To Navigate Click on a DorWey Below

Client's Lessons & Downloads

For driving instructors or those thinking about becoming a driving instructor.

Client's Lessons & Downloads

To refresh the pages press F5

DorWey Driving School  - The Gears

This page is available as part of Lesson 1 and is also a 'How To Operate It'  page.

In the old days changing gears used to be a tricky, macho experience that  required some strength and a bit of dancing around on the gas, brake and clutch pedals all at the same time (heel-and-toeing). The uncooperative gearboxes would grind and grind again (and again.......) if the components weren't spinning at the same speeds as they met.

Driving in the early days was far more skilful with drivers requiring mechanical intuition and vehicle empathy. (Of course, they didn't have the volume of traffic that the modern day driver has to contend with!)

Things have changed. Gear boxes are now pussy cats where the relative speeds of meeting components aren't so important and a lightness of operation allowing even the slightest built driver to change gear with ease.

So (please) no muscle required, just - - -be methodical and take your time.

Menu

1. How do Gears Work?
2. Gears Diagram and Table
3. Hints and Tips

How do Gears Work?

Just to remind you about the transmission  diagram you will have seen when looking at the Clutch Page. Please look closely at the gears and gearbox in this diagram. Below, we will be considering how the gears work. (Please note that in the two animated diagrams below, the input gear, which is blue in the diagram on the left, will be yellow. The output gear, which is black in the diagram on the left, will be red.)

Gear wheels are just like levers. The larger they are the less effort it takes to turn them. Imagine that the input gear wheel, driven by the engine, is of one size and that we fit different sized output gear wheels next to it in order to carry out different work. It would be good to imagine this because this is what happens when you change gear.

In order to get the car going we are going to need a big output gear wheel (i.e. first gear). If we select this big gear it will mean that the car won't go very fast but, because it needs less effort (more leverage), the engine will find it a lot easier to get the car on the move. Because of the slow road wheel speed this gear is also used for slow speed events like traffic queues. If you look at the diagram you will see that for every four revolutions of the input gear we get one revolution from the output gear. First gear is good to get the car going but very shortly you will notice (at about 12-17 mph) that the engine is getting very noisy (i.e. working very hard) and that we are not going very fast for all this effort. Now is the time to select a slightly smaller output gear (2nd gear) which will mean that we get more speed from the engine without having to over work it. (Saves fuel, saves garage bills and helps save the planet!)

As we build the speed up we select different output gears which get smaller and smaller. In 4th gear the output gear is the same size as the input gear so that for every revolution of the input gear we get one revolution from the output gear. This will be OK until we get on a steep hill and then we will have to change down to 3rd, 2nd or even first because the engine needs more leverage to get the tonne weight of the car up the hill.   NB The input gear is revolving at the same speed in both diagrams.

NB To be strictly accurate there is another fixed gear between the gearbox and the wheels. This gear doesn't require changing so for the sake of simplicity we can ignore it.

Gear Selection Diagram and Table

Hints and Tips on how to use gears.

If there is one phrase that can sum up correct gear changing it probably is: Be methodical and take your time.

1. Don't look down at the gear stick, you will have far more important and pressing things to look at! If you need to check what gear you are in, you can just put your hand on top of the stick. If it is in the forwards position this will mean that you are in 1st, 3rd or 5th. If the stick is to the rear of the car you will be in 2nd or 4th. There is quite a lot of separation between these gears so you should be able to work out which gear you are in. If, for example, you find the gear stick is in the forward position whilst the car is doing 25 mph and the engine is not sounding extremely excited and over-revving (1st gear) or sounding very lumpy and unhappy (5th gear), then you must be in 3rd.

2. When changing gear don't use a vice-like grip, you won't be able to 'feel' the gears into their slots and if you are too tense you may inadvertently move the steering wheel at the same time.

3. Block-Change where necessary. In days gone by, brakes (drum brakes) were not very efficient so drivers were encouraged to change down through the gear box, bringing the clutch up after every gear change. This would allow the slowing engine and lower gears to assist the brakes. Disc brakes changed all that because they are very efficient. So, no more need to change down sequentially.

   Example of Block Changing whilst approaching an empty roundabout in 4th gear and intending to use 2nd gear for entry onto the roundabout: (NB. Don't leave everything until the last minute. Allow yourself enough time and space on the approach.) Start gently slowing down with the footbrake but leaving the clutch up until the speed is getting towards the bottom end of the 4th gear range (see the 'gears' diagrams in your logbook). At this point press the clutch down and keep it down and keeping both hands on the steering wheel. When you have slowed the car enough for 2nd gear (i.e. below 20 mph) engage 2nd and bring the clutch gently back up and apply a little gas. The gas is needed to speed the (idling) engine flywheel up so it matches the faster speed of the clutch plate. If you get this right you will experience a smooth-as-custard gear change instead of a rough and potentially damaging JOLT!

4.  

5. If you feel that you have selected the wrong gear don't vaguely stir the stick around, it won't prove anything. Nudge it back into neutral recognise it is now back on the 'green spot' and then reselect the gear from that point.

6. Don't rush the gear change, it is unnecessary and can lead to problems. Consider the time difference between a gear stick desperately snatched through the box, to the speed of a gear change done in a methodical - and - leisurely - way. Probably less than a second. Now consider how much a tonne weight of moving car is likely to slow down in less than a second. If you do hurry the gear change you will quite likely pick up the wrong gear and possibly upset the steering at the same time. When going up hills you may have to hurry the gear change a little, this is partly due to losing speed when the clutch is down and there is no drive to the car. To compensate for this we speed the car up to give us a bonus of speed, before we carry out the change.

7. When changing to 1st and 2nd gears press (palm) the stick to the left all the way through the change. When selecting 5th press (palm) the stick to the right all the way through the change. When going from 2nd to 3rd use the heel of your palm to nudge into neutral and nudge again into 3rd, without applying any sideways bias. The gearbox will sort it out for you. When going from 5th to 4th cup your fingers over the stick and nudge into neutral and nudge again into 4th ,without applying any sideways bias. Let the gearbox sort it out for you. Take your time and relax whilst carrying out gear changes.    Be methodical and take your time.

8. When changing through the gear box do it in a right-angular fashion. Follow the lines shown in the diagram above. If you try to cut the corners you will probably end up in the wrong gear.  As you go through neutral pause for a micro second. For example when going from 1st to 2nd think about it as 1 - and (pause slightly) -2, where the 'and' is neutral.  Be methodical and take your time.

9. Reverse gear will, on occasions, be difficult to fully engage. If you feel the stick hasn't gone all the way in or you hear a whirring sound as you lift the clutch up you will need to do it again. Press the clutch down quickly, go back into neutral and have another try - it will most likely go in this time. If it doesn't, then back into neutral, lift your foot off the clutch (so the cogs revolve in the box and realign themselves) press the clutch back down again and try reverse again. This reluctance on reverse gear is very common to a lot of, if not all (I can't vouch for Rolls Royce) cars. If it happens on your test, don't get flustered because no doubt the examiner will have experienced exactly the   same thing on his or her own car, so take your time.

10. Warning. You won't be using 5th gear until you have had a bit of practice but when eventually you do use 5th you have to be aware of a potential danger when changing from 4th to 5th. After changing from 4th to 5th you should bring the clutch up slowly to make sure that you have actually selected 5th and not 3rd. If, as you bring the clutch up to bite point, you feel the car starting to decelerate then push  clutch down again, put the gear stick back into neutral, then make sure that you push the stick all the way to the right and then forwards into 5th.

    NB Selecting 3rd under these circumstances is potentially very dangerous. If you select 3rd by mistake and just bring the clutch up quickly without checking, the car will rapidly decelerate - with no red lights to warn the following drivers. As going into 5th is usually part of a speeding up routine those drivers following you will also be picking up speed and probably changing into 5th in anticipation of a spell of high speed driving (and maybe driving to close to you as well as looking sideways (why do people do this?) to talk to their passengers). The last thing they will expect is for the car in front to suddenly start slowing without any warning. This can lead to dangerous, high speed, rear end collisions. (This is yet another good reason why you shouldn't follow other drivers too closely. If you do, it could be you driving into the back of someone else!)

Return to Clients Front Page

Return to Lesson 1

Not used

Go to Site Map

Learn To Drive With ~~~~~ DorWey Driving School ~~~ 01305 834677                                

                                        Home    CV      Prices     Training Modules     Graphic Briefings     The Tests     Links   Automatics