FStop7 wrote

How else can you drive manual? If you don't rev match then the car jerks when you downshift.

FStop7 wrote

How else can you drive manual? If you don't rev match then the car jerks when you downshift.

ChrisV wrote

How long have you been driving? With modern synchros it's simply not necessary unless you are racing and downshifting. Street driving, there's simply no need to shift faster than the synchros can handle. The trans will still last forever and it's not jerky at all.

Now, if I'm in an older car with worn synchros, then yeah, rev match every time (in fact, I've had to drive a couple cars that the clutch was so bad that I had to shift wiothout using the clutch, requiing careful rev-matching to get teh car to it's destination).

That makes me feel a bit better ChrisV. Truth be told, I dont really downshift unless necessary. By necessary I mean passing or needing more "pep." I usually pop the car in neutral and brake or coast to a stop.

Mindgame wrote

This is perfect...I've been meaning to ask this question (135 = my first manual car)

For those of you that Rev match...this is only an attempt to rev match precisely correct? I'm assuming you don't know exactly what your RPM's are after downshifting at your current speed....only a rough estimation....?

I personally don't downshift to often (just put it into neutral when rolling up to a stop sign/red light etc)...only downshift with I need to take a corner that requires it...and I ATTEMPT to rev match (sometimes to high/to low)

NYCGarbagePrince wrote

Ugh..

You have already begun modding your 135 and you don't know how to downshift when you come to a stop??

It is something you really need to work on. You are gonna wear out those brakes extremely fast driving in that manner. Even in an auto the car downshifts for you and helps stop the cars momentum. The first manual car I ever drove I put it in neutral and came to a stop for the first week or so till I learned how to effectively downshift.. But this isn't something that you can ignore. It is part of driving a manual transmission.

Not to mention you shouldn't even have to put the car in first when coming to a stop sign. You should be able to downshift into 2nd and then come to a stop and depress the clutch, rev up and continue driving from 2nd gear. The less time you spend in 1st gear the less wear on your car.

Concerning your statement about "attempting" to rev match. The more miles you put on your car the less you will ever need to look down. You should know simply by listening to the exhaust note when to down shift and where your revs are in the range.

A lot of people make comments about drivers and their cars on this site. Some of them are justified, some of them aren't. However, before modding your car you should really know how to drive the car properly/effectively prior to modding it. Otherwise, you are wasting your money and risking your automobile.

DougLikesBMW wrote

No I don't, the pedal configuration in my Jetta doesn't allow for it. The brake pedal is too high in comparison to the accelerator .

On top of that, I don't even know how to. I'm sure I could've figured it out by now if they didn't have a gay pedal set up.

However, I have learned to minimize the jerkiness of downshifting and sometimes it's smooth as butter.



I downshift to slow my car, because that's how I was taught (it is after all the proper way to drive), but how do I combat the argument from my friend (he does the neutral thing) when he says brake pads are less expensive than a clutch?

NYCGarbagePrince wrote

Cause he is wrong. You are not going to need to replace your clutch because you downshift. You are going to need to replace your clutch for downshifting into 2nd from 5th. Not 2nd from 3rd. or 3rd from 4th. Doing burnouts, riding your clutch from gear to gear... resting your foot on the clutch while driving. These are the types of things that cause your clutch to fail. Not downshifting.

My fleet of trucks consist of mostly automatics and about 5 manuals. They all used to be manuals. I learned how to drive a truck on manual transmissions. I only use the clutch to go from neutral to 1st and from neutral to reverse. Otherwise, you hit your RPM target and lift from the gas and shift. It works with every manual transmission. My trucks go almost 100k without clutch replacement and my drivers are downshifting. If they weren't downshifting they would never be able to slow down the trucks with a full load, the brakes would simply overheat and explode.

If you want to combat that argument, ask him why he is driving a car with a clutch if he doesn't want to use it? 4 brake pads installed on a BMW are not cheap... at all.

BForbes wrote

^^Uh oh. You just gave Doug some ammo. We all know how argumentative he is. Just kidding...

BForbes wrote

That makes me feel a bit better ChrisV. Truth be told, I dont really downshift unless necessary. By necessary I mean passing or needing more "pep." I usually pop the car in neutral and brake or coast to a stop.

plasar wrote

Sorry, I can't agree with these points from a previous poster:

* you should downshift/engine brake or you will wear out your brakes. (Brakes are designed to slow the car down and are cheaper than transmission/clutch.)

* you should start off from full stops in 2nd gear. (Ever hear of clutch slip which is synonymous with clutch wear?)

* the less time you spend in 1st gear, the less wear on your car. (I don't know where to start on this one...)


You can find a few links about driving a manual transmission here... read for some good advice...

Driving a Manual Transmission


Oh, and BForbes, it's very important to rev match with your girlfriend - if you don't, you'll find yourself grinding your own gear!

lib wrote

IMO, BForbes needs to loose Mod status until he correctly & consistently rev matches his down-shifts. A Mod that fails to do so is a disgrace to this forum!!!!!!!!