I’ve driven manual for years and STILL don’t understand why you need to change gears.

Question

I get that low gears > more power but low speed. I get that high gears >low power but high speed.

But can someone give me the brain dead intuition of why you need to change gear “sizes”? A single sentence if possible.

I’ve tried Googling it but they always use a bike example. I’ve never ridden a bike. Or they start talking about ratios and it just goes over my head.

In: 0

Answer 1

Look at a 10 speed bicycle. Gear ranges are ratios between the crank and wheel. Three turn of the crank is 1 turn on gear 1, 2 turns on gear 2, 1 turn on gear 3, etc. The engine cannot go below a minimum rpm without stalling or above a maximum rpm without damage. The gears allow the engine to be in it’s “happy place” and do meaningful work for the driver at all speeds.