Whats up blades. I may be getting a new car and it will be manual so I wanted to clarify some stuff. I my knowledge on downshifting is a bit vague. Let's say I was in 4th gear and I want to slow down. I simply push the clutch and down shift right? I heard there's a certain technique called rev matching that you can do to eliminate a bumpy dow shift. Let's say I was approaching a red light and I am in 4th gear. I shift down all the way to 2nd. Can I chill at the light in 2nd And start back up from that gear? Same scenario, I'm coming to a red light and I throw her into neutral but the light changes to green while I'm cruising at about 15mph, is t okay to shift to 2nd? I appreciate any input
at first its a bumpy ride, but you get the feel for it very quickly. the red light question, i think you need to put the car in neutral. like go from 4th to 2nd, break, put hand break on, then put into neutral. the car wouldn't take off right from 2nd. although i've only been driving a year, so i might be wrong
if you approach a red light put it in neutral no down shifting then throw i t into 1st when it turns green. you can start in 2nd gear if your a very experienced. it will take you some time to learn that trick:
your other question.. its fine to put it in 2nd an any scenario as long as your moving. the only time i down shift is when the speedlimit becomes slower.
think of it this way, never touch the clutch if you don't have to. only downshift if you want to pass. when slowing down, shift into neutral.
id say leave the rev matching for a couple weeks after you get the car. getting into/out of 1st gear is the hardest. as far as stopping at a light and leaving it in 2nd...you wont accelerate fast at all lol. i would stay in 2nd if i knew the light would change before i stopped but if youre at a complete stop, got to neutral or 1st.and if you know the light will change and youre in neutral or any other gear it will be fine/desireable to down shift. good luck
you just really gotta get a feel for the clutch, its different for almost every car..what ive noticed is the cheaper the car(bmw vs honda), the honda clutch is helluva lot easier to get used to quickly, even though once you know how to drive one, you can drive the other... best way to practice is to get into first gear smoothly from a complete stop, while uphill.. make sure to use the hand brake so you do not roll backwards while the clutch is fully depressed. for the red light question - 4th to 2nd would be fine as long as while your in fourth your rev's are not above 3k-3500. you prob could start from 2nd, but you really do not want to...try it out and you will see why. for your second senario - while rolling at 15mph, 2nd would be the appropriate gear you will get used to the feeling and sound of your motor when you should shift/downshift. NEVER DOWNSHIFT INTO 1st!!!!...unless your under 10mph
All I can say is practice. Like others have stated, you'll get it. I took my wife out to some abandoned roads when I was teaching her to drive stick, because you need some space when you first start. I remember I almost ran a redlight when I was 16, slammed on the breaks but forgot clutch and truck jerked and died at a busy intersection. I was so godamn embarrassed and my 14 year old brother was just laughin his ass off...hehe, good times. Have fun!
Fuck a stickshift,they're only fun to drive every now and then. For an everyday car they suck balls,especially in traffic. Also not a very stoner friendly way to get around if you na I meen.
That's the first.. Since when do people downshift to pass somebody? OP, you're better off making this thread in the Planes trains & automobiles section. People in general have no idea what they're talking about.
?? If you're in fifth or sixth gear, you're not getting all of your power. You go for a pass and put it in third, top gear, you get all of your power and you make the pass quickly than shift back up to fifth. Try passing someone in fifth you'll be going slow as balls Some people don't know what they're talking about
1) That's correct. When you engage the clutch after downshifting, the car will decelerate because the engine needs power to spin up to the speed the input shaft of the transmission is spinning. If there is a significant difference between the current engine speed (shown on your tachometer) and the input shaft's speed (determined by the speed you are going and the gear ratio), and you engage the clutch quickly, you may lock up the drive wheels for a short period. This is called shift locking and isn't really good for anything except spilling your passengers drinks Rev matching is manually matching the speed of the engine to the speed of the input shaft so there is no deceleration and the downshift is smooth. All you have to do is mash the throttle the right amount to get the engine up to the correct speed. It takes practice. For extra geek points: Note that rev matching is distinct from "double clutching", which is a technique used for downshifting on unsynchronized transmissions. Virtually all passenger cars have synchronized transmissions. The synchros in the transmission are responsible for proportionally matching the speed of the input shaft of the transmission to the speed of the output shaft of the transmission (which is entirely determined by the speed you are going). If these shafts are not matched in speed proportionally to the gear ratio, the dog clutches that engage the gears will clash and not engage. Double clutching is basically rev matching as well as engaging the clutch for a short time while doing so so that the input shaft is spinning at the same speed as the engine, and therefore the same speed as the output shaft (well, they're not the same speed, but they're speeds proportional to the gear ratios). You don't need to double clutch with a synchronized transmission. 2)Yes, it is possible, but there's usually no reason to do any of those things. When you're pulling up to a light, you don't need to downshift. Even if you're in top gear, you can just slow down until the engine is at idle speed (usually around 800 RPM) and then disengage the clutch. Sitting at a light with it in gear is also unnecessary, and puts more wear on the bearing that connects the clutch lever to the shaft. Also, you should never rest your foot on the clutch pedal when it is engaged, wether driving or stopped in neutral. This also wears the bearing more than necessary. Lastly, starting from a stop in 2nd gear is possible, but not recommended. It's harder to do, and usually slower. It also wears the clutch more, because you have to slip it more to get going. Slip=wear. The less you slip your clutch, the longer it will last. 3) Yep, that's just fine. However, you should be aware that downshifting to a low gear when you're moving fast (40+ mph) can be damaging. Remember, if the car is going too fast for the gear you shift into, the transmission can drive the engine over its redline, which can result in damage. The rev limiter is powerless against any driving forces from the transmission. The rev limiter can only prevent engine overspeeds caused by the engine itself. It does this by cutting ignition or closing the throttle until the engine is below the limit. Shifting into a low gear without engaging the clutch isn't likely to damage the transmission, but remember that if you're going 70 mph and you shift into 1st gear, the synchros will try and spin the input shaft up to something like 14,000 RPM or something, which is not good. Any more transmission questions? I'm happy to answer them.
Holy shit you're right! I just passed someone in 5th and sure enough, my car was going the exact same speed as my balls! But yeah. Look at a chart of HP or torque vs. RPM. Up to a point (which you are well below when crusing normally) increasing RPM increases both HP and torque. You increase RPMs when downshifting, giving you the added power and torque to more effectively pass the cottonhead in front of you. All of this is blind to the point that the original advice: only downshift if you want to pass is also not very good advice.
i put it in N and then slow down.. if i have to speed up i throw her in the proper gear which just comes with time. and you can start in 2nd but it's best to do it in 1st. and the last questions yes
- Well personally I step lightly on the brake at the same time I let out the clutch when I downshift. It's smooth for my car. - It depends on your car I believe. I can start out in second but it creates major engine lag, making for a slow startout. Might be the same for you, I don't know. - Yes its ok to do that, just never first gear. I'll be coming up to a red light at 40, in neutral, it turns green and I'll just shift back into fifth. You would just shift into whatever gear you would normally be in at that speed. Been driving manual for 10 years.
Itll come naturally.Youll fuck up at first but get the hang of it soon.I love driving standards.Ill never drive an automatic again if i dont have to.
Ya you can downshift to slow down i always use second gear to slow at stop signs. As far as rev matching all you gotta do is know where your shift points are on the RPM you just pump the gas to match the rpm's to get out of gear and then match the lower gears top end so that you downshift into the high rpm for more power. I used to practice rev matching on any high way or free way while i was going 50+ i'd try and rev match and shift so there was no resistance inbetween shifts. IT IS FUN but if you fuck up it can kill your car so be fucking careful!!