I down shift through the gears while slowing or coming to a stop. I also blip the throttle between shifts to match revs. the elimitates any jerking and excessive clutch wear!

 

Well, u gotta use the heel-to-toe move while making ur downshifts...4 example, if ur at 5th gear, press ur brake and clutch and downshift....than before u let go ur clutch, jab ur trottle with ur heel while still pressing ur brake at the same time, inplying the heel-to-toe movement, so this means that there is a point of time where all three pedals are pressed at the same time...ur left foot on ur clutch and ur right foot, heel on the trottle and toe on the brake....and viola! Continue to do that 4 ur downshifts....its effective esp when slowing down 4 a corner....

 

Well I don't really care about my gas too much. However, I race on the track alot wit my OZ.. So in order to improve i always Heel Toe, my stops and my turns no matter what..

Just so i get better at it..

 

Somebody said 1st was synchro-less? That's funny, because all the Mitsubishi trannies I've heard of had synchros on first. Rear should be the only gear without a synchro. First has a lockout, but you can get around that. I can shift into first in my car at 30 mph (granted, it's not an EVO).

 

omg, this thread is still going

 

To tell u the truth i think it all depends how fast your going. In ma point 0of view if yout goin like 124 mph then use the nutral gear but besides that shift down. Thats ma oppion.

 

Depands, I usually downshift just to make more noise and if I am near I cop I defintly down shift just to **** them off If I am coming up to a set of lights and there is another car there that I am sure I will beat, i will down shift.

Cheers

 

I was always taught to downshift while decelerating although recently while attending a skip barber 3 day racing school I was told it is not worth the wear to your clutch. They say let the 100 dollar brake pads to the wearing not the 3k clutch. Yes while driving into a corner by all means downshift, with a blip of the throttle while in neutral, if you can pop the clutch out while in neutral and get a blip in even better. While driving the Barber Dodge cars with a 4 speed dog box it really made you appreciate synchros. If you do not understand what I am trying to say about the double declutching downshifting ill try and explain as well as possible. While approaching a corner or a stop where you will have to slow down get on the brake, depress the clutch and shift into neutral, while moving the shifter into the neutral position let out the clutch and get in a decent blip, then as you are doing the blip start depressing the clutch and shifting into your next gear. Make sure you are getting the lower gear engaged quickly enough to get a smoothe downshift, with the revs matched otherwise its a whole lot of work for no gain.

Scorke

p.s. Im only 17 and have only been able to drive by myself since august, but I have been racing go karts rather competitively for 3 years and am going to run spec miata in the scca. I would appreciate if anybody in the central/north jersey area could give me some info on any autocross type meets .

 

Can't you just hit the brakes and when to a stop put in the clutch and put it in 1st or hit the clutch and brake and put it in first when stopped?

 

ummmm, no. If I read that correctly (hard to tell) it's not good to put it into 1st until you're stopped or less than 5mph. Non synchro gear will reject it, unless it's an Evo which has synchro.

and wow, I think this is the longest on topic thread on the forums. It's been here for a year!

 

kill this mf'ing thread!!!

 

If I am going to stop, I put it in neutral...brakes pads cost less than a clutch does. Plus, engines produce power to make a car go, not to make it stop.

 

Then what's a Jake Brake?

 

That's right, if the engine can't slow a car down, why are almost all race car drivers using "engine brakes" (I am assuming that's the same thing as "jake brake" mentioned above). Would also make me wonder why they ask trucks to use low gears going downhill. So uh, yeah, the engine does help slow the car down. But as far as downshifting, I guess it's a choice, a little more wear on the engine or more wear on the pads. It all comes out the same in the end, as far as daily driving goes.

And on another note, when is this thread gonna finally die?

 

Now.