emrillive

i am not to familiar with downshifting ... just was wondering if rev matching is the same as down shifting? when you down shift are you always on the gas right ? for example your going forty in forth gear and when i down shift im steady on the gas then clutch in , step on the gas a bit more and finish shifting to the lower gear and then left off the clutch smoothly and it feels real smooth.... just confused what was the differnece between the blipping of the throtle and the way i do it? thanks guys, and sorry for the newbie questions...

Chitah831

When going at a steady speed as you say 40mph, I let off the gas and clutch in and into neutral. The second I'm in neutral and off the clutch I blip the throttle to a higher rpm and then quickly clutch in then into the lower desired gear. As I let go of the clutch the rpms are still up and it's a fairly smooth transition. This all happens in a very short period...

This is how I personally do it. Your way seems to add a bit more wear on the clutch though as you're constantly holding the gas while the clutch is engaged. As long as it's a smooth change, there really isn't any wrong way. Just as long as you don't shock the tranny into awkward situations.

jweb

You are double clutching which is not needed, but doesn't harm anything either.

To answer the first question, down shifting is different than rev matching. Down shifting is shifting down to a lower gear from a higher gear, such as 5th to 4th. Rev matching is the blipping of the throttle to bring the revs up to "match" where the revs would be in the gear you are about to shift into. Rev matching is the proper way to down shift, you can down shift without rev matching however the shift will not be as smooth and will put extra wear on the car.

xviper

What you just described is a "double clutch, rev-match" downshift. This is more necessary if you are going down into 1st from a decent speed. Personally, I don't bother with double clutching except when I need to get into 1st from high speed. In all other downshifts, I simply let the syncros do their work.

For example:
Going from 3rd to 2nd - Since I'm decelerating anyway, the gas is already let off. When it's time to downshift, I begin to push on the clutch, move the shifter and push down on the gas all at the same time. The amount of gas I give it (and it's only a "blip" - a quick momentary application of throttle) depends on how fast my starting speed is relative to the next lower gear I'm going into. This takes practice to get familiar with (trial and error). By the time my clutch touches the floor, my stick is in 2nd. Once this happens, the revs are already up and I'm immediately lifting the clutch quite quickly. By the time the clutch reaches its friction point, the revs are at about where they need to be for 2nd gear and the corresponding road speed. From this point on, engine compression continues to slow the vehicle down. Use the brakes as needed.

Unless I'm driving aggressively, I don't even go into 1st gear until the road speed is quite low or I've pretty much come to a stop.

emrillive

can anyone tell me the procedure for the rev matching by the blipping of the throttle? like when exactly to blip it and shift down.... thanks

xviper

Hehe, I guess we both responded together on this.

If you must downshift without rev-matching, it can be done without much harm. You must simply allow the speed of the car to decrease more in each gear before the downshift. And just like you ease out on the clutch when you move off from a dead stop so you don't jerk, you can also ease the clutch out on this type of downshift. Since you are slowing down much more, the differential rpm from one gear to the next lower gear is decreased and thus, you can get away without rev-matching.
My wife does this all the time because she doesn't really understand the concept of rev-matching and her last manual car went nearly 80,000 miles on the first clutch. After the clutch job, she went another 50,000 miles before we sold the car. That car is still on the road today on that 2nd clutch. (Actually, it was a turbo 5-sp Caravan.)

xviper

I just did.

emrillive

haha, you posted like a aplit second after i did.
thanks for the explanation.

hpark

the key is blip the accel in a way that the RPM is where it needs to be when you release the clutch.....i think you'll find the hardest part is actually knowing what RPM you need to be in the gear you want but this is just a matter of time and becoming intimate with the car

Chitah831

I'm use to my double clutch method

I always do this when I am going to pass a car usually. Cruising in 6th and double clutch downshift to third. What would you do when going down multiple gears?