Hi guys, this is not a racing post but I dont know where to post this.. sorry..

350z is my first manual car; some of my friends advised me to do the stop-n-go with 2nd gear, is that okay? I have been doing this for a while, and I actually like this better than putting the car in 1st gear to start.

Does anyone see problems with this habit?

 

Sometimes when I'm lazy I'll start in 2nd gear. Just don't shoot the rpms that high and don't let out the clutch too slow.

 

You'll probably get a better number of responses to this one in the main Z Coupe Roadster section. I'll move this thread there.

 

The car was not designed to be launched in 2nd gear so, yes, long term I'd suspect it will create issues.

 

i would say its ok to sometimes....but really i dont mind first...it gives me alot of power in case i need to evade stupid motorists

 

That's an easy way to destroy your clutch.

 

how would u start in second? i met a guy one night at dunkin donuts. he had a supercharged vette pushing like 600 whp and i asked him for his drag times and he said that he started in 2nd gear always and it would be faster when started in second than starting in 1st. i was pretty confused but i guess it makes some sense. too much power would just spin his tires in first but i dont think 2nd gear could getg a good launch? how would u start a drag race in second gear? higher rpm than first? someone epxplain plz.

 

well when u srat in 2nds gear you have the feather the clutch like a **** to not stall out and give yourself enough power to get the car moving. you have to find the fine line between revving too much and not letting the clutch out too fast. you will indeed wear out your clutch faster with this

 

On the flats it is doable if you take off slow and don't need to slip the clutch too much. On any kind of incline, start off in first. Once you really think you know the clutch points you don't have to fully depress the clutch to shift from first to second and this saves a lot of time, but if you mess up you could get gear grind. You can also experiment with 1-3-5 shifts.

Unless the car has come to a complete stop, I see no trouble using second in "stop" and go traffic. If the shifter seems to resist going into first, you are probably going fast enough to use second gear.

 

I would try the 1-3-5 shift. I have been starting my car up with 2nd gear for 3, 4 months now, and frankly, my car do get stalled more often. That makes me want to ask.

Do you guys know of any way to test how worn out my clutch is?

 

lugging engine =bad
too much feathering clutch= hot spots on clutch= bad.

Fred..

 

I take off in 2nd gear in the snow. With snow tires the car takes off smoothly, while 1st will spin the tires.

 

i have a question. From a stop...how long can you feather the clutch in 1st before it is consider "riding" it.