Can you hold down the gas while downshifting to rev up?

Question

I've never learned how to properly downshift. I drive a stick 1995 Toyota Corolla, and I've always downshifted by tapping the gas to achieve the desired RPM of the lower gear while depressing the clutch, shifting down, and disengaging the clutch.

Example: I'm traveling 30 mph on a flat road in 3rd gear. It starts sloping uphill and I want to downshift to second. My car is at 2,000 RPM at 30 mph. I know that at 30 mph, my car is also at around 2,800 RPM in 2nd gear. Thus, without letting off the gas, I depress the clutch and my RPM will naturally go up a bit, due to the removal of the drivetrain resistance. I push my gas pedal a bit harder to hit 2,800, and then shift to second, letting off the clutch afterward for a smooth transition.

But this is what you guys do already? The difference I'm trying to highlight (and my question) is that I've always heard that people downshift by letting your foot off the gas pedal, AND THEN depressing the clutch, FOLLOWED by revving up. Is the fact that my foot's still on the gas bad for my clutch/transmission?

Answer 1

Bad??? It will definitely increase the wear and tear due to the extra load/stress of shifting with high RPMs

Answer 2

You are talking about heel-toe shifting. It's a great way to multitask your feet and get to brake, shift to a lower gear and then get going... quickly! I learned at a BIR Performance Driving School that you should not downshift to slow the car, use brakes for that. Only downshift for speed. As they say... "brakes are cheaper to fix than transmissions".

If you downshift to slow your car down you are in an unbalanced position and the back-end, on a rear wheel drive car, could break loose and cause a spin. On a front drive car it could be disastrous because you loose steering control.

It is something that can be practiced in every day driving. You should have shoes with a rounded heel and good side-sole support.

But in answer to your question, YES, try to match the engine RPM with the transmission RPM. It is actually easier on your clutch and transmission if you match the RPMs. The trick is to do the match. If your car lurches forward or bogs down momentarily while down shifting then you didn't match RPMs. Also listen for a smooth shift. It's very smooth when you hit the sweet spot.

Try to remember to never down-shift to slow you down. Down-shifting is to get you ready to accelerate from a slower speed.

Answer 3

I usually downshift the same as I go up. When the clutch is on the floor the gas you use goes to no gear so I let go of the gas. I just depress the clutch, put the gear in place, let go of the clutch then gas. But same here I was self taught so I just go with my own experiences.  

Answer 4

The way you do it is better and the fact that you thought through that much is commendable.

If you do the same thing, but let clutch out while the transmission is in neutral, then clutch and select the lower gear, you'll notice the transmission goes into gear much easier due to not have to utilize the synchronizers. This is known as a double clutch downshift.  

Answer 5

You are correct, the closer you get the rpm to match the road speed for the gear you are going into, the longer your clutch will last.

as long as at the point of release and engage you do not feel slipping you are doing it right, ideally you will only hear the gear change in the engine speed and feel nothing in the car.

Answer 6

I don't see you doing any damage your way but what are you trying to achieve by this?  I heel/toe at the track and rev match in the mountains but I don't do it all the time.  Brake pads cost less than $100 to change but a clutch is way more to replace so I'd rather let the brakes do what they were designed to do.