f1fan12

I always heel-toe downshift, especially when driving hard and having fun. When done right there's no extra wear on the tranny and the "blip" sounds awesome and its funny to hear your friends say "how are you on the throttle, brake and shifting at the same time?"

RyansRx8

I'm sure everybody downshifts on a daily basis here that has a manual lol

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yes practice makes perfect. I have driven with many people who own manual cars and even they don't drive them correctly. For me it's second nature as all of my cars (many) have been manual tranny cars.

ken-x8

If I know I'm coming to a complete stop (red light or stop sign ahead) I'll usually just brake, and take it out of gear when the revs drop below 1000. But otherwise I downshift as needed to keep it in the proper rpm range. Proper rpm range when speed is varying tends to be somewhat higher than if just cruising at steady speed.

Ken

MICHGoBlue

To be honest, I don't even know when I downshift or coast in neutral.

I do both in various situations, I just never think about it, my left foot and right arm react before my brain does... Especially in morning drives.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

Always downshift.... usually from 6th... 4th... 3rd... 2nd... neutral and by that time I'm stopped. (This is for casual every day driving) Practice makes perfect with the throttle blips so they match perfectly.

otakurx

In NH it's a violation to "coast" because they say you don't have full control over your car. That said if you downshift properly, matching revvs and not jolting the system it is no more wear then any other time you shift. With that in mind, I manage to get 50k out of breaks and 130k on a clutch by simply being smart about how I slow the car down and so on.

Spiritus Sancti

Rev match ... that's what I do all the time. heel-toe ... helps me stop way faster than your average "pressing" the brakes

User24

iTrader: (1)

I completely underestimated the amount of downshifting I do. Once I paid attention to myself, I realized that I rarely go 10 seconds before performing at least 2 downshifts.

4 times out of 10 it was just for fun.

3 times out of 10 it was because I needed to slow down.

2 times out of 10 it was to store up power, in case I needed to unleash the full power, even if it meant possibly setting the streets on fire and going to checkerboard.

1 time out of 10 it was due to passing under a bridge.

renesisking

iTrader: (1)

I guess it depends on the situation, if im comming to a stop sign or light with little to no traffic i'll coast in neutral, if there traffic i'll keep it in gear and let the engine slow me down, but around corners i love to heel toe.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

I downshift when slowing down but not when I'm coming to a stop. I am starting to get intot he habit of double clutch downshifting because I want to use the synchros less often while downshifting. All done with revmatching and praying that my clutch pedal doesn't snap off.

Low Fly'n 8

I rev match downshift all the time and my 04 is a daily driver with 89K + miles on the original clutch. It shows no signs of wearing out (although it's been a long time since I drove an 8 with a new clutch). The front brake pads died at 58K and I replaced the rears at 86K even though they didn't need it.

humanwire

I hear that whole "you need to be in gear when coming to a stop just in case you have to suddenly accelerate out of danger" etc etc all the time. In all of the 11 years I've been driving, I have never ONCE had to suddenly accelerate when coming to a stop light or stop sign. I don't understand wtf you're all talking about.

The only time I will ever downshift when coming to a stop, is when it's at a stoplight and I'm expecting it to change to green by the time I get there. I also do a lot of neutral coasting, but never around turns. That's when I'll downshift into 2nd or 3rd.

Mawnee

I always downshift. Never in nuetral when moving.

eug

iTrader: (2)

Just because you have never had to, doesn't mean that applies to others.

I was coming to a stoplight once, but the delivery truck behind me obviously was expecting me to sail through the yellow light. When he realized I was stopping he slammed his brakes, but there was no way he would have stopped in time without rear-ending me. I was still in 2nd gear and was able to scoot forward into the intersection and avoid being hit by the moron.

Kevo

When you get out on the track don't even think about engine braking...bad news...brakes are for braking engine is to go faster. Best to keep it that way.

bse50

Oh really?
then why do we trail brake? Using the engine brake also makes the car stop faster, hence braking later on the straight before a turn.

Kevo

Trail braking is NOT engine braking. You have no clue what you are talking about.

Remember...it is best to be thought an idiot than to open your mouth and remove ALL doubt.

bse50

Tray trail braking without downshifting first, then we'll see what kind of precision you'll have during the turn with your right pedal.
Engine braking is something really useful, otherwise you would keep your clutch pedal down (or the very same gear just before putting the right one) in instead of downshifting before a turn.
The only counter effect that may slow lap times is the possibility of shift locking, a rare case with our engines' configuration.

Thank you for calling me an idiot, sir.

Kevo

Anytime you let off the accelerator and go to the brakes there will be a fraction of a second where there is a drag on the engine. That is true ALL of the time, but this is NOT a component of trail braking.

Certainly, the higher rev drag on the engine can help with rotation and is a dynamic you need to be aware of...but that is not engine braking as described in this thread...you are still trailing off the BRAKE as you turn in. The brakes are doing the braking...not the engine.

And you sir, are still an idiot.

My apologies to Mesaboogie for jacking this thread. Kevo out.

1.3L

There eventually must be a down-shift. It is unavoidable. The real question is, do you down shift one gear at a time, or granny shift from 4th to 2nd, 3rd to 1st, etc.

Personally, I love down-shifting and do it almost all the time. Usually, I down-shift one gear at a time. If heavy braking at the time, I might down-shift 2 gears or more [4th to 2nd, etc.]

And for what's it worth, I make it a point to see how smooth I can match engine speed with the next gear down, or up. I like to feel nothing when the clutch engages.

-1.3L

Fencig

Rev matching is the key in a downshift. If your car lurches at all you did it wrong. I have over 200K on my DD tranny and that includes (*gasp*) holding it on hills using the clutch but no brakes as a daily event. Learn friction point, throttle control and rev matching and your car will love you...(also on the 2nd set of brake pads in that 200K+...stocks sucked).

bse50

The fact is your ego is probably bigger than your brain. Engine braking doesn't only happen if you don't use your brakes as well, it is an aid indeed in common braking, that's why you have to carefully downshift. In this way you actually reduce your stopping distance...

AJ's Shinka

Downshift always, engine brake on occasion, rev match rarely.

Chronisseur

I would think anyone who downshifts would rev match. It feels natural if done right, rather than the jerking motion you get otherwise. I've tried heel and toe downshifting, but I'm not quite comfortable with it yet, and probably won't need it until I hit a track or autocross event. I'm used to engine braking because my rotors were messed up and I hated using the brakes. I think if I get an exhaust or intake I'll downshift all the time just to hear the crack of the engine.