whats the correct way on downshifting? rev matching ect......

 

jam it as hard as you can into a lower gear!!!!

 

Depends how fast you need to downshift and if you need to down shift for more speed or to slow down,

I personally never use the double clutch method.....

Rev matching using clutch and throttle position is the method that I recommended for both. It always keeps you in a sweet spot in the tranny !

However I have a hydraulic clutch and cable clutches drives slightly differently. It has a more direct engagement feel.


[Modified by X2BOARD, 10:23 AM 6/16/2001]

 

I usually just rev match to downshift.

1. Step on Clutch
2. Simultaneously shift and blip throttle
3. Release clutch and give a lil gas at right time.

If done right, there is no lurching of the car, and if done smoothly, no jerking as well.

 

double clutch with a little heel/toe action.
practice makes perfect.

-left foot works the clutch.
-right foot is on brake and throttle.... ball of right foot is on brake pedal to slow down, the heel/side of right foot is blipping the throttle to rev-match so the shift is buttery smooth with no jerky motion.
this way you can haul *** around corners and not have any jerky shifts that would ruin the cars balance.

 

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving..._heeltoe.lasso just a heel-toe lesson.

 

well this is how i do it... i downshift always, it works great, equals out the pressure on your engine, clutch, and brakes. Anyhow, i just pull it into lower gear when i know my speed is maximum of 4k in that gear and slip the clutch gently untill the revs meet the speed below 4k. (of course i am pushing the brake at the same time to balance this effect.

 

You brake every time you downshift?

 

I don't think with todays transmissions there is a need to double clutch anymore.

Heel&Toe downshift:
1) Press clutch
2) hit the brake with the top of your foot (your toes) using your right foot.
3) With the clutch still depressed and your toes on the brake, blip the throttle with the heel of your right foot (Heel&Toe, get it?) Some people use the side of their foot to blip the throttle. I cannot in my car, but I can do it like that in a Miata.
4) Select a lower gear
5) While your toes are still on the brake and before the rpms fall from your blip, release the clutch.

Steps 1-5 take less than1/2 of a second. When done right, it will be an increadibly smooth down shift.

Matt

 

Heheh
I drive an Auto so things are a little different.
No need to worry about clutch!
1) Brake with ball of foot
2) Push to neutral
3) Blip throttle while pulling to D3
4) Repeat but pull to 2

With an Auto you can use left foot braking without worrying about the clutch.heheh

People say I'm wasting my time doing it in an Auto but I think its fun plus I do get to slow down faster. Hehehe sometimes in the wet my tires will even skid which is no point.

 

Ignorant questions:

What happens if you get the revs too high during the "blip"?

Also, as long as the clutch is in during heel-toeing, can I already be in the lower gear when I "blip" and release the clutch
(as opposed to neutral, blip, downshift, release clutch, which always screws me up)?

If not, what's the reason?

 

If I understand you correctly.
You want to skip the blipping in the neutral part...

Its ok to blip when you are in the lower gear as it doesn't really make a difference cause your clutch is pressed. Actually to go to the lower gear you still have to go to neutral first... Its the same thing as you have to do all this in a split second.

I think it also depends on what type of transmission you use.
Some trannies require double-clutching.

 

>>3) With the clutch still depressed and your toes on the brake, blip the throttle with the heel of your right foot (Heel&Toe, get it?) Some people use the side of their foot to blip the throttle. I cannot in my car, but I can do it like that in a Miata.<<

Here's a tip that got me printed in Grass Roots Motorsports... ;-)

Make a plate for the gas pedal that's about 1-1.5 inches wider than the existing pedal. Bolt it on with the extra width to the brake pedal side. The end result is that your pedals are only about an inch apart. Now, instead of using my heel, I just rock my foot slightly to the side. It makes heel-toe downshifting so easy that it practically becomes second nature. I made my "plate" out of a scrap piece of aluminum, and drilled some holes in it for traction. Looks just like a rice boy pedal...

To practice, heel-toe every time you downshift driving around town. You don't have to be way up in the revs to get the principal figured out. After a week or so you'll be a pro at it.

-brad

 

The car will surge forward when you release the clutch. This is something to be avoided when attempting to do this at 100+ mph on a road course. All I can say is to practice it on the street. Eventually it'll become second nature.

Matt


[Modified by MaddMatt, 11:54 AM 6/18/2001]

 

So is the blipping just by intuition, or are there some guidelines that'll help me rev match?


I have an '01 GSR, if it matters.


[Modified by bps2799, 4:10 PM 6/19/2001]

 

there are few times i attept to stop without downshifting, i've been doing it since i started driving..

 

Practice, practice, practice. You'll look like a tool the first couple of times you do it. But eventually, you'll be downshifting with the precision of an F1 car.

 

I just bent my gas pedal closer to the brake.

 

>>I just bent my gas pedal closer to the brake.<<

heh, well that works too. ;-) A pair of really wide shoes is yet another solution...

-brad

 

Not really cause when I do it during downshifting the wheels are moving. Its quite the opposite as I use it to slow down as opposed to what you say which is for starting. To reduce damage to the tranny when i downshift I blip the throttle to rev match abit. Actually I have not really been able to do it as smoothly. Think what would happen if you give me a clutch there.

 

REAL, REAL, ignorant question

what's "blip" is that the same as "tapping"

 

When you rev on someone at a stoplight, you "blip" the throttle.

 

You shouldn't really shift in and out of gear in an auto, nor should you downshift manually in an auto.... it will severely impact the lift of your transmission (especially so on VWs...heh heh)....

Damn.... extension plates on your gas ped.... ain't that dangerous on the street ? slam on the brake and gas it at the same time ! HAHAHA...

X2 says... save gas.... use your brakes instead of downshifting...

 

We are leaving out some info here. I don't think some people understand the point of double clutching. When you do a regular shift (clutch in, select gear, clutch out) there is a rotational speed difference in the transmission. The output shaft of the CLUTCH (between engine and tranny) is coasting at whatever speed your engine was moving when you pushed the clutch in. The output shaft of the TRANSMISSION is going whatever speed it must go to keep up with the tires. Inside your transmission there is a magical device called a syncromesh. It will make the clutch output shaft turn at the appropriate speed for whatever gear you are shifting into. You will be able to push the lever into gear once all shafts are going at the same speed and not before. If not for the syncromesh your gears would ALWAYS grind when performing a "regular" shift.

Lets say we are racing, and approaching a corner I jam on the brakes while downshifting. In this situation, when you try to select your gear on a regular downshift you will often feel some resistance before the lever moves to the gear you want. This is the syncromesh working. When there is a big speed differential it works very hard. If you double-clutch, you let the clutch out and rev the engine to make the transmission input shaft (clutch output shaft) turn at the proper speed. Then, the syncromesh needs to do little or no work. It'll shift like buttah with almost no resistance. Not only that, but you wont upset the chassis with a jerkey shift. It also makes your synchromesh last much longer. Matching revs with clutch pressed in will provide just as smooth of a shift, but your syncros work just as hard as they would have if you didn't double clutch.

In my day-to-day driving, however, I usually just look far ahead and coast to my stop in 5th or neutral...sometimes coasting for a third of a mile or so. This saves a little gas as well as saves a lot of wear and tear on the clutch, syncromesh, and tranny. I'd rather do a brake job than a clutch job anyday. If I have to stop more abruptly I'll usually double clutch from 5th to 3rd and that's all the downshifting I'll do if coming to a complete stop.

Hope I helped.

-Low_bias
98 Accord LX

 

When I'm coasting that long,I shut my engine off.