1st gear full throttle - good or bad?

[rharris21]

I have been meaning to ask this for a while now..

I have just purchased a 330ci but also have another little nippy car.

Every now and then I like to test them out and have some fun.. But..

Some people have said to me you shouldn't thrash cars in first gear, some say it depends on what engine etc, some say you can do it as you would in any other gear and some say you shouldn't do it no matter what car.

Obviously i'm not talking about supercars etc but just normal road cars..

What are everyones thoughts?

[jimmy156]

Total rubbish, they might mean dont thrash it from cold, in which case they have a valid point.

[TheEnd]

no problems, they might be getting confused with going easy when the car is cold.
The effect of the gearbox puts less strain on the engine and clutch, and more on the tyres.

[EDLT]

Full-bore starts are pretty hard on the car, but if you are just putting your foot down once its rolling then you should be ok.

[rharris21]

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

[jon-]

jimmy156 said:

Total rubbish, they might mean dont thrash it from cold, in which case they have a valid point.

+1. It's the same kind of people that advise you should never go to the redline on the engine as it's bad for it.

EDLT said:

Full-bore starts are pretty hard on the car, but if you are just putting your foot down once its rolling then you should be ok.

The car, or the clutch? Unless you're side stepping the clutch I doubt they're even that bad on the driveshafts etc.

[Tangent Police]

Puts a stupid amount of load on the laygear bearing (1st gear end). The tiniest amount of slop in this will cause the teeth to wear and as there are so few of them, they wear quickly. I would have thought BMW used decent steel with a decent surface treatment. Make sure you're using a good quality gear oil and it will be OK, I would have thought.

I doubt you'd actually cause the gearbox to st itself.

[ForzaGilles]

rharris21 said:

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

What utter cp that is. So I take it revving it out of gear would have the same effect?

[jimmy156]

rharris21 said:

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

Also rubbish

Edited by jimmy156 on Saturday 1st May 13:07

[jimmy156]

jon- said:

jimmy156 said:

Total rubbish, they might mean dont thrash it from cold, in which case they have a valid point.

+1. It's the same kind of people that advise you should never go to the redline on the engine as it's bad for it.

I know, i had a mate like this who was actualy quite into cars, but still reckoned he'd kill the engine if he redlined it even only a few times

[Jasandjules]

It took me quite some time to convince a mate that his little sports car would be happier if he took it to the redline a few times a month..... Just clean the cobwebs out.

[ShadownINja]

jimmy156 said:

jon- said:

jimmy156 said:

Total rubbish, they might mean dont thrash it from cold, in which case they have a valid point.

+1. It's the same kind of people that advise you should never go to the redline on the engine as it's bad for it.

I know, i had a mate like this who was actualy quite into cars, but still reckoned he'd kill the engine if he redlined it even only a few times

I redlined my Golf once. Don't think it liked it... but that's cos it's st.

[rharris21]

ForzaGilles said:

rharris21 said:

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

What utter cp that is. So I take it revving it out of gear would have the same effect?

No Idea - I can't imagine it can be that bad for a car otherwise car manufacturers would limit rev range in first? It just winds me up - every time I push it in first (not redline btw) people always say you shouldn't do that.

I defo don't do it when the engine is cold but surely when warm its not a problem..

Where can i get my gearbox oil changed as the 330 has a slightly stiff gearbox..

[leeeeshad]

rharris21 said:

Where can i get my gearbox oil changed as the 330 has a slightly stiff gearbox..

ANY garage

[rharris21]

leeeeshad said:

rharris21 said:

Where can i get my gearbox oil changed as the 330 has a slightly stiff gearbox..

ANY garage

ok mate - know quite a few of the guys locally - any idea of what a normal change would cost?

[Chris71]

If you have very frgaile half shafts you are more likely to snap one in a low gear because the torque produced by the engine is multiplied by a larger gear ratio. However, this only really applies to things like vintage racing cars. It's unlikely to be a problem in any vaguely normal car as the driveline in most will be engineered to withstand more torque than the tyres are capable of placing them under.

In strictly academic terms your friend has a point (cars like the Puma have in-built torque limiting in the first couple of gears to extend gearbox life, for example), but in practical terms you don't need to worry about it. As mentioned above, however, letting the car warm up properly is very important and it it's also preferable to let it cool down gradually after a good thrash too as it allows all the parts to cool at the same rate.

[Tangent Police]

There is a fair old tolerance in the rev limit. Redlining is no problem, really if the engine is stock, you shouldn't be redlining it anyway.

Stiff shift sounds like a "new" problem rather than lubrication. Your linkage needs to bed in a bit.

[Skylinecrazy]

rharris21 said:

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

[Swarley]

Skylinecrazy said:

rharris21 said:

What ive also heard mentioned is if you do thrash it in first - you can flick the cambelt off?

I watched a woman flick the ancillary belt off an Aston, by dumping the clutch. But it was really only the straw that broke the horse's back.

Edited by Swarley on Saturday 1st May 14:08