Proper Way To Down Shift?

steedamustang01 · 05-03-2002, 05:40 PM

WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY TO DOWNSHIFT? I BELIEVE I READ ON THIS MESSAGE FORUM A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT THE BEST WAY IS (FOR EXAMPLE) IF YOUR CRUZING AT LIKE 40 MPH AND YOU WANT TO DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND GEAR, YOU " DO NOT " WANT TO JUST PUT IT IN 2ND GEAR AND LET OUT OF THE CLUTCH, ... BUT UNSTEAD YOU WANT TO PUT IT INTO 2ND AND " BEFORE " LETTING OUT OF THE CLUTCH YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A QUICK REV TO WHERE THE RMP'S WOULD ABOUT BE WHEN YOU LET THE CLUTCH OUT AND THEN LETTING THE CLUTCH OUT SLOWLY WHILE THE RPM'S ARE STILL UP???? IS THAT CORRECT?

Unit 5302 · 05-03-2002, 06:20 PM

You want to make the rpms match as much as possible. By the way, are you talking for racing, normal driving, or just slowing down?

blue00gt · 05-03-2002, 06:24 PM

What you described is basically correct, although you do not have to let the clutch out slowly once you have practiced enough. in order to properly do this you use your toes on the brake and 'blip' the throttle with your heel/side of your foot, hence the name 'heel and toe shifting'. The best way to practice is when you are braking in a straight line for a stop sign or stop light. The lower gears are hardest to do smoothly. You will know when you've got it right because you won't feel like jerking forward in your seat when you let the clutch out.
The whole idea behind it is to prevent loss of traction at the drive wheels and reduce wear on the clutch by matching the engine speed to the vehicle speed so that the tires and clutch don't have to make this happen. This is especially important when downshifting just before corners because a bad late downshift can cause you to spin out.
As a side note, on the 99+stangs the gas pedal is much lower than the brake, making it a lot more difficult to pull off without your foot slipping off the brake. There is a mod that you can do by adding a spacer in your throttle cable to raise up the gas pedal. The install is described on mustangworld.com. This can also give you more available throttle as it is rumored (I have no way of knowing if it's true or not) that on some 99+ GT's the carpet prevents the pedal from hitting full throttle.
Hope that helps and happy Heel and Toeing.

steedamustang01 · 05-03-2002, 06:51 PM

For the most part just normal driving and slowing down. I like to downshift when I'm coming to a stoplight or something cuz my car sounds pretty mean when doing so. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. So mainly just slowing down or when I'm coming to a stop.

Unit 5302 · 05-04-2002, 12:32 AM

Downshifting while coming up to a light may sound cool, but you are putting extra wear on your syncros and on your clutch.

Maroon 5.0 LX · 05-04-2002, 08:51 AM

You try to bring your engine RPM's as close to clutch RPM's when releasing the clutch to reduce wear and make a smooth downshift.

I always downshift when coming to a light or slower traffic. My '89 has 72k on it, still have original brake pads, clutch and no shifter problems.

agent0086 · 05-30-2002, 02:08 PM

The Rev-matching post is pretty close to spot on. I believe I remember reading somewhere that you really aren't saving wear on the dynos unless the transmission becomes completely disengaged--which requires double-clutching. If the clutch is not let out as you pass through neutral, all you are doing is avoiding the snap as engine speed is brought in line with the road speed.

Here's a pretty decent tutorial on the technique. Definitely install the spacer to raise the accelerator, and install performance pedal covers to allow you to work both at the same time.

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving..._heeltoe.lasso

Cheers!

05-03-2002, 05:40 PM	#1
steedamustang01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 120	Proper Way To Down Shift? WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY TO DOWNSHIFT? I BELIEVE I READ ON THIS MESSAGE FORUM A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT THE BEST WAY IS (FOR EXAMPLE) IF YOUR CRUZING AT LIKE 40 MPH AND YOU WANT TO DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND GEAR, YOU " DO NOT " WANT TO JUST PUT IT IN 2ND GEAR AND LET OUT OF THE CLUTCH, ... BUT UNSTEAD YOU WANT TO PUT IT INTO 2ND AND " BEFORE " LETTING OUT OF THE CLUTCH YOU WANT TO GIVE IT A QUICK REV TO WHERE THE RMP'S WOULD ABOUT BE WHEN YOU LET THE CLUTCH OUT AND THEN LETTING THE CLUTCH OUT SLOWLY WHILE THE RPM'S ARE STILL UP???? IS THAT CORRECT? __________________ MODS: - Painted Side Mirrors, Straight Pipes, K&N Filtercharger, Modified Air Silencer, Steeda Tremex 3650 Short Throw Tri-Ax Shifter, Saleen MOMO Shifter, Custom Painted Interior, Modified Saleen Racecraft Progressive Sport Springs SLAMMED 3 1/2 inches, Saleen S-281 Wing, Saleen chrome wheels 18x9 front and 18x10 rear, Saleen Locking Lugs, 265-35-ZR18 Toyo Proxes T1-S's, White Face Indiglo Gauges, 9007 Silver Star HID Headlights, Personalized Licence Plate " 2L8 I 1 " (To Late I Won), Chrome Bumper Decal inserts, Lowered Windshield Wiper MOD, MAC Offset rack bushings, 5% Limo Window Tint.

05-03-2002, 06:24 PM	#3
blue00gt Mustang Addict Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: McKinney, TX Posts: 1,294	What you described is basically correct, although you do not have to let the clutch out slowly once you have practiced enough. in order to properly do this you use your toes on the brake and 'blip' the throttle with your heel/side of your foot, hence the name 'heel and toe shifting'. The best way to practice is when you are braking in a straight line for a stop sign or stop light. The lower gears are hardest to do smoothly. You will know when you've got it right because you won't feel like jerking forward in your seat when you let the clutch out. The whole idea behind it is to prevent loss of traction at the drive wheels and reduce wear on the clutch by matching the engine speed to the vehicle speed so that the tires and clutch don't have to make this happen. This is especially important when downshifting just before corners because a bad late downshift can cause you to spin out. As a side note, on the 99+stangs the gas pedal is much lower than the brake, making it a lot more difficult to pull off without your foot slipping off the brake. There is a mod that you can do by adding a spacer in your throttle cable to raise up the gas pedal. The install is described on mustangworld.com. This can also give you more available throttle as it is rumored (I have no way of knowing if it's true or not) that on some 99+ GT's the carpet prevents the pedal from hitting full throttle. Hope that helps and happy Heel and Toeing. __________________ Strike down the unroadworthy! 2000 GT Atl. Blue: '03 Cobra motor - 465rwhp/473rwtq, T-56 6-speed, full MM TA/PH & tubular K-member suspension, Saleen body, 17" Torq-Thrust II's, M/T ET Street radials, and lots more '94 Rio Red Cobra: All the bolt-ons, 3.73s

05-03-2002, 06:51 PM	#4
steedamustang01 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Florence, KY Posts: 120	For the most part just normal driving and slowing down. I like to downshift when I'm coming to a stoplight or something cuz my car sounds pretty mean when doing so. I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. So mainly just slowing down or when I'm coming to a stop. __________________ MODS: - Painted Side Mirrors, Straight Pipes, K&N Filtercharger, Modified Air Silencer, Steeda Tremex 3650 Short Throw Tri-Ax Shifter, Saleen MOMO Shifter, Custom Painted Interior, Modified Saleen Racecraft Progressive Sport Springs SLAMMED 3 1/2 inches, Saleen S-281 Wing, Saleen chrome wheels 18x9 front and 18x10 rear, Saleen Locking Lugs, 265-35-ZR18 Toyo Proxes T1-S's, White Face Indiglo Gauges, 9007 Silver Star HID Headlights, Personalized Licence Plate " 2L8 I 1 " (To Late I Won), Chrome Bumper Decal inserts, Lowered Windshield Wiper MOD, MAC Offset rack bushings, 5% Limo Window Tint.

05-04-2002, 08:51 AM	#6
Maroon 5.0 LX Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 471	You try to bring your engine RPM's as close to clutch RPM's when releasing the clutch to reduce wear and make a smooth downshift. I always downshift when coming to a light or slower traffic. My '89 has 72k on it, still have original brake pads, clutch and no shifter problems. __________________ '89 LX 5.0 - 5 speed. Original Owner '94 E-150 4.9 Hi-Top Conversion Van '06 Mustang V-6, 5 speed

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05-03-2002, 06:20 PM	#2
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	You want to make the rpms match as much as possible. By the way, are you talking for racing, normal driving, or just slowing down?

05-04-2002, 12:32 AM	#5
Unit 5302 Registered Member Join Date: May 1999 Posts: 5,246	Downshifting while coming up to a light may sound cool, but you are putting extra wear on your syncros and on your clutch.

05-30-2002, 02:08 PM	#7
agent0086 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Occupied Chicago Posts: 1	The Rev-matching post is pretty close to spot on. I believe I remember reading somewhere that you really aren't saving wear on the dynos unless the transmission becomes completely disengaged--which requires double-clutching. If the clutch is not let out as you pass through neutral, all you are doing is avoiding the snap as engine speed is brought in line with the road speed. Here's a pretty decent tutorial on the technique. Definitely install the spacer to raise the accelerator, and install performance pedal covers to allow you to work both at the same time. http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving..._heeltoe.lasso Cheers!