I never shift down to 1st gear, ever.. When slowing I will shift down to second and then use the brakes from there.

However, you CAN shift into first gear from second without a problem, you just have to rev match. I rev match EVERY single downshift anyways so it's no biggy for me.

Only time I will downshift into first is if I'm going slow enough and I need to put another car in line that may be taunting me

The car is made so you can NOT downshift into first when going baove a certain speed, rev matching bypasses that. But overall it is just to protect you from ****ing your engine up.

 

this is funny

 

jsn350Z said it... all you need to do is rev-match.

the entire transmission has synchros.. saying that its bad to shift into first is stupid, its a transmission.. as long as you are a good driver who knows how to match gears than its all pie.

I mean, you dont go into 1st when doing 40mph.. its only used in very very tight low-speed situations. there are canyons out here in LA that I like to slide with, and sometimes i pop it into 1st.. only smooth way to get into that gear (or any gear for that matter) is to rev-match.

learn to use your transmissions and drive the car like it was designed to be driven..

 

I very rarely downshift into 1st. The only times that I've done that is when I'm going below 5mph and traffic is still moving. In those cases, I think that the traffic will come to a stop so I put the car into neutral from 2nd. Then when I realize that it's not going to stop, I put it into 1st (think of it as a double-clutch, but unplanned and takes longer).

Edit: I always am rev-matching, too.

 

If I moving 20 mph or under and I need 100% acceleration I just rev match it into 1st, no grind, goes in smooth and I'm gone....

 

....

 

Here's a question that you guys can probably answer for me. I always rev match and downshift when possible, but sometimes if you come around a bend or over a hill there's just no time to shift from 4 to 3 to 2 before you have to stop. If you just pop it into neutral and brake will that cause any damage?

 

no.

 

If your intentions of downshifting is to deaccelerate, rev-matching is counter productive..... Rev matching is to keep the car/engine from slowing down while getting to a gear with more umpf.. I can't imagine a skilled driver rev-matching during every downshift situation.

Taking the car out of gear and using 100% brakes will save a little gas and wear your breaks out faster.

 

Actually rev matching will save the life of your syncros. Always rev match! Revmatch downshift will still slow you down.

 

Yeah that was my problem with it. Rev matching and downshifting doesn't slow you down nearly fast enough if you're approaching a red light and doing 45. If you try to downshift without rev matching though, you lurch forward as soon as the gear engages. There's got to be a 'best' way to do this.

 

Rev matching will not improve synchro wear. That just improves clutch wear. Your synchros will still need to synchronize your intermediate shaft to engine speed (to mesh the gears properly). Then what you're doing by rev-matching is matching the engine (and gear) speed to road speed but that's downstream of the synchro's work.

Still a dumb idea to downshift to 1st. There really aren't any situations where it is an advantage over just using second gear. The only time I ever do it is when I'm pulling off the track and go from 4->3->2->1 getting off the track, through the false grid and into the pits so that I can avoid using the hot brakes while coming in to park the car.

And old_s13, downshifting into first gear isn't what makes you a good driver who know how to match gears. I think it's more likely to make you look like a young kid trying to show off. And what kind of slow-a$$ corners are you taking that you need to be in first gear??? Even in an autocross you keep it at minimum in 2nd gear.

 

TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION - I HAVE A DRIVE THAT HAS A DIP AT STREET LEVEL (NO LARGE DIP) -THEN THE DRIVE INTO THE CARPORT IS ON A SMALL INCLINE - I DOWNSHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR ABOUT 1/2 BLOCK FROM MY DRIVE - LET UP ON THE GAS AND THE CAR TAKES INTSELF ( ME STEARING OF COURSE !! LOL) INTO THE DIP, UP THE SLIGHT INCLINE AND INTO THE CARPORT WHERE I PUT IT IN NEAUTRAL AND APPLY THE BRAKES. NO ACCELERATION NEEDED IN SECOND GEAR .

 

i guess im not a skilled driver sense i always rev-match when im downshifting, but this is also on the 280Z which i drive most of the time which is totally different from the 350 when you downshift, you slow down hella fast from downshifting, and not giving gas otehr than when downshifting, compared to the 350Z which doesnt slow down nearly as much. also doesnt it put less ear on the clutch? most of the time the only time i downshift from 2nd to 1st on the 350Z is when im pulling in the garage. usually right b4 im at my driveway and turn into it. never had a problem shifting from 2nd to 1st, but havent really tried going faster than 20 MPH

 

i forgot to mention i downshift on the 280Z about 5x more than the 350Z because its soo effective in the 280Z, i almost never have to use my breaks, or dont have to use them until im about 10 feet from the traffic light. i dont like using my breaks if i dont have to.

 

I agree. I always rev-match...even when downshifting into first which i know now is not the best idea? It seems there are differing opinions on that. i'm going to read the manual about it.

man i have 12 k miles on my Z now and when slowing down to a stop will usually downshift into first. but of course never at a high speed (say above 30 mph). can anyone tell me the likelihood that i have caused some significant wear or even damage to the transmission?

 

All false.

bill

 

If you are looking for acceleration out of 2nd gear at a low speed try to feather your clutch out while keeping the rpm's up, and you will not need first gear.

 

what if you want to run somebody from a highway roll, and you slow to like 20mph?

Is it safe to downshift into 1st like that? I've done it before but I rev-matched

 

I thought if you were under 10mph, and you need to start to go again you would have to shift back into 1st. S'what I was taught, probably why I blew the clutch in my dad's VW in 2 days. You guys now see why I bought a AT