Down shifting

[george graves]

Proper downshifting is just fine on a clutch.

I 100% disagree with your post and I ALWAYS downshift.

Yep...

This thread *begs* to bring up the whole pay for "mods" vs "pay for driver's school" issue...

Anyone want to chim in - every time I do I get yelled at by worthless noobs...

...

[Sean]

Yea, technically downshifting for red lights and whatnot uses the engine more than the clutch. If you revmatch, downshifting isn't any worse that a powerful upshift.

[Jscotty]

Proper downshifting is just fine on a clutch.

I was always taught that shifting to neutral and using the brakes to stop is a big "no-no" and that a car should never coast in neutral while driving. I downshift and I have never had to replace a clutch on any vehicle that I have owned. After a 150K on my truck I know that I will eventually have to get one sooner or later but as for right now, my clutch is still in great condition.

"Slipping" the clutch on a hill or "riding" the clutch (resting your foot on the pedal) while driving are the only things that I know of that will wear out a clutch prematurely.

[rThor432]

Yep...

This thread *begs* to bring up the whole pay for "mods" vs "pay for driver's school" issue...

Yep, I'm thinking the same thing.

[Axxe]

First rule of driving stick:

Always be in the appropriate gear at the appropriate time. You don't want to get caught pulling up to a light in 5th, and then an emergency vehicle comes up behind you, and you're fumbling for first or just stall it. But if you were downshifting, and approaching in 2nd (like ya should), then just lifting the brake and accelerating is easy (this is while coasting in gear to a stop).

I always downshift, and I reused the old clutch during my 5 spd swap (almost new, new throwout and pilot tho), and when I pulled the motor 100k kms later, barely any wear was on the clutch, so I reused it again in my beater. BTW, I measured it with a digital caliper, so I wasn't eyeballing it. That 100k included two dozen track days and lots of "spirited" driving.

[NcTurnL]

LuttZ, do you hang out at Autofab in suwanne ( there is only one I know , lol) by any chance or has your car been there to be worked on? I cant remember where exactly I have seen your car, but I have. Either way, its a killer car bro!
I also have a lot of questions about driving my E30, do you ever go to any meets or whatnot so I can obtain some knowledge :-) , lol.

[03IRM3]

Trolle bitte nicht füttern!

[NcTurnL]

exactly

[fretburnr]

Yea, technically downshifting for red lights and whatnot uses the engine more than the clutch. If you revmatch, downshifting isn't any worse that a powerful upshift.

if you revmatch, downshifting isn't any harder on the equipment than smooth, calm upshifting.

[mitch500]

When you're backing into a stall (the only way to park an e30 ), I don't want to be giving it a lot of gas, so I just let off the clutch until it starts to catch, push it in again, let off, push in, etc to get the very slow roll. How hard is this on the clutch? If you do it differently, any tips?

just learn how to drive a 5 speed properly/. you dont ave to give it alot of gas just the normal amount to get it going. ive had my e30 for over 3 years now and the previous owner bought it new. there has never been a clutch change since it rolled out of germany. back in 11/86, and the vehicle has over 280,000kms.

[iCleaks]

Not just for icy parking lots late at night

if you're really that lazy, use the friggn' ebrake! :hitler:

Use the e-brake - save your clutch. This is primary reason why the vast majority of cars with manual transmissions have hand operated e-brake levers (the major exception being trucks with bench seats).

[luTTz]

Proper downshifting is just fine on a clutch.

I 100% disagree with your post and I ALWAYS downshift.

Here's my point. Downshifting is fine on the street if you just getting the car into the appropriate gear for the speed you are going with a proper rev-match. The OP was asking about using the downshift to slow the car down.

The clutch and transmission is for getting the car going, the brakes are for stopping the car.

Sorry if I wasn't clear in my original post. What I was referring to was using the transmission and clutch to stop the car is wrong and not the correct way to drive a standard transmission car.

While racing, the reason for downshifting is to have the car in the appropriate gear for exiting the corner. This should always be done with a heel-toe rev match as well.

I've got lots of books on road racing, been to several schools, worked my way up through HPDE-1, 2, 3 and 4 and on to time trials. I'm not trying to sound cocky, but there is a correct way to drive a standard tranny car. I'll find some of the literature on down shifting and post it on here if you guys want.

LuttZ, do you hang out at Autofab in suwanne ( there is only one I know , lol) by any chance or has your car been there to be worked on? I cant remember where exactly I have seen your car, but I have. Either way, its a killer car bro!
I also have a lot of questions about driving my E30, do you ever go to any meets or whatnot so I can obtain some knowledge , lol.

Nope, I don't hang out with my BMW anywhere but tracks and now drift events. I'd probably pull it out for some meets if we had any around here.

[air]

There is a great section in a magazine I just picked up called, High Performance Driving. It is pricey at 10 bux but comes with DVD as well. Has bunch of great info in the pages. Bonus DVD has a segment done by Steve Dianan. Mag about driving cars not building `em.

[Charlie]

Brake pads are a whole hell of a lot cheaper than a clutch & tranny. Lot easier to change too.

-Charlie

[Jscotty]

It just takes skill and practice to be able to pull off on a steep hill without rolling backwards. An old coworker of mine who was from Jamaica told us that one of the excercises on the driver's road test included the stickshift hill test. They put you on a hill and put a match box behind the wheel. If you successfully drive up the hill without rolling over the match box, you pass. If you roll over it, you fail.