how bad is it for my car to start from a stop in 2nd or 3rd

[BigTed00]

Every once and a while I wont be paying attention and at a stoplight I'll start from 3rd gear, or if I'm rolling ever so slightly and dont feel like dealing with first, I'll start from second gear. How bad is this for my car exactly?

[beatniks325]

when conditions allow for it, I start off in 2nd gear.... if you do it right (and don't bog the engine down) shouldn't be hard on the car at all....

[thejaff]

As long as your RPM's don't go so low that the engine sounds like it's choking, or you're having to use a lot of clutch to keep the revs up, it shouldn't be too bad. It is a much quicker way to use up a clutch though.

[LivinFast67]

Every once and a while I wont be paying attention and at a stoplight I'll start from 3rd gear, or if I'm rolling ever so slightly and dont feel like dealing with first, I'll start from second gear. How bad is this for my car exactly?

you can start off in 3rd in your E36!!! wow i'm impressed, i can do it in 2n'd sort of, bogs down most of the time, but 3rd. wow

[heifetz17]

BMW says to only use first when starting out from a dead stop. So starting in 2nd from a roll shouldn't be bad at all, provided you do it correctly (and not burn out the clutch). In fact, during the winter months, it's better to start out in 2nd or even 3rd to prevent wheelspin.

[Daved]

I never start off in 2nd or 3rd. I have tried to do it and it works but I've been told it's hard on the engine and clutch so I just don't do it. Also I like to WOT it in 1st ;)

[heifetz17]

I never start off in 2nd or 3rd. I have tried to do it and it works but I've been told it's hard on the engine and clutch so I just don't do it. Also I like to WOT it in 1st ;)
1st is a good WOT gear :devillook

[abemcclellan]

all i can say is even if you do it half way good in 2nd, its still f*cking harsh on the clutch. but correct me if i'm wrong....which i might be...but i think thats why they made a 1st gear. but i could be wrong, i don't know. ;)

[LivinFast67]

yeah that and it makes you go fast :)

[axcE36M3]

in a pinch, it's fine. ie. in snow when there is no traction and you want to reduce the torque to the wheels. but a good set of snow tires would cure that problem and allow your car to be safer to drive overall in snow.

doing it all the time may hurt your clutch by heating it up alot and causing premature wear.

higher gears provide the engine with more load due to less torque to the wheels so it has to work harder to get itself going. spinning the engine to a higher speed to engage the clutch will cause it to heat up more than engaging it at a low speed. and if you have a worn clutch to start with, it may take a lot of revs and clutch slipping to get the car going.

also higher loads on the motor itself may not be a good thing at slow speeds as the oil pressure may not be at a good level to sustain that load.

so in short, just use 1st. better on your clutch and motor, not to mention safer when pulling onto a busy street so you don't get hit trying to start off in 3rd.

[HeLLroT325iS]

I know it's probably not that good for the car, but I do it sometimes. If your good with the clutch and are not revvin it that much it's probably not that bad. I'm not a mechanic though.

[thejaff]

You don't really want to shift into first at too high a speed, so a fast rolling stop would be ok to start in 2nd.

[beatniks325]

i'm still pretty sure that starting off in 2nd gear in the right situations (can't stress that enough) is no more hard on the clutch then starting off in first.