One of the most common mistakes drivers make when driving is how they gain speed. Most of the time, drivers do it out of ignorance, carelessness, or simply out of laziness. And we are talking about cars with a manual transmission.
Often, drivers begin to accelerate (for example, to overtake on the highway) by pressing the pedal to the “bottom”, but without shifting the gear. Not only is this inefficient, but it can damage the engine.
In driving schools, instructors ask prospective drivers to downshift before overtaking. Why: Because lower gearing means more power and torque, which leads to better acceleration and more dynamic maneuvers.
Of course, modern turbocharged engines can generate more power at lower revs. Therefore, when there is good visibility and less intensity on the roads, drivers often decide not to downshift, but simply press the accelerator pedal all the way. Unfortunately, this is how they damage the internal combustion engine.
However, this is not the end of the problem. The Japanese company “Toyota” found that premature ignition can occur in such a situation. What does this mean? This is a situation where the fuel mixture ignites and the piston is still trying to compress it. How is that possible?
In this situation, flammable oil and fuel particles accumulate in the combustion chamber and are not removed with the exhaust gas. They hang in the combustion chamber and, compressed even more, ignite the mixture before the spark plug ignites.
Studies have shown that the higher the engine speed, the lower the chance of misfire. Therefore, you should downshift when accelerating.
