Quote: If you want to save gas, learn to short shift. Here's how I do it in my six speed corvette. Let's say I'm in town and leaving a stop light where the speed limit is 35MPH. I start out in first gear like normal but then I shift directly into forth and bypass second and third. Going from zero to thirty five is a simple matter in first gear and there is no need to use other gears to accelerate. You want to get the RPMs down as soon as possible to save gas unlike you were told by a few people above. Obviously when you need to accelerate to a high speed quickly this is not the way to do it but it will save you gas driving around town, save your clutch and it's much easier on your left leg muscles. Can anyone vouch for this method? Pros or Cons I'm trying to get some suggestions the best way to preserve clutch life after I complete my T56 swap. Along with the most appropriate way to drive a stick. Thanks, Jay

i will sometimes skip a gear, but not usually.

depending on gearing and such, the rpm drop will be too sever on a 1-4 shift and the car could start bucking.

Try and see what happens, worst that will happen is the car will stall.

Thats what GM did in the 93 up Camaro/Corvette where at low load it shifts 1-4 . Think powerglide . Really short 1st gear and direct drive in 2nd .

I don't go from 1-4 I usually go 1-5 but I go through shift sequence with clutch pushed it. For quick 0-50 1-2-5 but I haven't had any problems from my transmission that wasn't already there.

The reason he does it in his 6 speed corvette is because he has to. As mentioned above there is a 1-4 skip shift on thoes cars and it makes you grab 4th unless you are driving a little harder. Unless you have the power to support a 1-4 shift it will probabaly be worse than just shifting through the gears. It doesn't do the MPG any good to lug the motor.

Phil

Being a previous owner of a 99 Trans-Am LS1 T-56, what is happening in that guys corvette is called CAGS ( computer assisted gear shifts ). You can bypass that system if you wanted to ( i did). Now with the t-5 in my 88 bird I always shift through all gears. I don't know what benefits other than better gas mileage there would be skipping gears.

not sure who buys these cars for gas mileage although depending on engine size some get very good mileage. But still I wouldn't worry that much about mileage.

I don't usually do the skip shift thing, because it makes me have to wind out 1st gear longer than I like to, otherwise 4th just bogs. Just cruising around town though I do short shift, around 1800 to 2000 RPM. Just ease the clutch out a little slower than normal, and it's still a nice smooth shift. No point wasting gas when you're stuck in traffic and can't go faster than 35 or 40 anyway.

Thanks for the info guys. I just wanted to know if this way of driving a stick was practical.

Jay