chrisjakcj

Im still learning how to drive my 1990 240 5spd and some people have been telling me when you hit a corner, shift to a lower gear like 2nd. Is this nessesary or will it just mess up my transmission.
And when im about to stop instead of going on neutral right away should you shift down to lower gears or what needs to be done.

Can anyone tell me if this is a good method, please share any info or give me some advice. thanks

Future240

I'm feeling generous so I will answer this without flaming.
I presume you are just speaking on normal DDing. Downshifting into a corner isn't necessary unless it is a curve tha dictates a drop in speed enough to warrant a downshift. Lower gears for lower mph. Example: If you are doing 45 in 4th and the curve has a posted limit of 10mph and is wicked sharp yes slow down and downshift.

When stopping at a stop sign it is fine to pop it straight to neutral. No need to go through all the gears.

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S14DB

Down shifting into a corner or coming to a stop is not necessary when driving on the streets. Just push the clutch in and use the brake. The only time I would down shift on the street is braking in a clutch or long descents(mountain pass) to not cook the brakes.

Brakes are a lot cheaper than Clutches and Transmissions.

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lflkajfj12123

^ close thread

JB Wood

downshifting while attempting to stop takes stress off of your brakes, in turn making them last longer (if you do it correctly). you need to rev match so when you do downshift the rpm change isnt dramatic. if the car jerks violently you did it wrong. i wouldnt rely on engine braking alone to stop the car, but certain situations will require you to stop faster, and we all no slammin on an S13 brake pedal puts you into a death slide.

as far as cornering goes, you need to accelerate through the turn, and downshifting enables you to do so. if you have a limited slip differential downshifting can give you (depending if youre a drift/grip driver) much better traction, or it can be used as a technique to break traction and initiate your drifting sequence.

im not a fan of the e-brake unless you need sick angle really fast to avoid dying. so yes, downshifting is good.

S14DB

This is the street we are talking about here...

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JB Wood

i assumed these people that are telling him to downshift when they "hit a corner" were talking about cornering. either way he clearly stated he is a n00b and knowledge is power.

FaLKoN240

Please learn something about racing before "downshifting" into ANY corner.

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mkezzo16

someone asking this question must be new to a manual transmission...suggest you dont do any type of racing or sport drivin anytime soon

Future240

I thought OP was simply misplacing his words and was talking about rounding a sharp curve while driving and going into a lower gear vs having the engine do the lower rpm high gear shudder. I know nothing about race cornering.

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ixfxi

your 18. its going to take some years of thinking before you learn the proper answers to this question. you're basically asking us questions about proper car control and etiquette.

the best simple answer i can give you, is to shift the transmission as you feel necessary given the situation.

example #1:

say you're with a hot chick that you've been wanting to bang. you just pick her up, you're driving out on a hot date and you are both hungry so you've got dinner plans. there is a cop behind you. pay him no mind, drive normal. when you approach the turn or intersection, you push the clutch, go into neutral and brake. dont be a fancy show-off rev-matching, heel-toeing and down-shifting when you're just going to get a bite to eat. pussy is more important, so are avoiding (exhaust) tickets (we assume you, like all of us, have an exhaust... its mandatory if you want to be cool).


example #2:

say you're on your favorite canyon road... you're having fun hitting some corners. you're doing 60 in 3rd and all of a sudden you see a sharper turn where you need to slow down to about 30-40, you rev-match and down-shift into 2nd (heel-toe optional, assuming you've got the skills and/or balls). now that you've masterfully shifted into 2nd, the car has slowed down to the proper speed and yet you've managed to keep the rpms of the motor matched so that the car does not bog or buck. proceed to push the gas towards the exit of the turn and mash out. continue enjoying your spirited drive and move on.


cliff notes:

lets say all of the above is too much for you to understand. you print this post out and show it to your father. you explain to him that older cars are antiquated, from their lack of 24 air-bags, lack of gps, lack of oil-change-warning screen, lack of tire pressure monitoring system, lack of air and heated seats, etc etc........ this is where you mention that you want to sell your <s13> <s14> <z32> <whatever> and tell him you'de like him to purchase you a <z34> ie... 370z which comes stock with S-MODE (tm) technology, that auto rev-matches your downshifts so that you dont have to rev-match/heel-toe, etc.. basically, just tell your dad that you're a big fucking pussy and that all of the above is too difficult and too challenging to learn. you simply dont have the time to practice stuff like this, especially since you're in med school. he will continue to say "you know son, you're right.. all these gimmicks are worth it and i think it would be a great idea to purchase you a new car, afterall.. i really dont care to be having this conversation with you and would prefer to spend less time with you and more with time sniffing coke from the snatch of my dirty mistress, so i will buy you this new car" congratulations, you've just scored a 370z which you can either keep or make a quick sale to purchase your first few kilos of coke. now you've entered the drug cartel business and whats best, you've got your dad a SURE client assuming you dont cut that shit with ajax or baking soda and try to sell him cheap shit. keep it pure and dont get high off your own supply, you'll be ok. soon enough you can flip that profit into buying a real sportscar like a Ferrari F40.

however, if i was your dad... i would bitch slap you and proceed to take you for a ride and show you how to properly shift.

l2edken

QFT msglength

fliprayzin240sx

Just watch Initial D...you'll learn everything you need to know from Takumi.

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brndck

Mike for president of the internets.

To the op, you don't sound
Like you have a comprehensive understanding of the workings of an automobile with a manual transmission, so I will suggest this:
Go attend an autocross.
Practice there.
Until then, please do not attempt downshifting while entering any corners.

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Quail

Kind of on topic, but with US driving lessons, is there no option to learn manual from the get go? Everyone learns manual as a matter of course over here. My driving instructor taught me to rev match downshift well before I had my license. The amount of "should I downshift when slowing down", and then the plethora of wrong responses I've seen on forums (not this particular forum) is worrying!

Honda-Tech idiot #1: "My friend said I should downshift when slowing down. Should I?"

Honda-Tech idiot #2: "Don't downshift bro. Brakes are cheaper to replace than gearboxes."

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Future240

No manual requirements here. If you test in a manual you must be able to shift it properly, that's about it.

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Nick_04K

HAHAHAHAHAH!!! IXFXI's post just turned my mood right around.
I second your nomination for Mike as internet president.

Encore

wow op just had a simple question that was pretty much answered in 2nd and 3rd post. give him a break haha

blitz_86

THIS WAS AMAZING!!

lets say all of the above is too much for you to understand. you print this post out and show it to your father. you explain to him that older cars are antiquated, from their lack of 24 air-bags, lack of gps, lack of oil-change-warning screen, lack of tire pressure monitoring system, lack of air and heated seats, etc etc........ this is where you mention that you want to sell your <s13> <s14> <z32> <whatever> and tell him you'de like him to purchase you a <z34> ie... 370z which comes stock with S-MODE (tm) technology, that auto rev-matches your downshifts so that you dont have to rev-match/heel-toe, etc.. basically, just tell your dad that you're a big fucking pussy and that all of the above is too difficult and too challenging to learn. you simply dont have the time to practice stuff like this, especially since you're in med school. he will continue to say "you know son, you're right.. all these gimmicks are worth it and i think it would be a great idea to purchase you a new car, afterall.. i really dont care to be having this conversation with you and would prefer to spend less time with you and more with time sniffing coke from the snatch of my dirty mistress, so i will buy you this new car" congratulations, you've just scored a 370z which you can either keep or make a quick sale to purchase your first few kilos of coke. now you've entered the drug cartel business and whats best, you've got your dad a SURE client assuming you dont cut that shit with ajax or baking soda and try to sell him cheap shit. keep it pure and dont get high off your own supply, you'll be ok. soon enough you can flip that profit into buying a real sportscar like a Ferrari F40.

however, if i was your dad... i would bitch slap you and proceed to take you for a ride and show you how to properly shift.[/QUOTE]

chrisjakcj

thanks for the advice. i will close the thread when i get on my computer..im on moble