Starting off in second gear on a 6-speed/HO ?
From : s miller
Q: im a new owner of a 2500 with the 6-speed/ho cummins and wondering... is it ok to start in second gear when unloaded i can do this with practically no clutch slip and the engine doesnt seem like it could care less... and first gear is so low that it seems pretty useless when not towing. anyone have any personal experience that would indicate any harm to the clutch or engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... - seth .
Replies:
From : tom j
im a new owner of a 2500 with the 6-speed/ho cummins and wondering... is it ok to start in second gear when unloaded i can do this with practically no clutch slip and the engine doesnt seem like it could care less... and first gear is so low that it seems pretty useless when not towing. anyone have any personal experience that would indicate any harm to the clutch or engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... empty use 2 - 4 - 6 when driving a 10 speed empty i used only 4 shifts. tom j .
From : tim miser
yes 1st gear is a granny gear only for use when you need it. -tim im a new owner of a 2500 with the 6-speed/ho cummins and wondering... is it ok to start in second gear when unloaded i can do this with practically no clutch slip and the engine doesnt seem like it could care less... and first gear is so low that it seems pretty useless when not towing. anyone have any personal experience that would indicate any harm to the clutch or engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... - seth .
From : s miller
okay... apologies then for assuming you didnt rtfm. no problem tom... besides think id make that mistake in this group.. - .
From : tom lawrence
engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy note if your vehicle has an nv-4500 manual transmission would also apply to an nv-5600 use first gear if carrying a payload or towing a trailer; otherwise use 2nd gear to launch an unloaded vehicle .
From : tom lawrenceredneck tookover hell
i attempted to email you and it got bounced back. please email me here so ill have your address. http//tinyurl.com/amfi hmmm.... you obviously werent able to break my cypher and decode my super-secret e-mail address from the above encryped string .
From : redneck tookover hell
oh you are just being obnoxious again tom!!!!! g not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy ill start watching reality tv shows when i can vote people off the planet. .
From : tom lawrence
no i dont think youre being obnoxious and yes i did look at my owners manual and it specifically states for both the 5 and 6 speed that all forward gears should be used regardless of load conditions or damage to the clutch may okay... apologies then for assuming you didnt rtfm. i would have looked in my 03 manual but its in the center console of the truck which is about 9 feet in the air right now - didnt feel like risking a broken limb climbing up to get it strange that they changed that in the manual... 1st gear is just too low of a gear for normal driving. you wont hurt the clutch at all starting out in second. i drive my v10/5spd like that all the time. in fact if im in stop-n-go traffic i dont even give it any throttle - just smoothly release the clutch and the truck glides into motion. .
From : s miller
no i dont think youre being obnoxious and yes i did look at my owners manual and it specifically states for both the 5 and 6 speed that all forward gears should be used regardless of load conditions or damage to the clutch may result. this doesnt seem to jive with conventional wisdom or apparently dodges previous advice as indicated in your 1999 manual hence my question. tom lawrence wrote engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy note if your vehicle has an nv-4500 manual transmission would also apply to an nv-5600 use first gear if carrying a payload or towing a trailer; otherwise use 2nd gear to launch an unloaded vehicle .
From : tim miser
i checked out page 197-198 of my 03 manual and it does not seem to be crystal clear. for example here are some excerpts for improved clutch life all six forward gears should be used. then the next paragraph says you should use low gear when starting from a standing position if under a heavy load. it also says damage to the clutch can result from starting in 2nd or 3rd gear with a loaded vehicle. use each gear in numerical order - do not skip a gear. -tim no i dont think youre being obnoxious and yes i did look at my owners manual and it specifically states for both the 5 and 6 speed that all forward gears should be used regardless of load conditions or damage to the clutch may result. this doesnt seem to jive with conventional wisdom or apparently dodges previous advice as indicated in your 1999 manual hence my question. tom lawrence wrote engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy note if your vehicle has an nv-4500 manual transmission would also apply to an nv-5600 use first gear if carrying a payload or towing a trailer; otherwise use 2nd gear to launch an unloaded vehicle .
From : tbone
that is about as clear as you are going to get for a owners manual. lets not forget that it is written for many types of driver. the simple translation is you can skip gears and start in second while unloaded but you may experience increased clutch wear especially if you expect it to accelerate like a sports car. when loaded you need to use all of the gears in order starting from first. they probably made changes to the manual after getting complaints of un expected clutch wear from people who try to jump off of the line like a vette or in hilly areas while starting in second gear like the manual said. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving i checked out page 197-198 of my 03 manual and it does not seem to be crystal clear. for example here are some excerpts for improved clutch life all six forward gears should be used. then the next paragraph says you should use low gear when starting from a standing position if under a heavy load. it also says damage to the clutch can result from starting in 2nd or 3rd gear with a loaded vehicle. use each gear in numerical order - do not skip a gear. -tim no i dont think youre being obnoxious and yes i did look at my owners manual and it specifically states for both the 5 and 6 speed that all forward gears should be used regardless of load conditions or damage to the clutch may result. this doesnt seem to jive with conventional wisdom or apparently dodges previous advice as indicated in your 1999 manual hence my question. tom lawrence wrote engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy note if your vehicle has an nv-4500 manual transmission would also apply to an nv-5600 use first gear if carrying a payload or towing a trailer; otherwise use 2nd gear to launch an unloaded vehicle .
From : tom lawrence
manual after getting complaints of un expected clutch wear from people who try to jump off of the line like a vette or in hilly areas while starting in second gear like the manual said. in other words their liability department made them dumb down the manual to accomodate the lowest common denominator. sigh same old story... thats why on the side of gasoline containers it says do not ingest. .
From : budd cochrantbone
well gee tom if they did that your idol ahhh-nohld would have to give up his hummvee. -- budd cochran in tribute to the united states of america and the state of israel two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife and terrorism. ------ perhaps because people are much more willing to give up oil burners in their luxury cars than they are in their trucks and the money lost is too high to consider. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving mercedes diesel wrote off california and its totally unreal emission demands....why shouldnt dodge...a division of mb i have been shopping for my fifth dodge and third diesel but i am really disappointed in the power of the diesel offered in california. 15 horsepower less than standard output from most other states. the high output diesel isnt available at all. anyone know if the engineers at dodge and cummins are doing anything to keep up with ford and chevy in california or are they just writing this state off. i am a solid dodge customer but i cant see paying top dollar for a pickup i will be disappointed in the day i drive it off the lot. thanks. .
From : tbone
manual after getting complaints of un expected clutch wear from people who try to jump off of the line like a vette or in hilly areas while starting in second gear like the manual said. in other words their liability department made them dumb down the manual to accomodate the lowest common denominator. sigh same old story... thats why on the side of gasoline containers it says do not ingest. sad isnt it - -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .
From : Annonymous
from what the manual says it seems to be ok to start in 2nd gear.on mon 17 nov 2003 060230 gmt tim miser timmiser@yahoo.com wrote i checked out page 197-198 of my 03 manual and it does not seem to be crystal clear. for example here are some excerpts for improved clutch life all six forward gears should be used. then the next paragraph says you should use low gear when starting from a standing position if under a heavy load. it also says damage to the clutch can result from starting in 2nd or 3rd gear with a loaded vehicle. use each gear in numerical order - do not skip a gear. -tim no i dont think youre being obnoxious and yes i did look at my owners manual and it specifically states for both the 5 and 6 speed that all forward gears should be used regardless of load conditions or damage to the clutch may result. this doesnt seem to jive with conventional wisdom or apparently dodges previous advice as indicated in your 1999 manual hence my question. tom lawrence wrote engine by starting in second only when empty/unloaded of course. ive found just about every other tip imaginable by doing some searches but havent found any discussion of this topic... not to be obnoxious or anything but have you tried searching through your owners manual from my 1999 manual since i dont have my 2003 handy note if your vehicle has an nv-4500 manual transmission would also apply to an nv-5600 use first gear if carrying a payload or towing a trailer; otherwise use 2nd gear to launch an unloaded vehicle .