hi,

is it bad to drop gears when you need to slow down? like if im driving in 3rd gear and then i see that the light is turned red, is it bad to go to 2? i hope i made myself clear

 

Not exactly clear....are you talking about MT or AT?

Brakes are cheaper than transmissions and clutches, so you should use brakes instead. If you are in a 6MT and you want to downshift, you should rev-match so that you don't wear down your clutch as much.

 

AT.. what do you mean by downshift and rev match?

i agree with the comment that brakes are cheaper but im just getting myself prepared for getting a manual car next..

 

i have AT and am curious as well....how do i rev match? i usually only downshift for turns and passing though.

 

You don't. Some auto (SMG) trannys will blip the throttle and rev match, but I'm pretty sure the G35 AT doesn't do that.

 

If you have an AT its fine to do it. Its acually safer to stop by gear droping when the roads arent the best (icey). Not sure if it will burn up your clutch on an AT or not, but i wouldent do it on a manual, seeing how many people are getting there clutches replaced at such low miles.

 

rev matching only applies to MTs. for example, if you are cruising at 60mph and want to pass someone quickly, put in the clutch, downshift to 4th, and hit the gas to get the engine revs up. then release clutch. i suppose if you were using manumatic and downshifted from 6th to 4th, you would obviously need to mash the gas to match revs...but obviously theres no clutch pedal in there to control when the car engages 4th gear.

(just babbling)

 

Just like Jayco said, rev-matching is for MT's only (re-read my first post: If you are in a 6MT and you want to downshift, you should rev-match so that you don't wear down your clutch as much.)

Gonspeed, AT's do not have clutches really. They are fluid couplings so it is not terrible to downshift all the time but it will put more wear and tear on the tranny.

 

The 05's AT have auto rev matching from what Ive read.

I rev match downshifts on my AT Civic all the time. the torque converter has
enough slack that you can blip the throttle and engage a downshift smoothly.
I even heel&toe on my AT civic going through fast turns as if I was on my G35C 6MT.
I know the 03 G35 sedans have enough slack on the TC to enable rev matching....
cause i did it no problem on the loaner cars.

To rev match an AT, you first select the lower gear on the lever, then
blip the throttle. You have to learn the amount of blip for a smooth engagement.
Its actually tougher than on a MT car cause on a MT you can adjust the clutch
engagement rate if you blipped too much, or too little. on the AT's, it's you got
the blip perfect or your car jerks.

To heel & toe through at turn, basically the foot work is the same at MT... brake,
shift lever to the lower gear, blip throttle while the ball of your right foot is still on
the brake.

You can actually have a lot of fun on a AT car. id recommend an AT oil cooler
if you plan on doing lots of downshifts through canyons, etc.

 

I wouldn't recommend downshifting over braking. You don't rev-match when you are coming to a complete stop though huh? When i was test driving the G 6MT at the dealership. The saleslady told me to downshift instead of braking for red lights n such. She said "It puts less strain on the brakes that way and you'll get more out of them by doing that". I hate the feeling of the damn car jerking and giving me whiplash when you downshift and I think its even worse for your clutch and tranny. I wouldn't listen to that BS though...they probably just don't wanna replace my pads under warranty thats all. Brakes are meant to stop with...not the tranny.

 

This 5AT does rev match, and it does it beautifully. The owners manual talks about using the 5AT for engine braking, but I don't do it.

When coming to a stoplight, however, I do downshift just as I would a manual, and the engine/tranny blips and shifts just as any manual would. From outside the car you'd swear it was a manual from the engine note.

It's very cool. Go test drive an AUTO and play with it. Even if you don't like AUTOs you'll get a kick out of it..

 

what do you mean by blip throttle

 

Down shifting (and up for that matter) should not be jerky, ever :-) Try "double-clutching" if you try to down-shift too high, and it won't jerk.

As always, there's a middle point for everything. Down shifting (on a MT) is
much safer and you keep more control of the car, than just jumping on the
breaks. When you donwshift, you use the engine break, and it doesn't heat
up your break pads. Your clutch will last longer than your pads :-)
However, you will still have to break if you need to downshift when the
engine rev is "too high" (everything's relative, depending of your driving
style/skills) for the lower gear.

My $.02 :-)

--Rno

 

When you get good at it; when you and the G are like one; the action & feeling is smooth... When you are driving very hard or competing, racing etc, then you feel the jerk; you can shift a 6MT as smooth as the 5AT shifts itself, once you have mastered this, if that is what you wish.
Also; the 5AT helps to slow you down by downshifting (yes, it does downshift to help the car slow down, just very easily); the car does not depend only on the brakes, so when driving a manual, you need to downshift (doesn't mean you have to do it rough) or your brakes will wear out prematurely. I've been driving manuals, automatics, street bikes, boats & JET Ski's etc. for 26 years years now (legally, more before those legal ones) and make no mistake about it, you need to downshift any manual car somewhat. Try turning that music down, feel & listen to the machine your driving sometimes and you will get very good at it; it's a natural thing and this car does it so very well. I'm happy to not drive the fastest car on the road, but even happier to know I am driving one of the best overall performing machines and one of the most beautifull cars ever built.

htb

 

tap the gas pedal to rev match