at a lower RPM where your lower gears require higher RPM due to the gear ratio. If you want to skip a gear or two and engage second you'll have to rev match during your gear change or else risk putting severe stress on your clutch and transmission, as well as potentially locking up your tires.

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, Engineering Explained, on Is It Okay To Skip Gears In A Manual Transmission.

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