Should I shift to second gear when going straight through an intersection?
2 Answers
The principle of passing through an intersection is to slow down, look around, and then proceed. You must reduce speed. As for whether to shift to second gear, it depends on whether the vehicle speed meets the shifting conditions. Related introduction: Brief: Gear shifting is the abbreviation for "gear lever operation method". In long-term driving practice, it has been widely circulated due to its concise and direct name. It is a highly frequent operation. Moreover, the proficiency in operation (especially for manual transmission vehicles) directly affects driving safety. Extension: It refers to the driver's psychological and physiological movements in various aspects to continuously change the position of the gear lever according to road conditions and vehicle speed changes. Generally, the so-called "gear lever operation method" is limited to the "gear lever" itself; while gear shifting not only includes the "gear lever operation method", but more importantly, it encompasses all psychological and physiological behavior processes, including speed estimation, under the premise of achieving the goal (gear shifting).
It depends on your speed and engine condition. When driving a manual transmission through an intersection, if the speed drops below 20 km/h, the engine will noticeably shudder. Shifting down to 2nd gear at this point allows the car to start more powerfully. However, if you brake appropriately in advance and maintain a speed around 30 km/h, smoothly coasting through in 3rd gear works fine too. Once when I was driving my friend's old Jetta, I hesitated at an intersection as the light was about to change from green to red, wondering whether to downshift, and ended up stalling directly in 3rd gear. For beginners, it's advisable to slow down to around 20 km/h at complex intersections and shift to 2nd gear in advance. Experienced drivers can rely on their feel, but the key is not to let the RPM drop below 1000.
