Shvitz2k

downshift ... ughh i hate people who dont downshift amatuer drivers... and only rev match on turns to hold speed otherwise just downshift and use the engine to slow u down........
NOTE: 4 brake bads and 4 rotors are not cheaper than one clutch

RazorV3

well from what i understand, rev matching helps synchronize the engine speed and transmission speed. say if you're downshifitng the transmission when it is initially spinning at 4k rpm, and the lower gear will(for example) take the trasmission speed up to 5k rpm. if you don't give the engine any gas, the engine will speed up itself to match the transmission speed(which is 5k rpm). that is why if you don't revmatch, the downshift will be very jerky. but if you blip the throttle and make the engine speed close to where it should be after teh downshift, the downshift will be very smooth and you'll definately know if you did it right.

also, rev matching is also useful for those out there who upshift too slowly. when you're upshifting and b/w teh upshift, the rpm drops too low(compared to how fast the transmission is spinning), you can blip teh throttle in neutral and help the shift to be smoother. this is only useful is you miss a gear and just shift too slowly(especially if you're trying to be easy on the transmission during the initial drive of the day).

RazorV3

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Shvitz2k
[B]downshift ...

Triple-H

To slow down I use my brakes.

The idea of downshifting without rev-matching just makes my skin crawl; it ain't going to be done in my car.

The idea of always downshifting through the gears to slow down is major overkill to me, too much extra work on the tranny/clutch/engine/driver. I may rev-match one or two gears as I slow down, but this is only when I know there is a chance that I will not have to come to a complete stop.

wc_one

Might as well park the car in the garage and walk to work.

pierceman

brakes are cheaper than trannies, but if you do not over rev it, should be fine.

MAtt

dngo

Rev matching in of itself does *not* save wear on the synchros. In order to do that, you have to double clutch. Synchronizers match the speed of the input shaft and gears to that of the output shaft, eliminating the need for you to do this yourself by double clutching.

Rev matching helps reduce wear on the clutch by matching flywheel speed to clutch speed. If you don't rev match when you downshift, the friction between the clutch and the flywheel is what increases the revs of your engine. All the while, engine compression is resisting the action of the clutch on the flywheel. This is what causes the lurch forward when you downshift without rev matching. The type of wear is similar to that caused by riding the clutch when you start from a stop. If you don't do that, why not learn to rev match as well? You will also be a much smoother driver and your passengers will appreciate the change. From there it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to heel and toe! Impress your friends! Entertain children! Watch women swoon!

I think there are two distinct situations that are being discussed here. One is slowing down by downshifting and not rev matching. The other is downshifting smoothly and allowing engine compression to slow the car. The first situation is not so good IMHO, the second is fine.

Funny story - when I was still shopping for my S2k, I went and drove a Boxster. The dealer was feeding me the usual bored, company BS line of how having a Porsche was a status symbol, how the 030 suspension was too stiff for most people, yadda yadda yadda. That lasted until I did a heel and toe downshift. All of a sudden, he got really excited and asked, "Do you race?!" We got along much better after that - turned out he used to race jetskis. I ended up buying the S2k anyway.

Dave

SuperDyu

Dealership in my area tried to tell me that an Accord engine was the same as an S2000 ^_^* I was fairly angry with the salesman since he lied to me about kind of S2000's he had in stock and what not then tried to lie to me about this and much more. Dealers dont know anything about their cars, their mechanics on the otherhand, *shrug* they probably dohopefully.

xviper

Do not place too much faith in this statement (you can "hope" all you like). Although there are mechanics out there employed by Honda who know this car, there are simply too many examples cited on this forum for the vast majority of us to be comfortable in leaving our cars at the dealership for work.
How many times have we heard about the wrong type of fluids being put into this car or how many times a service dept has attempted to rotate our tires or the times that an oil fill cap was "laying around" on top of the engine to subsequently fall off, leaving an oily mess under the hood or the many reports of stripped bolts when doing a simple spark plug change?

I'm not going to get into this debate about using the brakes or using downshifting and for what reasons. I've already sounded like a broken record on this subject. This "issue" will go on "ad nauseum" as long as car forums exist. If you only want to believe what someone else tells you and them decide for you, then take whatever side of the debate you like. If you want to know because you truly wish to learn, you will be able to sort through the B.S. by using your own intelligence. In this way, you will know what is right and what is best.

SuperDyu

yea you got a point

lol the irony that such wise words come from someone with a freak baby as an icon