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Is It Okay To Start Or Accelerate Your Car In Second Gear? Manual vs Automatic

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Is it okay to start in second gear? Whether you drive an automatic, manual, or dual clutch transmission, occasionally the advice comes up: start in second gear.

source/image: Engineering Explained

Why might this be? Perhaps if you’re about to start accelerating downhill, perhaps if you’re in the snow and you want to minimize wheel slip, or perhaps you’ve made up your own reason.

Whatever you ultimately decide on, this video will break down exactly what’s happening with your engine and transmission depending on which gear ratio you choose to select.

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As is always the case, there are reasons why you may want to, and reasons why you might not want to, for each individual transmission style. Check out the video for full details!

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