How do you downshift?

[WardenRoss]

Dad taught me to do everything you could to "save" the clutch and transmission to prolong the life of these expensive wear systems.

Shifting up and down at the right rpm to make everything smooth. The clutch was either engaged or disengaged quickly to keep it from staying on its friction point too long. Of course this was farm trucks and equipment but the principals applied to cars too.

Now...take my wife...She always preferred stick shifts. She drives like Mario Gabriele Andretti. She wears high heels and commuted in heavy traffic for nearly 40 years.

She always broke every rule my Dad taught me. Start the car, immediately reverse down the driveway at full throttle, throwing the car into first and use the clutch and throttle to stop the car. Then full throttle forward for 30 miles in heavy traffic to work.

Her worst habit was that she would throw the stick into 1st gear AT FIFTY MPH as she was flying towards the stop sign. It would make me cringe!

I completely failed in my attempt to explain to her that she was "destroying the clutch and transmission!" She could care less!

Long story short...Her last car, Honda Accord 5 speed, she commuted in for 16 years. We sold it with 230,000 trouble free miles on it. Original clutch and transmission.

Go figure!

 

[smithra_66]

My Dad taught me to drive in a stick shift 1973 3/4 ton 4x4 single-cab Chevy pickup. I’ve since then owned a number of manual transmission vehicles, mostly trucks and Jeeps, but also a 1989 Fox body 5.0 Mustang. My daily driver now is a manual transmission Explorer.

My two boys learned on a stick shift and drive manual transmissions. (My pink-haired leftist daughter hates to drive anything, but I love her dearly anyway.).

Recently I was driving my son’s 5.0 Mustang and he was visibly uncomfortable with my downshifting.

So here’s the question: Long straight level road, you’re in top gear, you need to stop 1/4 mile ahead, other traffic isn’t a factor. Do you go down through all the gears, using the engine to slow you, do you put in the clutch and hold it in, do you put it in neutral and let the clutch out, or is there some other way?

I downshift through the gears, but I’m willing to change my ways. The boys put in the clutch and “rev match” if they don’t need to come to a complete stop.

100% of my minimal car knowledge comes from listening to “Car Talk”. They advise putting the car in neutral and slowing down on the premise of you’re either gonna wear out the brakes or the clutch, and brakes are cheaper.

What do you do?

I blip the throttle to rev match and put it straight into the gear I need. I go from 5 to 3 all the time and very easily as long as I get the RPMs to the proper place.

There's no reason at all to row through all the gears. That's the beauty of a manual transmission!

 

[F4phantom]

Her worst habit was that she would throw the stick into 1st gear AT FIFTY MPH as she was flying towards the stop sign. It would make me cringe!
Go figure!

I learned how to drive a manual shift car when I was 15. It was my BIL's old surplus Jeep with a armor plated front fender. It had a dent in it that could not be pounded out with a sledge hammer. My sister showed me the **** pattern and ow the clutch worked. From there it was off to the races. Whenever they came over to the house with the Jeep, I always asked if I could take it around the block. The trip was about a mile. It was then that I learned that you could not go from second to first gear going 30 mph. I did learn how to slow down the correct way.

What was really fun was hitting the soft sand in VN and going into four wheel drive at 30 mph. You neve wanted to get stuck in the sand. The penalty was to great. Oh the fun we had.

Best clutch was my '83 Mazda RX7. That;s when I learned how to use the emergency brake on a steep hill to help save the clutch. Ah to be 37 again.

 

[yeti]

Clutch in, neutral and coast/apply brakes steadily to the stop, most often.

If more aggression is called for, I would downshift once - using either 4th or 3rd with a matching rpm (you know your car) and let the engine assist a bit until clutch in and brake firmly to stop.

 

[Retired W4]

Modern manual transmissions, at least back to the mid 60s, have synchro gears. In my 69 ten bolt top loader 4 speed they are made of bronze. No need to double clutch at any speed. The bronze synchro gears do wear out, usually third gear, which in the most commonly used for down shifting on a 4 speed. I could slip it from 4th to 1st if I want to, no problem. Just watch your RPM if you do. Older non-synchronized transmissions are a different story.

 

[GypsmJim]

I would downshift to slow down. It’s the way my dad taught me, and with my last truck the clutch was cheaper to replace than the brakes. I think on my truck I made it around 150,000 miles before I put a new clutch in it. It wasn’t bad but the slave cylinder was. So I went ahead and replaced it.

My list of cars owned has included many more with std trannies than those with autos. I have never had to replace a clutch. The longevity of my brakes is better than average. The only time I ever downshifted to slow down was on a steep hill, or when pulling a trailer.

 

[saemetric]

I never put any tranny in neutral and coasted to a stop. You never know if you’ll quickly need power to the wheels for an emergency maneuver.

 

[rubiranch]

On my "throaty" muscle cars I would down shift just to hear them talk back.

On my imported economy models I would pop it into neutral and let the brakes brake.

Me too.




This is the only vehicle I own with a manual transmission.
Like Rusty, I just slip it into neutral and coast with a little braking to stop.

I have four daughters, they all love to drive manual trans vehicles. Three of them currently own one.

 

[bigwheelzip]

With all the hills around here, if you're in neutral, you might just start accelerating. Downshifting or brake riding is the only way your not going to go too fast.
Had my brakes fade to useless once. Never gonna happen again as long as I've got a lower gear to use.


Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[LoadedRound]

You guys are making me feel lazy.

I would just coast / engine brake in whatever gear I'm in, using brake as necessary.
Use clutch as needed as not to kill engine when stopping or to downshift to accelerate if not stopping.
Pretty much the same whether farm truck / economy car / muscle car or sports car.

Never replaced a clutch or transmission?

 

[GT_80]

My dad had a muncie 4 speed in a 71 C10, and he always downshifted 4 to 2, then into one.

I have had several S10's with 5 speeds, and every one I downshifted every gear to second, then popped it into neutral. I only went 4 to 2 if I needed to slow down a lot faster.

I rarely rev match except when I want to sound cool, or the one time my clutch line blew, and I had to shift without a clutch... That sucked in a modern hydraulic clutch vehicle.

Maybe I just love rowing the gears... But i always use motor to slow down

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Down through the gears, one by one, so I'm always in a gear I can drive in. Easier on brakes. Can't have been too hard on the clutch; donated my 1988 Toyota Camry when it reached 357 or 358 thousand miles, can't remember which, because of rust. Original clutch plate.

 

[duane_wade]

The only vehicle i have left that has a manual transmission is my 89 Goldwing and I drive it just like I did my cars and trucks. The clutch is only used for stopping and starting everything in between was learned by feel and sound. Never lost a tranny or clutch in my 55+ years of driving.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[brucev]

Re: Op. Downshift? Nope. No reason when just doing routine daily driving. On a race course, it might be different. Haven't seen any race courses that go from the driveway to the grocery store, etc. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[WuzzFuzz]

Everyone has their ways of driving...Me??????

I drive as if "I" have to buy the parts for repair!!!!!!!!

I don't have a pit crew or sponsor anymore to help me.

WuzzFuzz

Now if it's a rental.......Drive it like you stole it!!!!!!!!

 

[crstrode]

The first vehicle I drove was a 1948 International 2-1/2-ton dump truck.

It had a manual non-synchro transmission with a 2-speed rear axle. Shifting up, or down without double-clutching was close to impossible. If dad heard the gears grind, he'd invite me to do some extra chores.

Brakes were crummy (even when in top shape with new shoes) and mostly used when fully stopped for a moment or so with the motor running.

The term "standing on the brakes" was not merely a figure of speech - especially for a 90-pound 5th grade kid like me . . .

 

[hsguy]

I owned quite a few manual transmission cars but my real education came when I joined the fire service. We had an International Harvester fire engine, a brand mentioned above. If you missed a shift either going up or down best advice was to stop and just start over! Another consideration is that you will probably have to downshift while climbing a steep hill so best to be practiced at it. Also, if you have to downshift on an icy road if not done properly you may be in the ditch waiting on a tow truck in short order.

I was in Ireland in 2019 and rented a 5 speed manual transmission diesel auto, apparently my Scottish frugality is accepted there. After a couple of days my daughter wanted to drive so she gave it a go, she was probably tired of me scaring her. She did a great job despite her limited experience with a manual transmixer even on the "wrong" side of the road. She was not keen on driving the narrow rural roads though when an oncoming dreadnought lorry or bus would force us into the hedgerows. If you rent a car in Ireland inspect if carefully for "brush burn" as they call it there, a decided absence of paint on the left side of the vehicle. We were in New Zealand the year before and she volunteered to do some driving there also. I was quite content to sit in back and enjoy the scenery and take a bit of a snooze occasionally, it seemed to bother her and her spouse if I enjoyed an occasional nod off while driving.

Put me in mind of the old story; I hope to pass away quietly in my sleep like my Grandfather, unlike the others screaming and yelling in the car he was driving at the time.

 

[mtgianni]

I back off the throttle and down shift when the tack starts to drop below 800 RPM.

 

[Skeet 028]

Started with a 49 Studebaker and they only had sticks. I did learn downshifting and other than a 60 Chebbie all had sticks till the mid 80s. Had a 69 Z-28 and it was probably the best twisty road car ever..even better than all the vettes GTOs Chevelles etc etc. Loved to get that thing on a really curvy road. Upshift downshift and it was great fun. Never blew an engine tranny clutch. Sister scratched a gear in a Comet cyclone powershifting..messed up a synchronizer. Not a big engine but a pretty fast go-er. I did blow a rear on a MGTD I fixed up with a 289 Hi Perf Ford engine. It was a great straight road car Coming to a stop with those big block cars ...slow down shift to 2nd at lower speed snick it into first and ready to go. Had a 64 Impala SS with 2-4s 409. It really needed some downshiting help from speed. That was before disc brakes ya know

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Coast, engine brake and then brake/clutch at the end. Miss my red 1984 Hunda Prelude.