Whirring noise when downshifting...
 

When downshifting with the clutch pressed, I notice and feel a whirring noise coming from somewhere (but it sounds like from the shifter or tranny). It sounds like when you let off the trigger on a power trill and hear its gears and the motor come slow down to a stop. Is this normal? I hear it mostly when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd or from 2nd to 1st.

assuming you mean the synchros, yes its normal.

normal

Normal, and one of my favorite sounds.....

:)

yup, those are the snychros doing their job, I'm surprised you can hear it, many times you can't on manual cars.

Oh my god yes...
That's my girlfriend's favorite part...well, that and the daily redline :D

Hear that all the time too. Also I do love the sound.

She whistles while she works.

I'm still not sure how to engine brake =/

synchros-

shift to a lower gear :|

Do I rev match too?

of course.

Wait you don't rev match to engine brake do you? I always thought you just shift to the lower gear and slowly let off the clutch.

no rev matching while engine braking, I think (or at least, not much)...

engine braking you do not rev match otherwise you just stay at the same speed u are at you slowly let go of the clutch and the car will slow down as the rpms rise

That's what I've thought....rev matching wouldn't slow the car down, obviously, but slowly letting off the clutch and letting the RPMs find themselves did slow it down. But wouldn't it be bad for the synchros? (just a question, don't necessarily want to start another debate)

i may be wrong, but that's how i've been taught.
i don't see anything wrong with rev matching... why wouldn't you slow down after a rev match? if you're doing 65 in 6th, rev match to 4th and keep off the gas, of course you would slow down.

so you're saying slip the clutch? ehhh, no thanks. i'll pass on that.
i don't understand why you think you would stay at the same speed.

Then why not just let off the gas while you're in 6th?

you could... but that would only create minimal engine braking.
it's not all that useful unless you're traveling downhill a lot anyways.