Skipping gears with a Manual Transmission

On my way to and from work, I try to conserve on gas... a friend of mine said that I could skip gears since I have a 6 speed manual. So lately I have been shifting from 1st to 2nd to 4th and then 6th... skipping 3rd and 5th all together. The roads here in Ohio are flat and the truck doesn't seem to Lug or anything. Just wondering if I can mess anything up by doing this? Thanks!

 

No it wont hurt anything. I do it all the time to.

 

I do this all the time, I'd also be interested in any issues with this

 

Great... I didnt think so, but just wanted to check with you guys. Thanks!

 

I drove a buddies car before that was a manual and I would almost always go from 2nd to 4th gear

 

I drive 2-4-6 most of the time, unless the speed limit dictates another gear (30-35mph, I use 5th).

I do run through the gears overall on average, but from a dead stop it is 90% 2-4-6.

 

I'm pretty sure you should be fine, I do it myself.

Now not to thread hijack or anything but i am kinda curious about one thing.

What does actually do to gas mileage?

ex: is it less efficient to be in 6th gear at 35mph or 4th? does shifting when the RPM's are too low hurt your gas mileage?

may be a stupid question but i gotta ask haha

 

Wont do a damn thing for mileage, but I have skipped on all my vehicles. Just make sure you match the revs for whatever gear you want.

 

skipping is just situational. sometimes its just annoying to have to go through a gear when you can "skip" it.

As for mileage, I drive the same 40 miles every day for work. I have been tracking my fuel consumption right down to each 1/4 of the tank. I've always wanted to know how many miles i most likely have even if i'm sitting at a half tank or 1/4 tank.

I have tracked the high and low #'s as well as the average for each 1/4 of the tank. I have found that you should keep in beween 1500 and 1800 and you'll get the best mileage. when shifting up, never let it go past 2000. obviously this is unavoidable on some terrain but when you can keep it there, do so.

There is also something to say for the idea that sometimes your engine just needs to run and clean itself out. not sure if there is any science to this but i've always heard it.

I have rhino liner all over my truck, 6" fabtech lift, 305/70/16 tires, sliders, allpro bumper, and a Warn 9.5ti winch. with all that I can still get 17 mpg or more if i ride like this.it only takes goosing it little while before i get into the 16-15 range 15 is the lowest ive ever gotten. I know i could get 18 if i was to play it nice for a whole tank but i dont think that is going to happen

 

Keeping your rpms lower than higher will help keep your gas mileage up. With that being said, I suggest everyone only drive in 6th gear, no matter what speed your going. Lol

 

To be able to skip a gear on upshifting means that you have to rev it out a bit further so that when you drop it into the second next gear you wont be lugging it. You havent made any profit on that move unless you were on a downgrade and had gravity working for you.

Where skipping a gear is of benefit is downshifting where you have braked or a steep hill has slowed your road speed quickly then jumping a gear gives the best engine revs for the road speed.

The long answer really is it depends on road speed and load; low revs and light throttle is ok but mashing the pedal at 1,200 revs is not. As a truck driver I never liked revving for nothing or lugging. Using the best gear is the easiest on the synchros in the tranny and gives the best mileage.

 

must remember also that too low of an RPM and you'll be hurting your MPG.

Oh and i love the staying in 6th gear thing hahaha that's thinking outside of the box!

 

Not likely, I did a bunch of testing, and the highest gear always, without exception, got the best mileage, even when lugging. The only exception was below 1000 rpm, but engine vibes at that point were the bigger issue.

 

Oh yeah, and skipping gears does not help economy, it is a convenience thing, that's all.

 

i used to skip 3rd all the time in my jetta and developed a tremendous grind after about 2 or 3 months of skipping it. then i started going into 3rd and it was hard and grinded like non other...cause?

 

I think 6 speed boxes in the Tacoma are purely a marketing gimmick.

 

IF you know how to "skip" then no problem,if not your "Syncros" will hate you ....progressive shifting is an "art" and can be done, BUT like anything else..."thinking it" and "doing it".. two complete opposites..

My question is,WHY??....5 or 6 speed trans are easy and "fun" to drive....but then again I don't mind moving through 8-18 speeds either ..

 

Please expound...what is there angle?

Hmmmmm so what youre saying is too low of an rpm can hurt,...right???? wierd, that sounds an awful lot like what i said
I would venture to say that it is actually once you get below your engine idle rpm not 1000.
oh and also when you start getting below your engine idle rpms things start to vibrate like they shouldn't. that cant be good for you either.

 

.........

I would take it as obvious that no one runs less than 1000 rpm on the street, given the vibrations associated with that. I had assumed you meant in the under 2000 rpm range, if you were more clear, than there would have been no mistaking what you where trying to say.

If your guess is more accurate than my scangauge, yes. Otherwise, from an efficiency perspective, my testing shows 1000 - 1100 to be the point where mileage dips.