Shifting from first to second

[amarkenzon]

I have been driving stick everyday for a month now and I feel like I'm decent at it now. One thing that I am wondering about at the moment is the proper way to shift from first to second. The way I do it is I first shift to first and accelerate till around 1500 to 2500 rpm. Thing is, I feel like I am in first too long. Should I be shifting into second immediately after releasing the clutch from first. Or can I maybe shift to first while keeping the clutch down on the catch point and then clutch back down and shift into second?

[theholycow]

I generally like to shift out of first earlier, but what you're doing is fine if you like it.

Don't shift into second immediately after taking your foot off of the clutch pedal from first. You ought to accelerate enough that when you enter 2nd you won't be below idle RPM.

[daleadbull]

I don't know how short the gearing is in your car but don't rush to shift into 2nd. If you are going straight then yes it makes sense to get out of 1st as early as possible but lets say you are making a right turn from a stop. In that case, you might want to stay in 1st a little bit longer until you've completed the turn.

Having said that, I do have to shift from 1st to 2nd during most left hand turns. I try to shift 1-2 at around 2000 rpm or less when driving casually. Just do what the situation dictates, you don't have to shift at the same rpm every time. Automatics don't even do that, so why should you?

[AHTOXA]

I'm not an early shifter, unlike many on this forum. My car's also geared long, so I like to wind it out a bit before going into 2nd, so that I'm solidly in boost when I get into second gear.

I shift out of 1st around 3k RPM when casually driving. Casually is relative, I suppose, because I generally accelerate somewhat briskly, where I'm not hauling off the line, but I do reach my cruising speed faster than most drivers next to me.