Why start in 2nd gear?

[niky]

Depends on the gear ratios of the vehicle, but old diesels have very very low 1st and 2nd gears.

Take for example the old L300. Second gear is 2.33:1. A pajero fieldmaster (diesel) has a 1st gear ratio of 2.9:1. There's very little difference, so 2nd gear in an old L300 diesel is almost as low as 1st in a pajero, and if you keep that ratio in mind, it's perfectly safe to start in 2nd on the old van.

This is often the case with old diesels that don't have a low range transfer case. Rather than fit an expensive transfer case, what the manufacturer does is make 2nd gear equivalent to a normal 1st gear, and then make the 1st gear very very low, to act as a low range.

Yup.

This is the annoying misconception many people have regarding gearboxes.

It's not the "1st, 2nd, 3rd" crap that counts. It's the overall-drive reduction that really matters.

On cars like the L300, second gear is actually lower than first gear in other cars! First gear is only there for pulling heavy loads uphill. Hell, second gear on the L300 feels lower than first gear on the Vanette, which can't pull a full load of passengers up a 25 degree slope in first gear without a running start.

You can start in second if the situation allows. Which means, if you don't need to slip the clutch excessively to get off the line smoothly, by all means, USE SECOND GEAR!