At what speed should a manual transmission car shift gears?
2 Answers
Manual transmission cars shift to second gear at 20 to 35 km/h; third gear at 35 to 45 km/h; fourth gear at 45 to 60 km/h; fifth gear above 60 km/h; and sixth gear at 80 km/h. A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox (MT), requires the driver to manually shift gears by moving the gear lever to change the gear engagement inside the transmission, thereby altering the gear ratio to achieve speed variation. The working principle of a manual transmission involves using the shift fork to change the gear ratio (gear ratio) of the meshing gears, which in turn modifies the driving torque to suit different operating conditions. Since the torque converter in an automatic transmission has a limited range for automatic gear shifting and torque conversion, several rows of planetary gears are connected in series behind the turbine to improve efficiency. The hydraulic control system automatically operates the planetary gears in response to changes in engine operation, thereby achieving automatic gear shifting and torque conversion.
When I first started driving, I also struggled with this. Later, I realized it's impossible to rely solely on the speedometer to decide when to shift gears. The differences between car models are just too significant! Driving my dad's old Jetta with a 1.5L engine, shifting to second gear at 20 km/h felt perfectly smooth. But now, with my Civic 1.5T, I have to wait until 30 km/h for the RPM to climb properly. The most reliable method is to glance at the tachometer—shifting at around 2000 RPM is the most fuel-efficient for daily commuting, while revving up to 3000 RPM gives you more power for overtaking. Remember two key points: delay upshifting slightly when climbing hills to avoid lugging and severe shaking; on snowy days, shift earlier to let the RPM drop and prevent wheel spin. If the engine sounds muffled and strained, it's time to upshift. If it's screaming like it's suffocating, downshift immediately!
