Hey guys, i've been confronted with this issue recently, and i wanted to hear what you guys say about it.

Generally, I downshift the most locally, generally going from 3rd gear to 2nd from 30~40 mph. On highway speeds, i switch to neutral, rev match, and then downshift to prevent the clutch from burning.

There are two ways that i know how to downshift in a manual car.

the method i used pertains to clutching, going to a lower gear, and easing the clutch wihtout using the gas pedal, so that the gear gets eased in.

according to my friend, this is a very bad method, and would burn my clutch in a very fast rate.

the method that my friend suggested, is by clutching down, rev-matching, and then releasing clutch, so that the clutch would not have to be pressured to ease the gear with the engine.

so how do you guys do it?

am i doing it the right way?

thanks

 

rev match..but i dont stop in N, i clutch in...blip the gas as im shifting ....clutch out .....all in one fluid motion..whole ordeal takes like 1.2 seconds lol....but if im going slow enough i will ease the clutch out sometimes, no need for a rev match there

 

I try to rev match as often as I can... but if the matching RPM is under 1500, I dont bother.
At 30-40MPH going to 2nd, I would rev match. But I'm usually in 4th gear already at 30 and sometimes 5th gear by 40MPH.
Downshifting when not necessary is a bit of a waste unless the driver match revs every single time. As many ppl say, whats more expensive? A clutch or brake pads?
But each driver is different so..........

 

yeah, i would use the "heel and toe" method for rev-matching.....just clutch in, roll your right foot and blip the gas, and release the clucth, but don't just let it off, engage like a normal shift....with enough practice this will become really smooth....this is also much easier with a lighter flywheel too, haha....

 

Not rev-matching when downshifting to 2nd at 40ish is putting a ridiculous amount of strain on the syncros. Unless you are racing, downshifting to 2nd at 40 is ridiculous. To drive like that daily, you are going to destroy your transmission even if you are good at rev-matching.

You want to rev-match when downshifting unless its very very low rpms that you're downshifting to (in which case there is no need to downshift).

Downshifting through the gears when coming to a stop is a waste also. You are going to burn out your clutch and run up a nice bill when you can get axxis ultimate pads (some of the best around) for about $40.

Its important to understand the way a car works when driving a stick shift. I bought a book on it when I first started and it covered all of this....thats my recommendation

 

i rev match by blipping the gas. no jerking at all

 

if you do heel and toe correctly, you shouldn't strain the synchros at all....should be perfectly smooth if you do it right...

 

the ingalls damper helps downshifting when rev matching even smoother. it's a huge difference!

 

^^ x2

 

About the ingalls damper, does it really make THAT much of a difference while shifting? Cause i was contemplating on whether or not I should buy one as my next mod. I just didnt think it did as much as ppl say.

 

The method of rev-matching is also called double clucthing which is used most often when doing autocross, really good way to keep RPM's high while turning without jerking the car around. Try and find some videos of people double clutching while racing. The whole reason driving shoes were invented.

 

I found it to be surprisingly effective. It does a lot more than I thought it would. VERY noticable while driving!

 

umm.... sounds to me like somebody needs to go to a local auto-X event.....

double-clutching is only really done in un-synchronized racing transmissions, rev-matching is completely different, rev-matching is hitting the gas to get the revs up to the speed of the drivetrain, double-clutching is pushing the clutch in twice, the only relation is that the two can be done together.

at any autocross I've ever gone to, it's more beneficial to stay in 2nd gear the entire run than waste time popping it up to third just to go back to 2nd again (except on a few very, very large tracks on the straight) - the proper way to downshift, or upshift for that matter, is to release the clutch at the exact moment the engine speed correlates to the drivetrain speed, and even that is not completely shown on the tachometer because the tach does not respond immediately.

the only way to truly do it properly is to either get a digital tachometer connected directly to the crankshaft and know what the RPM difference is between gears by factoring the gear ratios, or to listen to the engine, and through PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE - know when to let the clutch out, through hearing and feeling what the car is doing

but for the record, yes, you are doing it completely wrong. You should drive with someone who has about a minimum of 10-15 years of manual transmission experience and see how they do it, and preferably someone with a large amount of motorsports experience

 

hmm well after reading everything, isnt it true that the clutch would burn out faster if you rev while holding down the clutch?

 

Ive always called it double clutching as well as everyone at our autocross events because thats where I learned my info. I dont do it much because Im not that good at it.

 

yea rev match is just when u clutch in...blip the gas as your shifting ....clutch out.......essentially being able to dump the clutch when ur coming out because ur at the perfect RPM in the next lower gear relative to the vehicle speed(dumped if u did it 100% accurate). You can literally dump it on a perfect rev-match and have no jerks at all..i.e thats the whole point

dbl clutch is on them ol' trannies. when u dwnshift, you stop in N, let go of clutch rev hit the clutch n shift into gear

 

If you rev while holding the clutch all the way down, no, nothing will wear out. Because you have the clutch allll the way down the engine is disconnected from the tranny(no power going to it) so you would have nothing to burn.

Now if you have the clutch at the catch point and start giving it gas its gunna slip and sound like a long and drawn out rev. Some ppl make this mistake when they first learn standard, after they complete the shift, as they bring up the clutch, they hold it at the point, and the clutch burns, and creates a crap-tastic smell!

 

Oh my god are we driving a manual or buidling a flux capacitor?
I never put this much thought into it and all my clutches have been fine. Maybe just lucky?
Ah heck just ram the stick in the slot no worries!

 

^at first i would put so much thought into it, when i first learned how to drive stickkk.

i have found since buying the tc the best way to drive is not think

 

agreed.....just let your body do what it's instincts want to do