just wondering if iam doing the right thing since i read all these stories about ppl losing gearsr by skipping gears. let say iam crusing in 6th gear then i see a red lgiht i start braking and when the rpm is really low i sticll scroll through the gears like i clutch and just hold it down and go 5 4 3 2 then leave it in neutral is it necessary? would it be ok to let it coast in neutral then just put it into frist after the lgiht turns green?

 

Yes. Cycling through the gears with the clutch open does nothing but put un-needed wear on the gear box. If you are going to put it in neutral after second, just do it from fifth. To stop yourself from misshifting, PRACTICE practice practice. Turn the car off, pull the hand brake and practice and learn the possitioning of every gear (this is 1-6) . Another thing to do if you are keeping it in gear, just rev match down. Advice - Always stay in gear! You never know what you will have to speed up for to aviod (this is at like 20 and below).

 

How I do it (not necessarily the right or only good technique)...

Upshifting : never skip a gear, it's not good for the gearbox etc... If I reach the speed I want in 3rd, I will clutch, put it in 4th, clutch, put it in 5th, clutch and put it in 6th (if the revs are above 2000rpm at least of course) very fast.

Downshifting : When coasting in 6th like you say, I will use the engine brake by putting it in 5th, then 4th etc... If you let the car coast in 6th until it reaches 2000rpm, you can put it in neutral without going to 5, 4, 3 etc... imo. I personally never use the brakes for a long time when coasting in a gear. When I have to downshift fast for an acceleration or whatever, I will go from let's say 6th to 3rd without using 5th or 4th. Just pay attention to where your rev's will be if you skip gears downshifting. Thats how mechanical overrevs happen

 

How I do it:

When I know that I'm coming to a full stop, I just stay in 6th until it's time to go into neutral.

When I'm downshifting and have time, I'll go through the gears. I've heard it's better to go 6-5-4 with the clutch in than skipping from 6-4, for example. Of course, this isn't always possible if you need to make a quick change.

Basically, as long as you don't skip gears while upshifting, you should be fine.

 

I upshift without skipping and almost always downshift without skipping (I'll downshift to 2 or 3).

I'll never coast to a stop in 6th gear. Trying to accelerate in 4th, 5th, or 6th at low rpm during an emergency is nearly impossible.

 

i've mis-shifted a few times before, but i do try to cycle the gears as much as possible. Downshifting also puts u in the right gear in case say... u need a quick pedal to the metal lane change or while ur coming to a stop at a redlight, the light turns green.

 

rev match! heel toe! it makes driving more fun and is easier on clutch/diff/gearbox

 

I just yank the ebrake and stall the car....much easier on the drivetrain.

The rule of thumb is, lets say you are on a road like a blvd....speed limit is 50, and there is a red light ahead. 95% of the time, Ill drop it out of 6th in neutral, and coast to a stop. However, that all depends on the conditions. If the car is NOT in gear, you have pretty much no control and are going for a ride. Should a situation arise when you need to hit the gas, that extra second that it takes you to get into gear, can cause an accident. So, the neutral thing is only ok if the situation allows for it....like 3am on blvd. Just my .02

 

By "losing gears" I will assume you mean they are developing a tendency to grind the gears when shifting. The grinding is due to worn synchronizers.

They may be wearing out their synchros by, say for example, redlining 2nd gear, pushing the clutch in, and immediately cramming the shifter into 5th or 6th gear without waiting for the engine RPM to come down and the trans internals to slow down. This would eventually cause grinding when shifting to 5th. It's best to clutch out in neutral for a second or so before choosing 5th. Or you can quickly run through the in-between gears, letting the clutch out for a short time in each gear. At minimum, hold the clutch in for a few seconds and let the engine RPM come back down before selecting 5th.

You can also wear out your synchros on downshifts like, when you are going 25 mph coasting towards a stop sign and you put the car in 1st gear. You feel the transmission resisting, so you apply a little extra "ham" to the lever to get it to slide home. If you're just rolling to a stop, wait until you're almost stopped. If you want to engine brake, select a higher gear instead, and/or learn to double-clutch and rev-match.

It's all about the current speed of the car relative to what gear you are going to, and what RPM the engine is at. If you feel the transmission resisting you then know that you are asking too much of your synchros for a given gear change. Learn to WAIT when you feel the transmission resist. Learn to rev-match and double-clutch if you don't want to wait.

It isn't your job to force the transmission into gear, and being able to "cram" gears really fast does not make you a good driver.

 

so its mainly up shift thats important and not craming it in to first?