Driving is full of little secrets and tricks, and skipping a gear is one of them. But is it really beneficial for the car or are you playing Russian roulette with the transmission? The reality is more complex and less worrying than it seems.
Skipping a gear, that is, changing from one gear to another without following the consecutive order, such as going directly from second to fourth or from fifth to third, is a technique used by experienced drivers to adjust the vehicle speed more efficiently. in certain situations.
It is not always necessary to skip gears. It is useful in specific situations, such as when driving on the highway and wanting to save fuel or when you need more power or control of the car in situations such as going up or down hills.
Today’s vehicles are equipped with gearboxes that have a long gear ratio and sometimes noticeable jumps between gears. This configuration seeks to maximize fuel efficiency by allowing the engine to run at lower rpm during constant speed driving. In this context, skipping gears is not only possible but, in certain circumstances, can contribute to more economical driving.
However, so that this technique does not become a problem for transmission, it is essential to understand how and when to apply it. The success when it comes to skipping a gear without causing damage to the car lies in the driver’s ability to operate the clutch and accelerator in a coordinated manner, which guarantees a smooth transition between gears.
This is the best recipe to do a gear jump properly:
The risk of damaging the transmission occurs mainly when the maneuver is performed incorrectly. For example, shifting from a high gear to a very low gear without properly adjusting the engine speed can cause overstress on the mechanism, increasing the risk of damage.
