Downshift any good ?

[TurtleMan]

I just learned how to drive stick car , but then some of my friend said downshift is good, but some of them said it is bad, so what do you think ?

 

[Electric Amish]

Downshift for what??

amish

 

[malu]

as long as you dont overrev the engine, you'll be ok

 

[Beau]

Depends on the situation. If you are going at high speeds and need to slow down gradually (ie: coming off a free way on to an off ramp) then I downshift and let the tranny/engine slow the car and not waste brake pad.

 

[Rallispec]

it isnt a replacement for using the brakes. it can just help save wear and tear on the pads sometimes when you need to slow down a little bit.


as long as you dont over rev the egnine, you should be fine...

 

[notfred]

English any good?

 

[Harvey]

If you know how to do it correctly, it can give you much more control when driving up and down hills, especially if the road has a lot of turns. It can also help in braking and save wear on your brake pads. If you don't know what you're doing, you can wear out your clutch a lot faster.

I do it all the time.

 

[Alphathree33]

It's also really good for the guy behind you to slam into the back of your car.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: notfred
English any good?

dooyoounnastannawordsdatarecominouttamymouuuuuuuffff?

 

[tweakmm]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: notfred
English any good?

dooyoounnastannawordsdatarecominouttamymouuuuuuuffff?

nobody understands the words that are coming out of your mouth

 

[Beau]

Originally posted by: ffmcobalt

Originally posted by: notfred
English any good?

dooyoounnastannawordsdatarecominouttamymouuuuuuuffff?

No, that brown stuff on your nose is to distracting to pay attention to anything that is coming out of your mouth.

 

[bigben]

Downshifting is also helpful in cornering...gives you more power on the outset of the turn.

 

[goodoptics]

Originally posted by: malu
as long as you dont overrev the engine, you'll be ok

Do it correctly so that you don't wear out your clutch prematurely.

 

[Pooteh]

me thinks this guy needs to go to howstuffworks.com and look at how transmissions/gear boxes work doesn't seem to have much basic understanding.

 

[FoBoT]

yes, i always downshift

what is the alternative? hold the clutch in? isn't that bad for your clutch?

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
yes, i always downshift

what is the alternative? hold the clutch in? isn't that bad for your clutch?

There's always neutral.

 

[Ultima]

Downshifting moves the stress of slowing down the car from the brakes to the engine. Whether this is bad for the engine I don't know, but like others said if you don't overrev it it should be okay.

 

[TurtleMan]

let's say im going 80mph , then i downshit into 4th gear , and it rev up to like 4 or 5000 rpm my redline is 6000something
is it overreving ? sometime when i downshift, there is like a force of pulling me back all the sudden , it is like engine got stucked or something , so i don't know if im doing it right or wrong........

 

[TurtleMan]

Originally posted by: notfred
English any good?

no

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: Harvey
If you know how to do it correctly, it can give you much more control when driving up and down hills, especially if the road has a lot of turns. It can also help in braking and save wear on your brake pads. If you don't know what you're doing, you can wear out your clutch a lot faster.

I do it all the time.

I do it too, when i'm coming to a stop...just keep the RPM's below your normal shift RPM'(for the gear you're going to) and it should be fine...as said, no over-reving and it's okay.....if you know how to do it, it works, it's not BAD, but it's not GOOD either, just preference

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: TurtleMan
let's say im going 80mph , then i downshit into 4th gear , and it rev up to like 4 or 5000 rpm my redline is 6000something
is it overreving ? sometime when i downshift, there is like a force of pulling me back all the sudden , it is like engine got stucked or something , so i don't know if im doing it right or wrong........

If you don't go above redline, you're definitely fine. Most cars these days have rev limiters that would save you from doing much damage anyway.

As for the "force" you feel, it's probably just they way you're shifting. When you hit the clutch, the engine drops back to idle speed and when you downshift and release the clutch pedal, the engine has to jump up to match the gear speed.
You can minimize or eliminate this by reading up and practicing double clutching.

In short, you normally:
Clutch
Downshift
Release Clutch.

When double clutching:
Clutch
Neutral
Release Clutch
"Blip" the gas pedal to rev the engine up to or a little above your target RPM speed
Clutch
Downshift to the appropriate gear
Release the clutch.


When you get good at this, you will be able to downshift without any "feeling." The only indication that you've downshifted is increased drag and the sound of your engine spinning faster.

Be sure to practice this stuff in a parking lot or something first.

 

[skyking]

It's also really good for the guy behind you to slam into the back of your car.

If you use it in conjunction with braking, tht won't be a problem. But if you get cute, and forget to brake, you could get a rude surprise!

If you don't go above redline, you're definitely fine. Most cars these days have rev limiters that would save you from doing much damage anyway.

transmission syncros will let you put the car into a gear/speed combo that will exceed redline, and there is absolutely nothing that a rev limiter will do about that! Rev limiters only work on relatively flat ground, while accelerating.

I used to downshift a lot more, but lately, I try to anticipate slowdowns and use the throttle and mild braking for most things. In certain slippery conditions, both front and rear wheel drive cars can get fun with aggressive downshifts

 

[Jzero]

transmission syncros will let you put the car into a gear/speed combo that will exceed redline, and there is absolutely nothing that a rev limiter will do about that! Rev limiters only work on relatively flat ground, while accelerating.

I stand corrected. Don't f@ck it up then!!
hehe

 

[skyking]

Hehehe..
there is a vid about a missed shift in another thread, but I am at an office with ISDN
25 minute D/L!

 

[teddymines]

Never downshift on ice or snow! The sudden drag on the tires will cause a quick loss of control, esp on FWD cars.

I never downshift to slow down, only when I need more power climbing a hill, or when I'm coming out of a turn.

Downshifting to slow down only makes sense if you're coming down a long hill and want to use compression braking to save your brake pads. For regular driving, downshifting to stop just wears your clutch. It is cheaper to replace brake pads.