Downshifting???

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RainyDaze

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What is the proper "technique" to slow down/stop a manual transmission? I first learned to drive in an automatic so I bought my Civic Ex as a manual transmission to learn, but I think I am wearing my breaks down like crazy.

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O.Z Chi

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There's a couple of ways:

1. Do what everyone else does, kick the clutch and shift to the lower gear, ease the clutch back out so the engine matches your vehicle speed.

2. Double clutch by kicking the clutch, shift to neutral, release the clutch, rev it up to what you think the next gear will engage at, kick the clutch again and pop it into the lower gear, release the clutch and open the throttle ... and you got a smoother downshift than normal downshifting.

Double clutching requires practice, and if done right, you will not feel any jerkyness during the procedure; it should take no more than a fraction of a second to perform. At certain engine speeds (RPM), you can shift without using the clutch at all, so rev it up high, let it fall down and if you got the ballz, apply pressure on the stick towards the gear you want ... it should fall right into it at the right RPM.

Normal downshifting will wear your clutch and synchros, while double clutching by rev matching will save them. If you prefer to save your brakes by engine braking, double clutching is your best solution coz brakes are cheaper than clutches and synchros. Think about that.....
 


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you dont even need to double clutch to match revs. i just do it in one fluid motion, clutch in, shift, match revs all at once. yea it does take practice, but its definitely worth it in the end.
 

Team 4R

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you shouldnt be downshifting to slow down..... just leave the tranny in gear and drop to neutral when the engine speed has slowed to ~1500rpms........

also, you should not be double-clutching with a hydraulic transmission.... that procedure is meant for older transmissions that don't have the synchros required to rev-match automatically. it can also be used with a cable tranny to help prevent binding of the cable itself.

rev-matching by applying gas while shifting is the optimum procedure for smooth downshifts on the run
 


Britty

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Don't be a dumbass like me and downshift from 5th to 2nd instead of 4th...sheit...i did that and pissed my pants!!!! :cry: I'm always a lil more careful now :roll:
 

O.Z Chi

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Originally posted by "handlebarsfsr"

you dont even need to double clutch to match revs. i just do it in one fluid motion, clutch in, shift, match revs all at once.
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of rev matching? If you don't release the clutch, how's it going to match the revs that you're trying to get to in the first place?
 

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sorry, what i meant was that i blip the throttle as im downshifting with the clutch in, and when i release the clutch theres no jerking or anything because the rpm's are matched.
 

O.Z Chi

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Right, I understand what you're trying to say, but if you don't release the clutch when you're jabbing the throttle, the main shaft in the tranny will not be at the same speed as the engine, so doesn't it defeat the purpose of revving it in the first place?

I thought the whole point of releasing the clutch during the throttle jab was to get the main transmission shaft to speed before the previous gear is engaged?
 

RainyDaze

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Originally posted by "*RiceAngel*"

Don't be a dumbass like me and downshift from 5th to 2nd instead of 4th...sheit...i did that and pissed my pants!!!! :cry: I'm always a lil more careful now :roll:
LOL I've done something similar. I wasn't paying attention and was trying to accelerate fairly fast, well I went to shift from 3rd into 4th, but instead dropped gears into 2nd. It scared the sh**t out of me. I think the guy behind me was pretty pissed off as well. I haven't done that one since, thank god.
 

nightkids1

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yeah like what oz99 said brakes are way cheaper then a new clutch or trany. people that downshift to slow them selfs down are people that are autocrossing or racing fast around corners and drifting (like in initial d!), so they dont have there brakes get to hot.
 

Je

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Hey this is kind of off topic but i didnt want to create a new topic for this.............
Do you know how to skid your tires while you change gears??? I saw an integra last night and when he shifted gears his tires made a cool sound :o
 

O.Z Chi

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Pop your clutch while flooring the accelerator. if your car doesn't do it, don't try it anymore. It's all about the torque the motor produces, and if it's not enough to overcome the friction between the tyre and the road, you can burn out your clutch.
 

Team 4R

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Originally posted by "92CivicVX"

Hey this is kind of off topic but i didnt want to create a new topic for this.............
Do you know how to skid your tires while you change gears??? I saw an integra last night and when he shifted gears his tires made a cool sound :o
shift at redline, and shift fast.... my car is pretty much bone stock, and it chirps on the 2-3 shift........ stage 4 clutch works wonders :D
 

Je

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I dont know about red lining my car....i dont wanna f**k up my engine and blow the s**t up. Cuz if you keep red lining a stock engine wont it blow?
 

O.Z Chi

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Not unless you did some internal work to it yourself without recalculating the redline. Factory specs are very conservative. You can redline your stock engine all day and it'll still go strong.
 

Je

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Cool thanks alot OZ i hope your sure on your statment, i heard some people tell me otherwise, but i will take your word for it, im gonna go try to chirp my tires when i get off work, in about 1 hour
 

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running against the rev limiter is NOT a good idea if you value your engine. most a redline is just that, an absolute limit of safe operational speed of the motor. it is not a reliable speed to run your motor at all the time, especially a stock motor.
 

Je

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Originally posted by "handlebarsfsr"

running against the rev limiter is NOT a good idea if you value your engine. most a redline is just that, an absolute limit of safe operational speed of the motor. it is not a reliable speed to run your motor at all the time, especially a stock motor.
thats what i thought :idea:
 

O.Z Chi

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Redlining doesn't mean burrying it in the red zone. Redline means that the tach goes up to the beginnning of the red zone and you shift, before the fuel cutoff kicks in.

The fuel cutoff system is there to protect the engine in case it revs beyond the redline.

Sorry if I wasn't clear before ...
 
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