Well i own a sedan LS 5spd and was wondering when i downshit it feels like im on the clutch a bit longer then when im shifting, if i should worry about that. Usually i just shift to nutreal and use the break when the roads are dry or somewhat dry. When its snowing i try to downshit. Just want to make sure its normal to be on clutch a bit longer when ya downshifting.. thanks guys

 

Well when I downshift, I try and rev match. For me it basically doesn't take much longer than if i'm shifting normally. If it's only a tad bit longer, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Yeah, rev match. When you downshift blip or roll your foot onto the throttle as you let out the clutch to get the RPM's to where they will be when the lower gear is engaged. With minimal practice you will be performing very quick butter smooth downshifts. Once you get the hang of this learn to operate the throttle and brake pedals with your right foot at the same time and you will be able to pull off smooth downshifts while braking.

 

rev matching has the effect of making your clutch and CV's last much longer... 205,000 miles on a factory clutch in my 98 Cavalier.

Scott

 

Alright ill do that. was doing tat before but figured i was wasting gas reving it. maybe not. thanks guys

 

Good choice . Would you rather waste a few cents in gas or put unnecessary strain on your drivetrain? Waste the gas man, it's cheaper than not rev matching.

 

good god.. didnt even know that was possible! yours must have been built and blessed by the god all mighty!!

 

Just don't downshift until you are down to low rpm in the gear you are in.

 

Not really... my 91 Cavalier went over 165,000 on the factory clutch (got it stuck one night and burned it up).... a friend over mine has 215,000 on his clutch in his 95 Cavalier.

Scott'

 

you dont need to down shift..... just keep it in 5th untill your going about 15 MPH and then pop it in netural


~

 

That's a long coast with the clutch in. Riding the clutch for 3/4 of a mile each time you want to stop can't do anything but harm to your car. Which clutch are you replacing your stock with? :P

I know that was sarcasm, just being fecetious.

 

I think you misunderstood. He said when you are coming to a stop, leave it in 5th gear until you're going about 20 mph in 5th gear at around 1000 rpm THEN put the clutch in to put it into nuetral. At least I think that's what he meant by that.

I have a question to ask, say if you push the clutch pedal in to disengage the clutch, is it bad if you were to just keep it there? like to coast down from 5th gear?

 

i just throw it in neutral, i always stay in 5th gear to save gas.....28.2 mpg every tank with 93 octane mix of city and highway

 

Damn, i'm only getting 23.5 to 24.

 

I definitely agree with everyone's advice here regarding rev matching...I try to as often as possible but from time to time if I know my revs are going to be lower (< 3500) coming into the next gear or if I'm just feeling overly lazy I'll just slip it out. My friend never ever rev matches on a downshift and his clutch was never replaced in the 7 years he owned his 92 Civic. His '02 is now going on 4 years and the last he had it checked the clutch was still in excellent condition. Of course the advantage to rev matching is the car will hold its stance much better allowing for much smoother transitions once you get the hang of it not to mention the reduced wear on your internals .

 

I wouldn't downshift in the snow tho. It could make you spin if your rpm's are to high. Put it in neutral. I did that even in an automatic in the snow

 

Why? You have a better chance of keeping the car under control than riding the brakes in, at least in my experience.

Scott

 

Thats why you make sure you have plenty of room to stop

 

Just wanted to thanks for the rev matching tip. Ths is my first stick and that really helped thanks guys!!

 

Definitely. I'm originally from Massachusetts, so I grew up driving in snowy conditions. And I've never owned an automatic, so I've always been used to downshifting, and I have to believe that the downshifting pretty much kept my cars out of the trees. Half the time when I downshift, I don't even need brakes until the very end. Average brakes might last 25k miles (not sure), mine will probably go closer to 50k because I only use them when I need to. BTW, my MPG readout says 29.7 MPG, and I always use 93 Octane.

 

I have a question to ask, say if you push the clutch pedal in to disengage the clutch, is it bad if you were to just keep it there? like to coast down from 5th gear?[/QUOTE]

Holding the clutch pedal down won't damage the clutch but can over time damage the throwout bearing and/or pressure plate fingers.