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Show SHOULD LEARN TO SHIFT GEARS Not Difficult If Care Taken j By Driver Expert Says HV LlvXAM)i;R JOHNSTON ( Editor r MotoR. ) It may scorn rather bromidlc tn ask a motor car driver whether ho knowi hnw to shift soars. Inevitably I the afitwer would be "Of cotirse," but any student of motorlnp who will take his ftunri at somo stiateglc- point 1 whre every driver who passes han to ihlft ffofcrs will vor' i"ickly be I convinced thn' only n ,mall per- rentajr' know how to" shift freara I properly. In making any shift there in ln- 1 oltabl I siphII amount of noise, but 'the (ln'.h1ntf .md jrrlndlnR- that are so common heard when this operation 1m performed are a certain indication that the d river' dors not know how to handle his fearehlft skillfully Also i shtng and (grinding are a certain cer-tain indication that the Rearshlft Is co.np to develop trouble. chipped t.rth, hr thrown out of alignment md ultimate failure Until the drher learns to shift gears quietly, ho Is rn using cxcer.su e wear In his gearshift gear-shift Practically eery car today has what la known as the eliding selective type of gearshift. The Ford Is. of , nurse, the great exception, with Its planetary system. In practically every car using tho sliding selective transmission, trans-mission, the shifting lever is located In the center of the front seat compartment, com-partment, on the driver's right In construction the sliding trans-mlcslon trans-mlcslon embodies one shaft with fixed gears snd another with sliding pears, the latter being pushed Into mesh with the former when the shifting lever is moved It Is obvious thnt If the gears are to mesh quietly the two sets must bo traveling at approximately approxi-mately the same rate of speed The driver who has realized this. who thrusts the sliding Knrs Into mesh with the fixed gears when the two are traveling at totally different ratea of Staled, gets the cleaning and grinding that we so cornjnonly hear. To get the two sets of pc-ara moving at approximately the same rate of peed, requires thought and practice For Instance, in ohlfMng from first to secend gear, the driver should pause a second or two after the lever Is in neutral, before he pushes it into second. sec-ond. The reason for this Is that the moment the clutch Is disengaged the second speed gear Is traveling at a different rate of speed from that of the corresponding gear on the counter ohaft. By de'.av Just a second, the sperds have n chanoe to become about equal and quiet r-hrft results. There Is seldom any difficulty In shifting from second to third or from third to fourth, in cars equipped with a four-speed gear-set. The most troublesome change for most drivers Is that from third back to second und this Is where we get the clashing and grinding. To begin with most drivers make this downward down-ward shift when the car Is traveling too fast. The car should not be going more than 10 miles per hour or 15 at the outside. The best method of avoiding the trouble Is by aeoeler-atlng aeoeler-atlng the engine J;jst a little. Just as the shift Is about to bo made and before be-fore the c!uch Is thrown out. Do not accelerate after the clutch has been disengaged. Remember Just a slight touch on the accelerator pedal. Just before the cluttfh Is thrown out. A little practice will enable any driver to make an ulmost 6oundless shift and will add materially to the length of life of his gear-shift. oo |