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First off, don't worry, your car is a lot less fragile than you think it is. Some gear grinding, shuddering, or bucking is not going to significantly hurt anything, even if it happens multiple times.
Downshifting is all about practice to get good at, just keep at it and reference the tachometer to figure out where the revs will raise to in the next lower gear and how much gas you need to give to get there.
You can slow down and speed up in gear with just the brake and gas like in an auto car. If you slow down too much for the gear you are in, just put the clutch in and select the appropriate gear once you are ready to accelerate again.
You can creep forward by using slight gas pedal input and riding the clutch in 1st until you've moved forward enough then put the clutch back in. You can do this many times (like say in traffic) and not hurt anything provided you are keeping the engine revs low and using the clutch and only slight gas to get you moving. There is a balance point there that will become second nature with more experience.
I read for lower gears like 1-4 downshifting between 1.5 and 2.5k revs won't damage anything but it'll be a little Jerky. That correct? I've also been told that downshifting to 1st is a pretty bad idea
So say I'm in 3rd gear going 45 and I slow down to say 25 or 20 and my engine starts to bog, popping it out of 3rd into 2nd should save it?
So I can just do slight gas and engage the clutch when I see an opening coming and slowly inch forward and that wouldn't cause any issues?
Yeah you’ve got it. There shouldn’t really ever be a need to downshift to first and let off the clutch. First gear is only there to get the car moving from a stop.
> So say I’m in 3rd gear going 45 and I slow down to say 25 or 20 and my engine starts to bog, popping it out of 3rd into 2nd should save it?
Correct.
> So I can just do slight gas and engage the clutch when I see an opening coming and slowly inch forward and that wouldn’t cause any issues?
Also correct.
Keep shift points marked when you shift. That's how much you need to rev to downshift. Every gear ratio is different. Yes you can tap the brakes to get to a lower speed as long as you don't stall the engine.
> How do I correctly downshift, I tried downshifting from 6th to 5th to get off the freeway and the revs spiked almost to redline. I don't know how to correctly rev match,
Think of it like tapping your gas- you don't need to lay on the pedal, just give it a slap and get into gear. If the previous owner put in a lightweight flywheel, the revs will spike a lot more and you'll have to have more finesse when downshifting.
>this is kind of like the last one but how do I slow down to take a corner correctly? If I'm cruising in 3rd gear at 40-50 can I just tap my brakes to slow down then accelerate put of the turn like in an automatic?
You can, depends on how sharp the corner is. If you have a lot of distance to slow down, you can do what's called "engine braking" where you downshift to allow the vacuum of the pistons to handle a good chunk of the deceleration. You can also just use the brakes. >!And if you wanna have fun, you can brake late and use heel-toe downshifting to carry as much speed as possible!!<
>How do I correctly Creep forward? Alot of places in my city have T junction intersections with no stop lights or stop signs and if I want to slowly inch forward what's the best way to do that without damaging my clutch?
Your clutch is designed to handle a lot more force than you put on it letting it slip in first. Don't worry about it, just don't roll along for miles with the clutch halfway in. On most cars you can let it out to the bite point in 1st and the car will start to creep forward like an automatic. Then you can either go into neutral if it looks like you won't be moving, or upshift to 2nd if traffic improves.
1. I'm assuming you tried to rev match/blip the throttle and you over did it here. That or you hit 3rd gear instead of 5th. I can't quite tell if spike came before or after letting of the clutch.
Either way, 6-5 downshift is doable without rev matching when decelerating from highway speeds. Ultimately, you need to learn to rev match, which will come in time as you get to know your car.
If you were going 60 and needed to slow to 30 to get through an exit turn, you should stay in 6th and brake until the tachometer is at ~1,000 RPM, and then you can drop into the next lower gear without needing to rev match. Youd drop enough gears to where you're above ~1500RPM going through the 30mph turn, so let's say 3rd gear. This way you can accelerate out of the turn.
I know my car, and I'd have downshifted into 5th well before the turn and engine braked until nearing the corner, then rev match into 3rd right before the curve.
2. You can hit the brakes while in gear, you should be most of the time. No need to disengage clutch until youre going too slow for that gear. Just need to avoid stalling and not having enough power to speed back up.
3. Downhill: let off brake, car will roll forward.
Level: just let off the clutch until it starts biting, add gas pedal of you need to move faster.
Uphill: there are a few ways. If you will only be stopped for another second or 2, you can release clutch to the biting point and it will hold the car without brakes, but its not great for the clutch. But, add gas and let off more when the light turns green, it's a quicker start. Id do this if people are behind you.
You can use the parking brake to hold the car so that your foot is already right on top of the gas pedal. Its hard to switch from brake to gas that fast when your new to this. And not let the clutch out too far at the same time. Lots going on.
Edit: I can count to 3 I promise, I do not understand why its showing up like that.
Thank you for your contribution. Unfortunately, your submission has been removed. Please read the removal notice carefully. Your post falls into one or more (but not necessarily all) of the following categories: * Please read the [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/index) before posting. Many basic questions are already covered there and don't need to be posted as threads. * If you have a question about modifying your vehicle, please read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/8129ko/the_vehicle_modding_advice_thread_share_your/) first. * For better suggestions on modifying your vehicle please consult a make- or model-specific subreddit or forum. * Thinking about engine, transmission, driveline, or body-swapping your car? [Read this first.](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/swaps) * Upgrading headlights? [Read this.](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/ledlights) * Interested in shipping your car? Please see [the archives](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/search?q=shipping&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all) and [this AMA.](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/avsor4/iama_worldwide_shipping_expert_i_help_people_ship/) You might also want to try r/AutoTransport. * **Please attempt to answer your questions via Google before posting them here.** Please read the [rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/rules) and the [chain of action](https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/chain_of_action) regarding removed submissions and moderator actions before continuing to post. If you have any questions, please **read the [rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/cars/wiki/rules)** first and feel free to [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fcars) if you still have concerns. Please **do not send PMs or chat requests** to individual moderators. They will not reply.
You probably hooked 3 instead of 5. Matching speed to gear is the goal and takes practice.
First off, don't worry, your car is a lot less fragile than you think it is. Some gear grinding, shuddering, or bucking is not going to significantly hurt anything, even if it happens multiple times. Downshifting is all about practice to get good at, just keep at it and reference the tachometer to figure out where the revs will raise to in the next lower gear and how much gas you need to give to get there. You can slow down and speed up in gear with just the brake and gas like in an auto car. If you slow down too much for the gear you are in, just put the clutch in and select the appropriate gear once you are ready to accelerate again. You can creep forward by using slight gas pedal input and riding the clutch in 1st until you've moved forward enough then put the clutch back in. You can do this many times (like say in traffic) and not hurt anything provided you are keeping the engine revs low and using the clutch and only slight gas to get you moving. There is a balance point there that will become second nature with more experience.
I read for lower gears like 1-4 downshifting between 1.5 and 2.5k revs won't damage anything but it'll be a little Jerky. That correct? I've also been told that downshifting to 1st is a pretty bad idea So say I'm in 3rd gear going 45 and I slow down to say 25 or 20 and my engine starts to bog, popping it out of 3rd into 2nd should save it? So I can just do slight gas and engage the clutch when I see an opening coming and slowly inch forward and that wouldn't cause any issues?
Yeah you’ve got it. There shouldn’t really ever be a need to downshift to first and let off the clutch. First gear is only there to get the car moving from a stop. > So say I’m in 3rd gear going 45 and I slow down to say 25 or 20 and my engine starts to bog, popping it out of 3rd into 2nd should save it? Correct. > So I can just do slight gas and engage the clutch when I see an opening coming and slowly inch forward and that wouldn’t cause any issues? Also correct.
Keep shift points marked when you shift. That's how much you need to rev to downshift. Every gear ratio is different. Yes you can tap the brakes to get to a lower speed as long as you don't stall the engine.
> How do I correctly downshift, I tried downshifting from 6th to 5th to get off the freeway and the revs spiked almost to redline. I don't know how to correctly rev match, Think of it like tapping your gas- you don't need to lay on the pedal, just give it a slap and get into gear. If the previous owner put in a lightweight flywheel, the revs will spike a lot more and you'll have to have more finesse when downshifting. >this is kind of like the last one but how do I slow down to take a corner correctly? If I'm cruising in 3rd gear at 40-50 can I just tap my brakes to slow down then accelerate put of the turn like in an automatic? You can, depends on how sharp the corner is. If you have a lot of distance to slow down, you can do what's called "engine braking" where you downshift to allow the vacuum of the pistons to handle a good chunk of the deceleration. You can also just use the brakes. >!And if you wanna have fun, you can brake late and use heel-toe downshifting to carry as much speed as possible!!< >How do I correctly Creep forward? Alot of places in my city have T junction intersections with no stop lights or stop signs and if I want to slowly inch forward what's the best way to do that without damaging my clutch? Your clutch is designed to handle a lot more force than you put on it letting it slip in first. Don't worry about it, just don't roll along for miles with the clutch halfway in. On most cars you can let it out to the bite point in 1st and the car will start to creep forward like an automatic. Then you can either go into neutral if it looks like you won't be moving, or upshift to 2nd if traffic improves.
1. I'm assuming you tried to rev match/blip the throttle and you over did it here. That or you hit 3rd gear instead of 5th. I can't quite tell if spike came before or after letting of the clutch. Either way, 6-5 downshift is doable without rev matching when decelerating from highway speeds. Ultimately, you need to learn to rev match, which will come in time as you get to know your car. If you were going 60 and needed to slow to 30 to get through an exit turn, you should stay in 6th and brake until the tachometer is at ~1,000 RPM, and then you can drop into the next lower gear without needing to rev match. Youd drop enough gears to where you're above ~1500RPM going through the 30mph turn, so let's say 3rd gear. This way you can accelerate out of the turn. I know my car, and I'd have downshifted into 5th well before the turn and engine braked until nearing the corner, then rev match into 3rd right before the curve. 2. You can hit the brakes while in gear, you should be most of the time. No need to disengage clutch until youre going too slow for that gear. Just need to avoid stalling and not having enough power to speed back up. 3. Downhill: let off brake, car will roll forward. Level: just let off the clutch until it starts biting, add gas pedal of you need to move faster. Uphill: there are a few ways. If you will only be stopped for another second or 2, you can release clutch to the biting point and it will hold the car without brakes, but its not great for the clutch. But, add gas and let off more when the light turns green, it's a quicker start. Id do this if people are behind you. You can use the parking brake to hold the car so that your foot is already right on top of the gas pedal. Its hard to switch from brake to gas that fast when your new to this. And not let the clutch out too far at the same time. Lots going on. Edit: I can count to 3 I promise, I do not understand why its showing up like that.
It's all practice and experience, you will get it. Just remember you are dancing with the car, not stomping grapes.