7AT - First Gear Lag

Originally Posted by ElVee

It's not really an angry thing. You should just never actually downshift into first. You should let the car do it for you.

Besides not being good for the car (use the brakes, they're cheaper to wear out):

1- It's not very nice to the guy behind you that doesn't see any brake lights. (This is why engine braking is prohibited in some areas). The last thing you want is to get rear-ended and have the other person be able to claim they didn't even know you were braking. This is not a defense, ultimately, but it might convince someone to make you share responsibility.

2- It's a very, very, very bad habit to develop. Our Z has judicious protection from trying to drop down into first too early (this might be what you're experiencing, even), but not every car has this. You'll potentially get whiplash in some other cars if you get used to dropping to first while moving.


The intention of first gear is to get the car moving from a stop. After that, it should see no further use.

(Yes, I'm in first when I go over speed bumps, but only because I'm not going up to speed to move to second yet. That's probably about the only time you should drop down, if you're just barely rolling already. I admit, I do it on speed bumps at work since they're next to a building that bounces back the rev. And I almost always downshift early to 3rd or even 2nd when stopping, just to hear it.)