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[r1]

been out with a mate tonight and hes got some sort of honda and 98 per cent of the time he changes gear 1-3-5 not useing 2 or4 says this is better as less wear and tear on the gearbox and clutch.
so is this a good way to drive?
to be fair the car wasnt screaming in first and the car didnt judder so maybe hes right

[Lazydocker]

Used to be quite common... Personally I don't see the point but whatever floats

[Turk]

The way I see it is, car manufacturers spend millions developing optimum gear ratios etc, but there's always someone that knows better.   

[jtypecav]

Reminds me of my grandpa in the car back in the day. I'd just got a cassette walkman for xmas and he turns to me hearing me fwd'ing past some crappy track and says.. careful andrew, every press of that button is one more use deducted from that mechanisms lifespan!!     

And a load spread evenly means wear will be even. The Ascii ate two F20 3rd gears before I put an F28 in it, so as far as I can tell not using 2nd and 4th just puts more miles on the cog that takes the most abuse! Crazy for these days! Maybe when gearboxes were made out of wood an nails...

[r1]

glad iam doing something right then.

[tigers_gonads]

Got to admit, I tend to box shift 4th down to 2nd or going up 3rd into 5th

[OOMV6]

been out with a mate tonight and hes got some sort of honda and 98 per cent of the time he changes gear 1-3-5 not useing 2 or4 says this is better as less wear and tear on the gearbox and clutch.
so is this a good way to drive?
to be fair the car wasnt screaming in first and the car didnt judder so maybe hes right

It really depends on what the car is capable of. With the 3.0 MV6 it seems no problem to do 2nd to 4th and 3rd to 5th, if you're not in a racing mood. Smaller engine cars. I wouldn't recommend it. As for less wear and tear on gearbox, that sounds like a load of rubbish to me. It just means 2nd and 4th out-live the other gears. So when the box starts playing up, you're left with 2nd and 4th and R. So in the end, you'll end up starting in 2nd! Sounds like a false economy to me - and a "legend" that has been passed down generations. We have to remember that the cars now are not, generally speaking, the unreliable things our parents / grandparents drove.

[mantahatch]

I would dearly love to know how you chage from 1st to 3rd etc. My box just changes for me with no problems at all 

[OOMV6]

I would dearly love to know how you chage from 1st to 3rd etc. My box just changes for me with no problems at all 

It is called a manual gearbox. You know, the one that needs the third pedal 

[martin42]

3 pedals!!!!!!,dont confuse me any more than i am already 2 are more than enough 

[Marks DTM Calib]

Many were called and few were chosen.....or is that just BMW Auto's!

Very interested to hear hows its less wear as what you will end up with is a box with more wear on 1-3-5 and less on 2-4......hence you coudl argue the box is likely to wear out sooner as the wear is not spread over all available gears.

The only thing that might last longer is the syncros on 2-4.....but there no use anyway as hes not using them!

[OOMV6]

been out with a mate tonight and hes got some sort of honda and 98 per cent of the time he changes gear 1-3-5 not useing 2 or4 says this is better as less wear and tear on the gearbox and clutch.
so is this a good way to drive?
to be fair the car wasnt screaming in first and the car didnt judder so maybe hes right

So, I think from the general consensus of opinion, the answer is a resounding NO.

[cem_devecioglu]

I only use that downhill and have no hurry..

[bootie]

Same here, 3 to 5 downhill and in no rush. I normally like to use all the gears in the box, starting with R then 1,2 etc as I have to reverse first to get to the turn point in the road.

Have to agree with the nay sayers though...it's not 'good' driving, it's not even 'good' gear changing. Arguably, changing gear may not be considered as one of the factors influencing driving skills since the advent of the automatic gearbox.
Of course there will be those who cry WRONG!  Changing gear on a manual set up is one of the great skills required to drive well.... correct gear selection for the situation, being able to use the engine as a brake...not so easy with a slush box.

Worms in an open can escaping???

[OOMV6]

Same here, 3 to 5 downhill and in no rush. I normally like to use all the gears in the box, starting with R then 1,2 etc as I have to reverse first to get to the turn point in the road.

Have to agree with the nay sayers though...it's not 'good' driving, it's not even 'good' gear changing. Arguably, changing gear may not be considered as one of the factors influencing driving skills since the advent of the automatic gearbox.
Of course there will be those who cry WRONG!  Changing gear on a manual set up is one of the great skills required to drive well.... correct gear selection for the situation, being able to use the engine as a brake...not so easy with a slush box.

Worms in an open can escaping???

Indeed. With modern cars, assuming you're not racing, there is no need for engine braking. The brakes are there for that. And a lot easier and cheaper to replace than engine, gearbox, clutch components.