2nd gear departing from a stop?

[ProDigit]

What do you guys say about starting the ST from second gear?
First gear is so short, and doesn't accelerate fast.
2nd gear is very long for starting the car from a stop.

I find that blipping the throttle, allowing the tach to reach about 2k RPM helps with starts from a dead stop.

Anyone else doing this?

 

[Sakel]

Sigh

 

[XR650R]

Anyone else doing this?

No.

 

[jmrtsus]

Why would you......do you hate your clutch?

 

[jtehh]

The only time I've done this was starting out at the bottom of a hill while on snow/ice. Launching out of 2nd gear means a lot less torque, so a little easier to keep traction. But I wouldn't make a habit of it. First gear is there for a reason.

 

[Ford ST]

No it will kill your clutch over time.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[Intuit]

Oddly enough, the auto parts websites don't seem to carry a clutch disc for the Fiesta ST's B6 transmission.
Dealership parts dept aside, probably going to have to rely on something like this...
https://edgeautosport.com/spec-stage-1-clutch-kit-ford-fiesta-st-2014/

 

[Ford ST]

OEM part is not even a $100

https://www.bluespringsfordparts.co...vPWZpZXN0YSZ5PTIwMTcmdD1zdCZlPTEtNmwtbDQtZ2Fz

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[cxwrench]

What do you guys say about starting the ST from second gear?
First gear is so short, and doesn't accelerate fast.
2nd gear is very long for starting the car from a stop.

I find that blipping the throttle, allowing the tach to reach about 2k RPM helps with starts from a dead stop.

Anyone else doing this?

ETA: Is your car broken in yet? Getting past 3500rpm? No? Don't post til you are.

 

[Intuit]

OEM part is not even a $100

https://www.bluespringsfordparts.co...vPWZpZXN0YSZ5PTIwMTcmdD1zdCZlPTEtNmwtbDQtZ2Fz

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

Don't want to say "not bad" because the price will inevitably go up.
Wonder what the book time and labor rate for install is?
The engine is probably going to have to be pulled for that job.

 

[Ford ST]

Don't want to say "not bad" because the price will inevitably go up.
Wonder what the book time and labor rate for install is?
The engine is probably going to have to be pulled for that job.

The transmission can be dropped from the bottom. I have not done it on this car, but I have seen plenty of pictures of transmission removal. Have no clue on book time, but labor will be the killer not the part. I have done 5 clutch jobs in my lifetime. The easiest by far was a Nissan Maxima.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[alexrex20]

sometimes i leave in 3rd gear but only because i forgot to put it in 1st and i have a Whataburger taquito in my right hand so i can't shift. it's not the end of the world but i don't recommend doing it regularly.

 

[El_Zylcho]

sometimes i leave in 3rd gear but only because i forgot to put it in 1st and i have a Whataburger taquito in my right hand so i can't shift. it's not the end of the world but i don't recommend doing it regularly.

Starting in third gear from a stop?!?! You madman! The long gearing will make takeoff speed way too fast! \S

 

[apex1]

I don't start out in second gear, but if I wind it out a bit in first sometimes I will shift directly from first to third. When you release the clutch in third gear it is already above 2000 rpm, so there is no clutch slipping and it is not lugging the engine at all. One reason for our car's lackluster 0-60 time is that you must shift twice. I have wondered whether 0-60 time is improved with just a single shift from first to third. My car sure builds boost fast with my Stratified E30 tune once third is engaged, especially if I use the flat foot shifting capability with the AP. But then, I think it is a bit harder on the clutch since the engine is revving as soon as your foot leaves the floor.

 

[jmrtsus]

My MP-215 car get 37 HWY and 33 City......And 27 running the crap out of it! That is ECO enough for me.

 

[BRGT350]

Compared to the 21MPG our Escape gets, my ST is crazy efficient at 36MPG. The joy the car brings far exceeds the fuel economy anyways. If it got 4MPG, I would still love the car.

 

[jmrtsus]

This car's SPG (smiles per gallon) is off the chart!

 

[BRGT350]

This car's SPG (smiles per gallon) is off the chart!

and that is the only chart that matters.

 

[SlowDunny]

What do you guys say about starting the ST from second gear?
First gear is so short, and doesn't accelerate fast.
2nd gear is very long for starting the car from a stop.

I find that blipping the throttle, allowing the tach to reach about 2k RPM helps with starts from a dead stop.

Anyone else doing this?

I would not recommend doing this all the time, maybe on a downhill but you are riding the clutch.
I know a lot of people feel "VERY" strongly about not riding your clutch but they are designed to slip... a little bit. Not all the time.

The extra heat and wear you put on the disc material will wear it out faster. Period. Will this happen over night... hell no.

To each his own but it is good to know what the outcome of your actions will be long term.
That being said... these clutches are cheap right now so buying a spare and replacing it will not break the bank.

Riding a clutch @ $100 is a lot less painful than riding a $3000 clutch.

If you find 1st gear slow you may need to change your shifting habits/timing. 1st to 2nd does take some practice to feel perfect.

 

[anticon]

I'm in, lets help figure out how to get THE BEST MPG out of the FiST and make it an even better economy performance car rather than the other way around. Why not, it's a challenge, a different one then normal performance mods but that could make it more interesting. I'm sure hypermilers know all tricks to eek out the last little MPG maybe they can chime in (e.g. dimple the body for less drag.) My first thoughts are most performance mods are going to help. I think running higher octane, with a low boost economy tune is probably a good start. Even adding a bigger turbo will, help. The more cold air you can get in the engine the better. The next thing would be put lightweight wheels and taller narrow tires on it and fill them up to max pressure, no traction, but who cares when you have little to no power lost to friction. I think the RMM upgrade would help with the lower gear shifts making them more controllable, and again less power lost to the engine moving around. Maybe the big mouth, and high flow drop-in intake filters would help with more air. Also weight reduction, pull all the weight out you can, replace the spare tire with repair plugs and a small compressor, pull out the back seats, carbon fiber hood, etc. I recall a thread were someone with a bigger turbo was talking about how much better their MPG was, maybe I can dig that up. Any other ideas?