Changing Up Gears.

Your technique may initially fail to achieve smooth gear changes, a common fault, is failure to synchronise engine speed to the newly selected gear speed, with the result that a jerk is felt at the change. Changing from first gear to second is often a difficult task to achieve smoothly. An understanding of causes should help, and the following example will explain the principles involved.

A passenger car travelling in first gear needs to develop power from the engine, it achieves this by engine speed or revolutions per minute RPM. The tachometer needs to show around 3,000 rpm before sufficient power is generated to enable a change to the second gear. The second gear will cause the gearbox to slow around 33% or 1000 rpm to about 2000 rpm. In order to achieve a smooth change the engine speed must match the gearbox speed exactly, so the engine speed must be at 2000 rpm before the clutch is engaged. The engine speed should be judged by ear rather than by visual reference of the tachometer however the tachometer is a handy tool for initial development.

All changes whether to higher or lower gears require anticipation, and you should be in the correct gear BEFORE the hazard, intersection, corner or steep descent, as the case may be. By doing so, both hands are free for steering control and it will be easier to concentrate on the approaching manoeuvre.

The "kick-down" method in the automatic vehicle should be employed where a sudden or unanticipated surge of power is required.