Wouldn’t the traction be the same in any gear, and the point at which you lose traction be the same regardless?
Edit: Thanks for all the explanations, I think I understand now. 🙂
In: 7
The point of gears in a car is to multiply the amount of torque provided to the wheels. The engine makes a certain amount of torque, and the gears multiply that to allow the car to drive. Your traction devices (tires) can apply a certain amount of force to the road, and no more before they start to slip, so in a low traction situation, you want to apply only as much torque as the tires can apply to the road.
In 1st gear, the gear ratio will be the shortest of all (numerically higher), and will provide the most torque to the wheels. 2nd gear will be the next lower, and so on through your gear box.
By starting in second, you are lowering the torque multiplication and as such, the amount of torque applied to the road through the tires. You may still spin the tire if you apply heavy or full throttle, but the likelihood of doing so at part throttle is greatly reduced. Another benefit is that starting in a higher gear will make it more difficult for the engine to increase its speed (RPM), which will keep you in the lower end of the torque curve longer.
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