Greetings Fit Freaks!!! I have the normal shifting with my Fit down to a science. People who ride with me don't even feel the car change gears at all. Even starting from a stop is solid every time. Rev matching however, is another story. I have heard two different ways to rev match, and wanted to know the correct method to perform.

What I was taught and I'm doing now is...

-Clutch in, shift into the lower gear, blip the throttle, clutch out

What I've been told is correct...

-Clutch in, blip the throttle, shift into the lower gear, clutch out

Now with the first method that I've been doing, I get seamless shifts into the lower gears. It's a nice, steady trans braking without the car jerking at all. I also perform this rev match method to pass or change lanes. Again, seamless shifts into the lower gear with plenty of throttle at my disposal when I need it. I have been told however that no matter how smooth everything is I'm doing, I'm ultimately killing my syncros because I'm shifting before blipping the throttle to raise the rpms. According to three people I've spoken to on this, I should always rev match using the second method. I've tried practicing that one, and it just isn't working for me.

So please guys and gals help a brother out and let me know if I am in fact ruining my clutch with what I'm doing. Also, if both of the methods I mentioned are incorrect, what is the right way?

 

well, crap....i've never been told right or wrong, but i've been doing the first way since i got the car, and if its wrong then i've been wrong for a while...

anybody?

 

I've always done it as in between the two-- I blip it as I shift it. I think it's because the throw on the old civic's shifter was that much farther so the blip was a little ahead of the shift.

I need to stop upshifting so hard though... I won't have any motor mounts left.

 

I clutch, rev then shift. However I really don't see how doing it either way would make a difference. If you do it my way then you rev the engine and get the flywheel going faster, then you shift into the lower gear and get the clutch going faster then you release the clutch both engage at, hopefully, the same speed.

If you do it your way then the clutch starts spinning faster, then you rev it and the flywheel goes faster then you release the clutch and they both engage at the same speed again, hopefully.

No matter which way you do it the gears in the tranny will be spinning so long as the wheels are (this is part of the reason why you can leave the car in gear when it's off and it won't roll away). So doing one way or the other won't really put more stress that I can think of.

 

I've always blipped the throttle before or during shifting down. Aside from having available power earlier and being able to focus on the turn rather than shiftwork and turn, I don't see much drawback or benefit.

Doing either revmatching method shouldn't affect synchro wear. Grinding gears (which is really your synchros) by being hamfisted, or overly harsh with short shifters will have more of effect.

 

i do the break, clutch, shift, blip, release clutch.... dont see how eithe way is bad tho....just doing the same thing in a dif order right? i think arisenfury gave a good description of whats going on inside.... as said before... unless some one enlightens us further... no real issue either way

 

The term "rev matching" comes from your attempt to raise the engine rpm to the higher rpm it will experience in the lower gear you have shifted the trans to. Your first description is the correct method. If you blip the throttle way before you let out the clutch, the result is the same as if you had not blipped the throttle at all. By matching the engine rpm to the rpm that the lower gear demands from the engine, you reduce the wear on the clutch.

 

i learned it the first way..

i hope it's not bad on the car

 

+1. transmissions talk to you, if you listen. sometimes, when you're spot on, the lever slots into place nicely; sometimes, when a little off, the box may feel a little notchy-er or feel like you're being blocked out of the gate.

don't force the lever into the gate or gear. breathe off of the lever (release some of the pressure) then try again to reengage when the gearbox feels stubborn. the sequence you do things is not the priority, it's all in the timing.

 

i think i blip first before i shift the lever into the lower gate, but
i cant remember. it's second nature to me so it's like asking me
whether i close my eyes before i sneeze or at the same time im
sneezing or a split second after. lol


also, i blip, release, then apply slight throttle until the lower gear
completely engages while just downshifting or while heel and toe.
it's not a one time blip at all times. it varies depending on how
fast im going, how much engine braking i want, and the grade
slope im going up/down, etc. i can't really sit here and explain
it as it's easy but then it's really complicated.

just pratice. ive yet to kill any syncro's over the years.

 

The 'blipping the throttle' is the key. It depends on how much you blip. If you just bring rpm up to matching engine speed to gear speed then shift first; if you blip way over shift late to catch the match on the way down. Most of us shift and blip. Like you found, it seems to work better. Shifting is easy, matching isn't, so shifting first is better cause you are ready to match and go; otherwise you have to match the rpm and maintain it thru the shift & then release the clutch. That to me isn't a good sequence.
By the way, when you do it right you don't need to use the clutch. Shifting when gear speed matches engine speed at a given car speed is a simple slip from one gear to the next. I've known a few people who did not need a clutch and in fact did finish a race with no clutch at all.
Today its a lost skill cause it isn't needed.
PS wait'll you can brake while downshifting without using a clutch. Ross and Bob were masters of that. Or any of the current drag racers. The only way to tell if they shifted is the chirps.
Double clutching is fine for trucks but at highway speeds way too slow. Way back it worked because trannies were not real complimentary to quick shifting.

 

I think they're the same. When you step in the clutch, the engine disengages from the transmission. When you blip, the engine speeds up. But since the engine isn't connected to the tranny, when you blip doesn't matter.

In addition, When the clutch pedal is in, what you do with the shift knob and the gas pedal are independent of each other. the engine spins in air, and the transmission/shifter are in their own separate world too. That's why either method won't have any difference.

If you really want to be gentle to the synchros, double clutch:
1) clutch in
2) shift to neutral
3) clutch pedal OUT
4) blip
5) clutch pedal in
6) shift in next gear
7) clutch pedal out

This one, all must be done in that specific sequence. Remember neutral is a "gear," and not the same as pressing in the clutch. The methods described by the thread starter rev match engine speed with tire speed. This one rev matches engine speed, tire speed, AND transmission speed.

 

i've always heard of double clutching, but i've never actually gotten a step by step.
i'll have to try this
thankyou Gordio,+rep

 

That's ridiculous.

 

why is it rediculous?

 

i use to do it in my old civc alot. well i use to clutch in throw it into the gear i wanted it in to and rev match it.( thinking that you know that how high the rpms are in the gear your goin into with how fast your going). then cluch out the get back on the gas i never jumped forward but i always did it much when i would race my friends for fun on straight aways. its works best when you know the gear ratios of your car.

 

Thanks so much to everyone for your replies. I really appreciate you all taking the time to share some information to a rev matching noob like me

I was out this afternoon and running through the gears while on the freeway. Cruising at highway speeds has me getting the timing down perfectly. I found that once I was on surface streets that it was all second nature.

 

glad to know it worked out for you man!
happy shifting haha

 

my usual motion is clutch down and while im shifting into a lower gear, i blip the throttle to the correct rpms and time the clutch release so there is no over revving or letting the rpms drop to low. Practice practice practice and try to make ur rev matching 1 smooth motion, clutch, shift//blip, clutch.


hard to explain through words....

 

I just downshift and slowly let off the clutch til it matches itself. If I'm in 5th and I have to brake, I shift to 4th at 40, 3rd at 25-30 and then neutral around 10-15mph. I don't double-clutch.