Is it okay to down shift alot?
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do some web searches and you can find how to rev match for downshifts. Basically, you push in the clutch, move shifter to lower gear while blipping the throttle to rev to engine speed that it would be in in that lower gear, and ease out the clutch.
Heel-toeing is the next step, so you can brake into a turn, rev-match and shift, all in a smooth quick motion. I'm still practicing.
Heel-toeing is the next step, so you can brake into a turn, rev-match and shift, all in a smooth quick motion. I'm still practicing.
#5
Originally Posted by g35sammy
is it bad just to downshift??? i don't know how to rev match yet
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escobar929 is exacly right. rev matching is the process of matching the engine speed to the road speed for the gear you are shifting into. on the upshift, this happens naturally as the engine spools down between shifts, but on the downshift, the engine generally has to speed up to match the road speed of the lower gear.
I read a technique somewhere that really helped me when I started doing it.
While cruising along the interstate, practice downshifting and rev matching between 6th and 5th: Clutch, shift from 6th to 5th, blip the gas pedal to bring the RPMs up about 750-1k, de-clutch. You know you've perfected it when you can do it repeatedly without a change in velocity, and without making your passenger's heads bob. The only telltale sign should be the change in the engine noise. That is to say, if your passenger was deaf, and looking out the window, they wouldn't even know you did it.
Once you perfect 6 to 5, try 6 to 5 to 4. The 5 to 4 at 65mph requires a significant throttle blip, but during agressive driving and downshifting, you will need to perform these kinds of downshifts.
Once you have perfected 6 to 5 and 6 to 5 to 4, start using it in traffic as you slow down. Set it up so that you can slow down from engine braking alone. A good downshift means you are able to quickly and smoothly let the clutch out, and neither the car, nor your head lurches forward (except slightly, as it would if you were lightly braking).
Once you have rev matching perfected, you can move on to heel toe braking. This is rev matching, downshifting, and braking all at once. While braking with your right foot, clutch, shift, then blip the throttle with the edge of your foot (I don't know why they call it heel-toe...i've never been able to use either on any car...I always use the edges of my feet and roll my knee to accomplish it...maybe on old race cars the pedals were different), then let the clutch out. I recommend practicing this one when no other cars are around in case you don't brake hard enough, or you brake too quickly. Once you've perfected straight line heel-toe braking, you can move on to heel-toe braking in the corners. I started heel-toe shifting by learning to carefully modulate the brakes with just the left edge of my foot, instead of the ball, then I added the whole gas pedal bit.
I had the techniques nailed in my WRX, but the pedal placement along with my shoe size is causing me problems in the G. YMMV.
I read a technique somewhere that really helped me when I started doing it.
While cruising along the interstate, practice downshifting and rev matching between 6th and 5th: Clutch, shift from 6th to 5th, blip the gas pedal to bring the RPMs up about 750-1k, de-clutch. You know you've perfected it when you can do it repeatedly without a change in velocity, and without making your passenger's heads bob. The only telltale sign should be the change in the engine noise. That is to say, if your passenger was deaf, and looking out the window, they wouldn't even know you did it.
Once you perfect 6 to 5, try 6 to 5 to 4. The 5 to 4 at 65mph requires a significant throttle blip, but during agressive driving and downshifting, you will need to perform these kinds of downshifts.
Once you have perfected 6 to 5 and 6 to 5 to 4, start using it in traffic as you slow down. Set it up so that you can slow down from engine braking alone. A good downshift means you are able to quickly and smoothly let the clutch out, and neither the car, nor your head lurches forward (except slightly, as it would if you were lightly braking).
Once you have rev matching perfected, you can move on to heel toe braking. This is rev matching, downshifting, and braking all at once. While braking with your right foot, clutch, shift, then blip the throttle with the edge of your foot (I don't know why they call it heel-toe...i've never been able to use either on any car...I always use the edges of my feet and roll my knee to accomplish it...maybe on old race cars the pedals were different), then let the clutch out. I recommend practicing this one when no other cars are around in case you don't brake hard enough, or you brake too quickly. Once you've perfected straight line heel-toe braking, you can move on to heel-toe braking in the corners. I started heel-toe shifting by learning to carefully modulate the brakes with just the left edge of my foot, instead of the ball, then I added the whole gas pedal bit.
I had the techniques nailed in my WRX, but the pedal placement along with my shoe size is causing me problems in the G. YMMV.
#14
Originally Posted by mrmcderm
The pedal setup in the g is not really heel-toe friendly. I used to be butter smooth on the wrx, now I struggle. I need to nail it down before the next track day.
I had a wrx too. That car had one of the best traditional pedal
setups for heel and toe.
I just use the cheater style heel&toe on the G35C. Ball of right foot on
the brake, pinky on the gas. I started doing that on a Protege5 long
time ago cause the brake pedal was so damn high vs gas. Worked
great. Then my Cooper-S has the organ pedal type so that car requires
me to do this cheater style too. It's especially good on the streets cause
you don't use so much brake pressure all the time.