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Getting the car going in 2nd gear with 3.73s (City Driving)

6K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  Rapinator126 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys!

I recently got a 2014 GT with 3.73 gears, and lately I've been experimenting with launching in second gear as opposed to first gear; first gear just feels really short. I've done some reading on this topic and there seem to be mixed opinions about it.

So, for those of you who own GTs with 3.73s and know a little bit about this -- what's your take? Will the clutch last longer by launching in 1st or 2nd gear? Does it put too much stress on the engine to launch in 2nd gear? Any savings in gas by doing one or the other?
 
#3 ·
Naturally you'll have a little more clutch wear in second, it takes longer to get full clamp without stalling.

You can launch 3.73 cars in any of the first 3 gears without difficulty but, the car likes to eat in first, even at the track, with a sticky tire and high rpm launch, it still likes the leverage of first gear.
 
#5 ·
3.73s here.. Just takes a while to get used to.. 1st gear launch.. Just driving around town I take off in 2nd prolly at least 50% of the time.
 
#6 ·
While we are talking about launching n what not.. How hard is power shifting on it? Just recently started doing it and only have 3-4 times..
 
#8 ·
There's some confusion here guys. OP just means starting from a stop, not racing it down the track. What I typically do is start in first if I'm at a dead stop. That way there is the least amount of wear on the clutch. If I'm rolling just a tiny bit or if I'm on a downward slope I start in second. Every once in a while if I'm feeling lazy I'll start in second because yeah first is short and it's all torque. Naturally it does put slightly more wear on the clutch starting in second but it should be fairly negligible. You'll probably save a tiny bit of gas starting in second, but it isn't much depending on how high of a RPM you shift at from first to second.
 
#11 ·
every day driving, pulling away from stop signs and such, it's fine to take off in 2nd, but I'd avoid launching in second like the plague

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#12 ·
Yeah for real "launching" as in revving it to a high RPM and dumping the clutch is terrible for your clutch. You'll only get a handful of launches before you're clutch would need to be replaced. If you want to have some spirited driving around town nail it in first or second while you're already rolling. That way you don't kill your clutch prematurely.
 
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