Im not a big fan of downshifting. Heres a scenario im going 50 in 5th gear and i want to go into a parking lot what should i do? I usually brake put in neutral when i hit about 15 mph i pop it in 2. What do you guys think?

If you havent noticed i suck at everything

 

Pretend like you drive an auto...just break till you're about to pull in and pop it in 2nd. Many will say coasting in neutral isn't a good idea; just leave it in gear. Anyways, that's what I do when pulling into a lot..

 

So i should go from 5th to 2nd?

 

5th to neutral to 2nd.

 

yeah, sounds like you're doing it just fine.

 

-RANT-

I don't mean to sound rude, so I apologize in advance: Why the hell do I see soooo many posts about shifting? If you don't know how to drive a freakin' manual, then get an autobox! Technology has pretty much made them almost as fast as a good manual driver: five speeds (some cars have 6, 7, or even 8 gear autos), manual gear selection, more aggressive gearing to help launch, and torque converters that don't suck or slow down the shifting speed.

-END RANT-

Seriously, though, driving it like you are is fine. Some people might tell you that you can hurt the car coasting in neutral, but I have NEVER seen any evidence to support this claim. I personally vary my driving style based on how enthusiastic I am about enthusiast driving on that particular day, and, of course, the weather. Sometimes I'll keep the gas to the floor until I NEED to brake, at which point I will row down the gears to help slow the car (enthusiastic approach); other times I will pop the car in neutral from 60 mph as I approach a red light, in the interest of saving a barely measurable, miniscule amount of dinosaur, and keep myself from getting on the binders like I'm on a track.

 

There's nothing wrong with downshifting if you rev-match. Also known as 'blipping the throttle'. Mind you, there's nothing harmful in what you're doing either. I wouldn't bother putting it in neutral to brake, though. Just leave it in 5th. Or better yet, blip the throttle and downshift to 4th, then skip directly to 2nd right before initial turn-in.

 

How about fifth gear to third? The 350Z has enough torque so that third gear covers a wide MPH range. But since you are a new driver, just practice and do what feels good. Soon downshifting will become automatic.

BTW forget neutral. How neutral ever became so popular is beyond me.

 

You probably had the same questions when you first started driving...we aren't all born with the knowledge of driving stick...maybe except for you it looks like. Props to your parents!

 

This site seems to have a bunch of guys who like to dump on others over car issues in which they feel they have inherent superior knowledge.

Personally, my guess is their knowledge in general is so poor they have to rag on others on one of the few topics where they do some knowlege.

 

Question for the group on this thread - I have had many manual transmission cars but my Z is an auto. My experience is that coasting in neutral and initiating a turn in neutral is not neccasarily bad for the car but aren't you giving up a great deal of control with out torque to the wheels? I am just thinking that might be a bad habit for a noob to develop that at the wrong time could be really dangerous behavior.

And to the OP - you might find that with some practice you learn to enjoy downshifting. I feel I have a much greater degre of control downshifiting in both manual and automatic cars.

 

Im not too familiar with blip of throtle. Could someone explain. Why would you want to have rpms higher if you are shifitng down?

 

The no-neutral technique has been discussed a hundred times. There are those who get it, and those who do not. No amount of rational discussion will keep some drivers from driving in neutral.

 

Nope. My first car was a POS 81 Dodge Colt with an automatic. My second car was also a piece of crap Dodge, a Daytona with a five speed. I learned to drive it the hard way.

Although I do owe some thanks to my father. He isn't a car guy, but he did allow my brother and me to drive his manual Nissan p/u (you know, way back, before they called 'em the Frontier). I didn't remember much by the time I got my first manual, though I feel it did help.

Yeah, everybody has to start driving a manual sometime, I personally think it odd that anyone would spend a decent amount of money on a sports car, without any prior manual knowledge. If that's what they want, though, then hey, I have no problem with that. It's just that I have seen several threads about shifting on this forum in the three or four weeks I have been on, and I can't believe the number of people out there who seem to have no real knowledge of manual transmissions, even basic knowledge.

I can only assume this comment is directed at me. First of all, I didn't "dump" on the OP. I had a rant. I advertised that fact. I did not mention the OP by screen name, nor was that part of the post directed at him. It was a general question/rant. I apologize if I have offended you in any way.

As far as my knowledge of cars, I feel I have a large base from which I can pull information. I also reference magazines, periodicals, and internet forums on a regular basis; as well as other enthusiasts I meet in person to assimilate their knowledge. I do not feel my knowledge is "superior" to anyone else's. I learn new things on a daily basis.

 

You need to match the engine speed to the speed of the transmission, so that the gear goes in smoothly for two reasons: 1) less wear on the drivetrain, and 2) smoother driving. Pulling in a parking lot wouldn't matter much, but for those twisty roads, when you need to go from third to second for a tighter corner at a high speed, mastery of this technique will keep your chassis planted firmly and smoothly, without "bucking" you off your line, which hurts time (on a track) and is potentially dangerous on the road. Much practice is needed to become proficient with this technique.

 

here's a quick summary...

let's say you're coasting along at a certain speed in neutral, slowly slowing down. let's say you were to put it in 2nd gear and let out the clutch. the engine rpm goes from idle (<1000rpm) to, let's say 3000 rpm. this is very hard on the transmission. when you hear people talk about downshifting properly, blipping the throttle, even heel-towing (involves brake too...this is a whole thread by itself), they mean to quickly pop, press, blip, whatever, the gas to get the engine to 3000rpm and THEN let out the clutch. this saves your car from a lot of wear and tear.

plus, if you do it right...especially at higher rpm's, it's sounds freakin' cool.


i guess that wasn't so quick. oh well. : )

 

5-4-3-2, and then make your turn into the parking lot. The gears were meant to be used this way, so don't skip them.

Oh and those who put the car in neutral, you're not saving any gas, you're increasing consumption and wearing out your brakes more

 

What trentor said.

 

1) Learning to drive a manual tranny is all about practice and experience.

2) And you won't get either on a message board.

Quit worrying about all of the minutae. You really aren't going to hurt the drive train on any well-built modern car. Just enjoy it and relax. It will all become 2nd nature to you. I taught my wife to drive a 5 speed when she was 45 years old. She's now 62 and still loves to drive a stick. She drove my Miata every chance she got. She complained because the new Camry I bought her last year was an automatic.

Downshifting, rev matching, double clutching, skipping gears, coasting, etc, it really isn't going to make any difference. I've been driving manual trannies (hotrods, muscle cars, sports cars, trucks, sedans...) since the mid-50s, and have not had one fail yet.*

bill

*Actually, I did break a '39 Ford tranny . It was running in a Model A Ford behind a built 327 'vette engine.

bill

 

Thank you for your insight.