downshifting...a few ?'s

[brother chai]

So I went ahead and purchased an 03 Vibe GT, might regret the premium gas in the coming years as gas looks very grim, but I love the car, and if it gets out of control, trade in. Anywho..here's my problem. It's my first stick shift car, and I've come along pretty well in the learning process I think. I do everything decently except downshifting I can't seem to get down. I have few questions, hopefully someone can help me out:1) First off, I realize the pros and cons of downshifting, and I want to learn it and plan on using it to downshift til probably 3rd. If I'm in 3rd or below then I'll just put it in N. My question is..I realize that I need a higher RPM when downshifting. So say I'm in 5th going 50 or so. What are the steps for the easiest downshift to 4th?? brake to 40-45, clutch in, N, rev up to 3k rpm, move to 4th gear. I have been trying this but I am very slow..i find myself throwing it in neutral..slowing down..reving engine..and then down to 4th. This takes about 3-4 seconds. Not good.2) When I am approaching a hill, how do I downshift. Say I'm in 5th, what is the proper way to drop to 4th to get the extra power to get up the hill?ANY tips to downshifting will be grealty appreciated. I have tried asking people but they can't seem to explain it well enough, and the videos at standardshift.com aren't very helpful.Thanks!

[MadBill]

By far the best way is to have someone demonstrate, preferably with your car. The main elements are: o Determine how much of a throttle 'blip' to give it under various conditions to properly match the revs to what's needed in the lower gear.o You don't need to pause in neutral and let the clutch out before blipping, just blip as you shift into the lower gear. Modern synchronizers make this an unnecessary time-waster on anything but an 18 wheeler. ( may get some argument on this but it is absolutely true!)o Perform the clutch dip (doesn't need to be more than about 1/2 way to the floor, actually ~1/3rd), the blip, the gear lever movement and the clutch release in this order, but almost simultaneously (way less than a second for the whole sequence)o Practice.o Practice.o Practice.Also, it is not good practice to coast in neutral. If you don't chose to downshift as you slow to a stop (no real need to, as opposed to when downshifting to accelerate faster), it's better to decelerate in gear with the clutch engaged, then depress it as you approach a standstill when the revs drop down to near idle, then select neutral or first depending on how soon you are going to start moving again.

[BOZACK]

Mad Bill is correct. You no longer need to double clutch, as it was describe by brother chia. Shifting down should be just like shifting up. Just match the speed and revs to the gear you are going in. After awhile you'll get the hang of it.

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »Also, it is not good practice to coast in neutral.please excuse my ignorance, but why is it a bad idea to coast in neutral? is it a safety concern (being able to get back in gear in the event that you need to get out of something), or is there some sort of damage that you can do? i've never heard this mentioned before, and the practice was actually recommended by a couple of different people to me when i was learning how to drive a stick.

[Mr. Poopypants]

Coasting in gear is best. When you are finished coasting you want to keep up your current speed. But if you are in neutral, you have to choose the correct gear to keep up your current speed. Say you have a car behind you while you are coasting in neutral, if after your coast you throw it into a lower gear than is necessary, you will quickly slow down your car possibly causing an accident, not to mention the fact that it will spike your RPMs WAY to high. Say you are coasting in 3rd and when you are done coasting, you know you are in the correct gear to give the car some gas and maintain your current speed. You can always shift from 3rd to 4th if your engine is dragging too slow in 3rd. And yes, it would be better to have someone with manual experience give you a how-to on proper manual driving.

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by Mr. Poopypants »Coasting in gear is best. When you are finished coasting you want to keep up your current speed. But if you are in neutral, you have to choose the correct gear to keep up your current speed. Say you have a car behind you while you are coasting in neutral, if after your coast you throw it into a lower gear than is necessary, you will quickly slow down your car possibly causing an accident, not to mention the fact that it will spike your RPMs WAY to high. Say you are coasting in 3rd and when you are done coasting, you know you are in the correct gear to give the car some gas and maintain your current speed. You can always shift from 3rd to 4th if your engine is dragging too slow in 3rd. And yes, it would be better to have someone with manual experience give you a how-to on proper manual driving.that makes sense. thanks for clearing that up.