Lol

 

heel toe--- on the Z usually using the left side of your right foot to press on the brake while swivelling your foot to blip the throttle with the right side of your foot. Not really necessary on the street and you can get going pretty darn fast on curvy back roads without this technique. You just need to stand on the brakes as you enter the turn, downshift while blipping the throttle, let out the clutch and hold your line through the curve with the throttle. Use the throttle to help position the car through the curve. Letting up a bit will cause the nose to tuck in. Add a bit of gas will push the car wide. When you see the curve exit accelerate out of the turn. With a supercharged engine this is insane fun while going up a hill. If you are coming in too hot, just lift off the gas and you will slow down.

clutch braking-- ill defined, but basically you want the engine side of the clutch and the driveshaft/wheel side of the clutch to be spinning at the same rpms when you let out the clutch when downshifting. If the engine side is going slower than the drive shaft side then the clutch plates will take a beating (aka so called clutch braking)

engine braking-- slowing down after the clutch pedal is released by getting off the gas. If you downshift and get off the gas the effect is more noticeable and this can be used to control your speed in a curve and makes the power out much more effective. On a dirt bike, there is often a second "spark plug" hole in the cylinder for an air brake. You pull on a lever and the hole is opened to the air causing extra drag and this is really useful when you are going down a steep hill and need controlled braking. Going up the hill is lot more fun, but then hey, you don't always make it!

 

ahh.. very well explained.. thanks! im learning a lot.. first time for me to hear these terms on my 6 yrs here in the US.

 

 

newbie question:

When rev-matching and you blip the throttle, do you leave your foot on the gas when you release the clutch

or

hit gas, take foot off gas, then release clutch?

 

hehe chop you answered your own question... blip the throttle...

 

lol, okay thanks, just didn't want to break anything

 

 

well guys..i have triptonic..so i wanna do some rev-match..but the way i did was ..i put it in N and then press the gas to rev it and then i immediately put it in D and it spins the tires and i hit it and away it goes. am i doin right?

but also, when im in the manual mode, i was on 4th shift and it was goin fast then i downshift to 3rd and it gave lots of power and i upshifted to 4th. but whats the 5th gear for?? im a noob, i've been flamed..so if u flame me i dont care..im just being nice even if it makes me sound stupid..

 

You are well on your way to your transmission's destruction. Never do that. Automatic is not manual. In manual you pop the clutch to spin tires, in A/T that is not the way to go. Just let her in D mode, press the gas pedal while holding the brakes and release. You should have a decent launch this way.

 

Do NOT do this. This will kill your transmission. If you want to launch an automatic, get a stall convertor. 5th gear is used to save gas while cruising.

 

oooh...oopsie! so i shudnt downshift in manual mode from 4th to 3rd gear to give me more power?

 

Yes you can downshift as long as the gear doesnt land in the redline area.

 

ok thanx guys! i just went out and experiment. i pressed the brake and hold it and press the gas and it revs up and then i let go of the brake and press gas little more and it gave me a spin and launch decently. thanx! and also, i've done that downshift in the manual mode..i never let it reach the redline..but thanx guys! i wont do that again what i did..lolz..thank god i didnt try it!

 

Okay, I've been trying a few things. First when I was downshifting from 3rd to 2nd I braked a little then pushed the clutch in, released the clutch, reved the engine to about 4000 rpms then pushed the clutch in and downshifted to 2nd. I also slowing down a little without braking in 3rd, then downshifted to 2nd and while keeping the clutch depressed braked a little bit and then gave it gas as I let the clutch out. Which way should I do it, the first way or second or are they both the wrong way?

I also have another question. Let say I'm in 3rd and I have to make a turn onto my street and I don't have to stop to make the turn. Should I brake to slow down in 3rd, make the turn and then downshift to 2nd? Or should I downshift to 2nd and make the turn? And should I depress the clutch when I make the turn?

Sorry I'm still trying to get the hang of it.

 

From what I've been reading on the forums, the first method is what you would use to downshift. I've tried going from 5th to 3rd before at like 50mph, and it won't let you get into gear untill the RPMs are within range. But I see myself pushing in the clutch, revving to appropriate RPMs and then putting it in gear and releasing the clutch..

Usually when I'm making the turn, I would brake and keep it in 3rd, and if you find that after the turn you're going reallllyyy slow, then yeah you can shift into 2nd. I find myself making turns that aren't too sharp in 3rd and not having to downshift. Sometimes however, I'll know that I'll eventually have to shift and I'll brake just as normal, and right when I'm about to make the turn I'll depress clutch, blip throttle, and shift into 2nd and let go of clutch...

You dont need to depress the clutch when making a turn, only depress the clutch if you're gonna downshift...same with coming to a stop: you should brake normally, and right before the RPMs go way to low (like 600-700) you should depress clutch and put it in neutral (this is what i've been reading here too; i used to brake from 30-40 mph and press clutch and slide into neutral while braking...)

 

I slow down a bit- if I'm pulling off an expressway - slowing from 65 to about 50, at that point - slip in the clutch- put it in 5 th gear ( never touching the brake) and let out on the clutch - just as if shifting to accelerate. Then I will shift down again to 4th probably before coming in for the landing at the red light I may see ahead. Works like a charm.
By that time if someone had been sort of tailgating me at 65 - he is keeping his distance as he is thinking WTF - because he has seen no brake lights and is a bit worried! This method saves both brakes and gas.

 

^^ Exactly!
I hardly ever see people come to nearly a complete stop without seeing the break light. I find myself frequently downshifting to 3rd @ 40mph and come to nearly a complete stop, with people behind me probably thinking WTF? hahah
One question for you guys, does downshifting use up the clutch even if it seems perfectly smooth? Sometimes I notice that I haven't revematched perfectly -- either overrev or underrev...does even a small jerk excessively wear the clutch disk?

 

Just because it's smooth doesn't mean you aren't wearing the clutch. You can mismatch the RPM horribly, but if you let the clutch out slow enough it will eventually mesh up without ever jerking. Downshifting without a throttle blip is a really stupid practice. Saving gas is not worth a prematurely worn clutch. Either blip the throttle and downshift or stay in the gear as long as possible without bogging the engine. Do not downshift without blipping the throttle. Yes it slows you down more - but it comes at the expense of your clutch. Your clutch is not a brake.

 

I sure am glad I learned to drive a manual tranny a long time ago, before I found out how complicated it is.

I step on the clutch, select a gear, and release the clutch. Done it that way for over 50 years. Never replaced a clutch, never repaired a tranny.

95% of clutch wear occurs when you first put the car in motion, from a dead stop. Very little wear ocurs during shifiting, up or down.

bill

bill