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Question about downshifting

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phreakah

Platinum Member
i have a question about downshifting while driving a stick shift...

say i was in 4th gear and needed to go to second. is it bad for the transmission if i go from 4 straight to 2? people tell me i should go 4 - 3 - 2 and going from 4 straight to 2 is bad

😕
 
as long as the rpm's are ok, you can

why are you braking that hard to need to skip a gear?
 
it's not bad if the RPMs are acceptable for 2nd.... could be wrong, but i do that all the time in my car.
 
well, not topped out of course

so if my revs are low in 4 and i rev match before going to second, it should be fine?
 
No..as long as you don't overrev.

I only skip gears when i'm coming to a stop..

Originally posted by: phreakah
so if my revs are low in 4 and i rev match before going to second, it should be fine?
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
Originally posted by: FoBoT
as long as the rpm's are ok, you can

why are you braking that hard to need to skip a gear?
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

If you're braking hard enough to need to skip a gear, you're probably in a panic-stop situation where your efforts are better focused on avoiding whatever it is that just darted out in front of you rather than rev-matching your downshifts.

General stops, I was taught to engine-brake along with regular brakes in the current gear, apply clutch when you start dropping to near idle speed, then shift to the appropriate gear for forward momentum if you need to move, or into neutral if you're coming to a stop.

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: phreakah
well, not topped out of course

so if my revs are low in 4 and i rev match before going to second, it should be fine?
Click to expand...

Yup... I mean, as long as you're rev matching and not jerking the car around it shouldn't hurt anything.
 
Originally posted by: FoBoT
why are you braking that hard to need to skip a gear?
Click to expand...

One example for me would be that I shift from 5th gear into neutral and coast up an off ramp on the highway... by the time I get to my turn, my speed is acceptable to go into 2nd or 3rd... I could be completely killing my car and not knowing though... but I don't care...

it's leased! 🙂
 
okay, just making sure.... i was a little confused when someone said it was bad for the transmission when you skip a gear downshifting
 
Originally posted by: phreakah
i have a question about downshifting while driving a stick shift...

say i was in 4th gear and needed to go to second. is it bad for the transmission if i go from 4 straight to 2? people tell me i should go 4 - 3 - 2 and going from 4 straight to 2 is bad

😕
Click to expand...

hahaha, why would it matter
 
Originally posted by: Afrotech
Originally posted by: FoBoT
why are you braking that hard to need to skip a gear?
Click to expand...

One example for me would be that I shift from 5th gear into neutral and coast up an off ramp on the highway... by the time I get to my turn, my speed is acceptable to go into 2nd or 3rd... I could be completely killing my car and not knowing though... but I don't care...

it's leased! 🙂
Click to expand...

yeah, also when i'm turning, i keep the car in gear until the rpms get low, then i put it from maybe 4th to second to accel into the turn
 
Originally posted by: phreakah
okay, just making sure.... i was a little confused when someone said it was bad for the transmission when you skip a gear downshifting
Click to expand...

Deliberately skipping a gear - 1>4 upshift in a Corvette for economy or 4>2 in your case - is a very different animal than a 5>2 misshift, which tends to shred your motor in one very expensive lurch. 😀

- M4H
 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: phreakah
okay, just making sure.... i was a little confused when someone said it was bad for the transmission when you skip a gear downshifting
Click to expand...

Deliberately skipping a gear - 1>4 upshift in a Corvette for economy or 4>2 in your case - is a very different animal than a 5>2 misshift, which tends to shred your motor in one very expensive lurch. 😀

- M4H
Click to expand...

When I was first learning stick I did a misshirt from second to first when I meast to go to 3rd. That was unpleasant.
 
also when i'm on the freeway and i want to downshift from maybe 6th to 4th.. i do that sometimes to accel faster.. just another example
 
Originally posted by: PingSpike
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: phreakah
okay, just making sure.... i was a little confused when someone said it was bad for the transmission when you skip a gear downshifting
Click to expand...

Deliberately skipping a gear - 1>4 upshift in a Corvette for economy or 4>2 in your case - is a very different animal than a 5>2 misshift, which tends to shred your motor in one very expensive lurch. 😀

- M4H
Click to expand...

When I was first learning stick I did a misshirt from second to first when I meast to go to 3rd. That was unpleasant.
Click to expand...

What kind of vehicle? In my '96 Tacoma it won't go into first at anything more than a crawl..
 
it's called engine retardation when you match the revs during downshifting, whilst braking - when you back off the gas pedal the engine will help with your braking meaning you wont use your pads and disks as much, thus saving you money, it's part of an advanced driving technique, being smooth and causing the least about of abuse to the car.

<..not edited for the grammar police..>
 
I skip gears all the time. I have enough overlap that on off ramps I usually go 5->3 and stop signs 4->2. I can do 60MPH in 2nd, and 105 in third.
 
Originally posted by: Monkey muppet
it's called engine retardation when you match the revs during downshifting, whilst braking - when you back off the gas pedal the engine will help with your braking meaning you wont use your pads and disks as much, thus saving you money, it's part of an advanced driving technique, being smooth and causing the least about of abuse to the car.

<..not edited for the grammar police..>
Click to expand...

That depends on your definition of "abuse to the car." Seeing as the brake pads and rotors are consumable items which are meant to be worn out and replaced every so often, while the engine is supposed to last the life of the car, it seems counterproductive to try to use the engine as a brake.
 
Originally posted by: Kalvin00
Originally posted by: PingSpike
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: phreakah
okay, just making sure.... i was a little confused when someone said it was bad for the transmission when you skip a gear downshifting
Click to expand...

Deliberately skipping a gear - 1>4 upshift in a Corvette for economy or 4>2 in your case - is a very different animal than a 5>2 misshift, which tends to shred your motor in one very expensive lurch. 😀

- M4H
Click to expand...

When I was first learning stick I did a misshirt from second to first when I meast to go to 3rd. That was unpleasant.
Click to expand...

What kind of vehicle? In my '96 Tacoma it won't go into first at anything more than a crawl..
Click to expand...

Yeah, my '93 Maxima is the same way. If you try to downshift to 1st before you get less than 15mph, it either won't go in or it grinds really hard.

Also, as long as you know the speeds that you should be driving in each gear, it won't matter what gear you downshift into. As an example, I cruise in 5th gear going about 45mph and a light turns yellow. I would just drop it into 2nd and combine brakes and engine to stop. But then I know that my car can go 65mph in 2nd gear.
 
if you cant go into 1st while rolling, you need to double clutch (rev-match while gear stick in neutral)

 
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