For the MT owners: how do you downshift?

Supa LA · Jul 3, 2015

I've let 3 people drive my car. A best friend, my father and a co-worker. I personally, always try to rev match when going down a gear. None of the above did, however. It made me cringe every time. (hence, why they'll never be driving it again) So, i guess my question is just that. Do you rev match the RPM's when you downshift? It HAS to be better for the tranny/car to match RPM's. Any other opinions and tips are welcomed.

madweazl · Jul 3, 2015

I do it out of habit but it's a synchro trans and wont hurt a thing.

TNcoupe · Jul 3, 2015

Supa LA said:
I've let 3 people drive my car. A best friend, my father and a co-worker. I personally, always try to rev match when going down a gear. None of the above did, however. It made me cringe every time. (hence, why they'll never be driving it again) So, i guess my question is just that. Do you rev match the RPM's when you downshift? It HAS to be better for the tranny/car to match RPM's. Any other opinions and tips are welcomed.

I heel toe rev match when downshifting unless stopping in an emergency. I'll just clutch and brake in that case.

Supa LA · Jul 3, 2015

madweazl said:
I do it out of habit but it's a synchro trans and wont hurt a thing.

I find it hard to believe that over time, you are not doing harm to the car.

TNcoupe said:
I heel toe rev match when downshifting unless stopping in an emergency. I'll just clutch and brake in that case.

I do the same. If i'm required to stop quickly, press in the clutch and then brake. Plus, it just sounds badass with my exhaust when i blip the throttle before dropping a gear.

madweazl · Jul 3, 2015

You can believe whatever you like, the fact of the matter is that 90% of the population doesnt do this. If it were a dog ring trans like that of the Fortin in my buggy, you would be correct but since it has synchros that were designed exactly for this purpose, you'd be mistaken.

Supa LA · Jul 3, 2015

madweazl said:
You can believe whatever you like, the fact of the matter is that 90% of the population doesnt do this. If it were a dog ring trans like that of the Fortin in my buggy, you would be correct but since it has synchros that were designed exactly for this purpose, you'd be mistaken.

Well, the car bucks and generally seems to dislike it. So, i'll continue to rev match while downshifting. To each their own.

GT Pony · Jul 3, 2015

Not rev matching won't hurt the transmission, but could take some life off the clutch disk.
Also, not rev matching perfectly can do the same thing as not rev matching at all.

madweazl · Jul 3, 2015

The car bucks?

Khyber · Jul 3, 2015

if the rpms are low enough you don't have to blip the throttle. usually when slowing down to turn never have to blip. it's just something you rarely have to do in 35,45,55 mph speed limits because your usually in 1200-2000 rpm range so blipping is just about useless

BCeagle08 · Jul 3, 2015

Rev matching has nothing to do with the synchros in your tranny unless you are double clutching. Not rev matching on a single clutch downshift will prematurely wear your clutch because it's your flywheel and clutch plate that are spinning at different speeds. Synchros are used when you are selecting your gear, not when you let the clutch out.

Obviously the greater the RPM difference the more it will wear the clutch. If you are just letting the clutch out when it's going to be between 2 and 3k rpm it's not THAT big of a deal, but if you do it at 5k+ you are going to have a big lurch and a big slip of the clutch. Shouldn't make a habit of that.

I personally double clutch almost all of my downshifts unless I'm just putzing around in a parking lot or at very low speeds. It's just more enjoyable to me than doing a normal one clutch actuation downshift.

MichaelKael · Jul 3, 2015

Well, to me, if you downshift revmatching 100% accurate, it'll take you a while to really slowdown and stop.
The good thing about a MT, is that you can use the "engine brake" to slow down your vehicle before coming to a stop, having to actually brake way less than with an AT. This way you dont go through your brake too much, not get em overheating like I guess some people do when I see some AT driving arounf here, starting to brake like 1/2 mile before a light.
I dont revmatch, but downshift smartly to really use that engine brake, also helps before getting into a curve or something... I guess being French and having been driving AND taught manual my whole life (passed my car, bike, and heavy truck license in France) does help with it

Khyber · Jul 3, 2015

i still don't get why people engine brake in a dd environment. replacing brake pads is alot cheaper than replacing something else from engine brake high rpm assistance. really only reason why people do it is to hear their exhaust lol

and for double clutching, why do it?! it's 2015!

Charles147 · Jul 3, 2015

I'll rev match if its a hard downshift but I do not rev match all the time

Nucdancer01 · Jul 3, 2015

BCeagle08 said:
Rev matching has nothing to do with the synchros in your tranny unless you are double clutching. Not rev matching on a single clutch downshift will prematurely wear your clutch because it's your flywheel and clutch plate that are spinning at different speeds. Synchros are used when you are selecting your gear, not when you let the clutch out.

Obviously the greater the RPM difference the more it will wear the clutch. If you are just letting the clutch out when it's going to be between 2 and 3k rpm it's not THAT big of a deal, but if you do it at 5k+ you are going to have a big lurch and a big slip of the clutch. Shouldn't make a habit of that.

I personally double clutch almost all of my downshifts unless I'm just putzing around in a parking lot or at very low speeds. It's just more enjoyable to me than doing a normal one clutch actuation downshift.

So what exactly is your method of dbl clutching?

I've heard it/about it, but have no idea what benefit it serves...

Sent from my Oxford White 2015 GT PP, Prem

madweazl · Jul 3, 2015

Perhaps I misunderstood; is the question whether the clutch wear is increased or if there is damage to the trans? When downshifting (with intention to stop at an intersection), I downshift and drag the clutch slightly to reduce shock to the drive train. I dont think I've had a clutch fail below 100k miles yet (my '88 Mustang might have been a possible exception but I cant recall) so the extra wear in this case would be minimal in my opinion.

Double clutching serves no purpose with syncro transmissions.

For the MT owners: how do you downshift?

Supa LA

Drop a gear and disappear

madweazl

Well-Known Member

TNcoupe

Well-Known Member

Supa LA

Drop a gear and disappear

madweazl

Well-Known Member

Supa LA

Drop a gear and disappear

GT Pony

Well-Known Member

madweazl

Well-Known Member

Khyber

it's a hard parked life

BCeagle08

Well-Known Member

MichaelKael

Well-Known Member

Khyber

it's a hard parked life

Charles147

Well-Known Member

Nucdancer01

Well-Known Member

madweazl

Well-Known Member