downshifting?
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Joined: Oct 2002
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From: VA is for hustlaz
it surprises me how many people who drive cars with a stick(not only the s2000) don't know how to properly downshift. sure you don't need to rev match(since modern cars have syncrhos to match engine and tranny speeds), but if you don't, it will be very jerky and not smooth at all. what is happening here is that the engine has to play catchup and match the speed of the transmision. this is why the car feels like it jumps forward.
you need to revmatch(blip the throttle to match engine and tranny speed) before you let go of the clutch if you do it right, the downshift will be very smooth and not noticable at all. people will complement you and tell you how it feels like you're driving an automatic. also the bad thing about NOT revmatching is that if you suddenly just pop off the clutch wihtout blipping the throttle, the rear wheels can lock up or start spinning and will make you lose control(especially in a turn). you will also prevent extra wear and tear on the clutch disk and other drivetrain components. less stress and shock = longer lifetime of parts.
some people will think that downshifting to slow down is overkill but if done properly, there will be no noticable extra wear and tear on the clutch. also there is a safety aspect to this. if you just leave it in neutral while coasting to a stop and some fool decides to cut you off(and slamming on the breaks is a bad idea since someone is on your tail). by the time you think of the correct to gear to select and execute the shift, it will be too late. i personally will not put in neutral until the car is travelling <5mph.
you need to revmatch(blip the throttle to match engine and tranny speed) before you let go of the clutch if you do it right, the downshift will be very smooth and not noticable at all. people will complement you and tell you how it feels like you're driving an automatic. also the bad thing about NOT revmatching is that if you suddenly just pop off the clutch wihtout blipping the throttle, the rear wheels can lock up or start spinning and will make you lose control(especially in a turn). you will also prevent extra wear and tear on the clutch disk and other drivetrain components. less stress and shock = longer lifetime of parts.
some people will think that downshifting to slow down is overkill but if done properly, there will be no noticable extra wear and tear on the clutch. also there is a safety aspect to this. if you just leave it in neutral while coasting to a stop and some fool decides to cut you off(and slamming on the breaks is a bad idea since someone is on your tail). by the time you think of the correct to gear to select and execute the shift, it will be too late. i personally will not put in neutral until the car is travelling <5mph.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 37,305
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Originally posted by Hate Me!
When I feel that I'll come to a complete stop I just shift into neutral (may even save me a bit of gas money
)
When I feel that I'll come to a complete stop I just shift into neutral (may even save me a bit of gas money
)
This issue has been discussed ad nauseum, so I'm not going into it too much. Suffice it to say that I rev-match downshifted an old VW and in 10 years and 100,000 miles, I changed the clutch once and the brakes 3 times. If you don't know how to drive, it'll be the other way around.
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Gainesville
Originally posted by Tedow
This is the way to go. Shifting to neutral right when you start braking is not smart, since you are not taking advantage of engine braking and you're using more fuel to keep the engine idling. And as has already been mentioned, you have no acceleration available should you need it in an emergency. Downshifting will save your brakes even more, at the potential cost of more clutch wear. Just leave the car in gear until the revs get real low, then put it in neutral.
This is the way to go. Shifting to neutral right when you start braking is not smart, since you are not taking advantage of engine braking and you're using more fuel to keep the engine idling. And as has already been mentioned, you have no acceleration available should you need it in an emergency. Downshifting will save your brakes even more, at the potential cost of more clutch wear. Just leave the car in gear until the revs get real low, then put it in neutral.
