jimbo69ny

Ok before I get flamed for being dumb, maybe you can still do that later, here is my question.

If Im out "playing around" driving my car hard I usually will just shift gears without revving the engine while the clutch is in.

However, I took a friend out for a drive with me the other day, and he says I should rev the engine a little to make it a smoother shift and it is also a little easier on the clutch.
I have always thought that anytime you are giving it gas while the clutch is in that you are kind of wearing on it. ie high rpm launches. He claims that by shifting without revving the engine I am putting more wear on the clutch cuz the clutch is slowing down the motor.
Does this make any sense? I am not a newbie and I thought I had everything down pat. Is this something I should incorporate into my normal driving or is it just

slalom44

Your friend is referring to "rev matching". When downshifting, this does help the wear on the clutch and in my opinion, puts less stress on the transmission. The closer you match the rpm of the engine to that of the transmission, the less wear on the clutch. When upshifting, the engine naturally comes down in RPMs, thus making the transition smooth without blipping the throttle.

Your friend's advice is very good. It takes time to get into the habit of doing it correctly, but it is worth the time. It not only is better for your car, but it gives you a smoother ride.

WestSideBilly

And if you're really good at it, you can bypass using the clutch altogether

mxt_77

The best shift is one where you are "rev-matched". Therefore, the only reason to blip the throttle when up-shifting would be if you shift so slowly that the engine RPMs drop below the RPMs that you will be at (for your new gear & speed) when you release the clutch.
However, if you are downshifting, it can be useful to blip the throttle during the shift, to bring the revs up to the proper RPM. This is especially important if downshifting during cornering. If you are not rev-matched, you may temporarily lock up the rear wheels and lose traction, thus causing a spin (learned this in my first autocross in the S2000).

Edit: Oops... guess I type too slow...

RazorV3

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mxt_77
[B]The best shift is one where you are "rev-matched".

exzeltus

there should be a sticky for "rev-matching"

Incubus

Why, people never check that shit anyway. I do know what you mean though. Everyone has a different opinion on it so I think a sticky could cause some hostility.

stookster

For simply "playing around", I can't see how your friend's technique would have any real-world benefit; not likely to extend clutch or engine life and probably wastes a bit of gas.

When upshifting, the RPMs will be lower in the next gear up, right? So how would blipping the throttle while the clutch is in reduce wear? Your friend's logic doesn't make sense for normal upshifts IMHO.

As for performance driving, it would only take longer to blip the throttle everytime you made a normal upshift, so no real benefit there either.

That said, it is fun every once in a while to blip between upshifts so why not do it once in a while? I like to hear the FC20 rev a little between gears sometimes myself.