ratedZ Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Sup buddies! Ok don't laugh at me but ever since I can remember no one has really tought me how to properly down gear. My current driving habits consist of putting the transmission on neutral as I slow down. Don't call me lazy lol as that's the way I've been tought to drive and I've been doing it this way ever since I was 16. Now I've been trying to break that habbit and I've been downgearing as I slow down...the only thing is I've had my car lunge a few times as I down gear...I don't think I'm letting the clutch go at the right RPM's. I remember reading about matching revvs...but seriously, how do you do that? Do I blip the gas before I downgear? I don't know I'm also affraid to burn my clutch or something so you guys have to school me on this please be gentle...heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Man that`s tough to describe. It`s more of somthing you learn from doing and seeing. Maybe someone else here could explain exactly how it`s done. But I would have to show you because to me it is something that you feel. Almost like when to breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I've always downgeared. It comes with practice, and if you bring the rpms up before letting out the clutch after shifting down, it won't jerk. Get the rpms perfect and its very smooth. But you are using the synchros more if you downgear. That's more wear. I've heard experts say that brakes are cheaper than tranny rebuilds. The other issue is that some jurisdictions have laws against coasting in neutral. I doubt it's ever enforced, just FYI. It has to do with having less control of the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 To downgear while rev matching, push in clutch move shifter to lower gear, blip the gas just a bit and slowly release the clutch. The blip of gas helps get the RPM of the input shaft (which is going to be going much faster since you just geared down) 'matched' to the RPM of the flywheel. (no it doesn't have to be the exact matched rpm, just get the revs up) Doing this keeps you from either over reving the engine (shifted into to low of a gear for speed travelled) as badly shocking the driveline with the sudden swing from power to decelleration or from actually braking traction by just dumping it into a lower gear and dumping the clutch back out. So the matching is just trying to get driveline speeds close so the downshift will be smoother. All of that said, the 'proper' way to slow for a corner is indeed the brakes from what I've heard from some people I would consider good racers. Slow up coming in with the brakes, make the downshift and then smoothly power back out, thats supposedly the fastest way through (unlike my sprint car like late brakes and powerslides haha, slow but dangerous. ) and its easier on the drivetrain than downshifting it and using it to brake the car. Of course this is for us people with normal transmissions, not like the racer guys with they're fancy smancy sequential boxes who shift whenever they want on the gas or not. Speaking purely from jealousy JohnC... Regards, Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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