986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners - View Single Post - Learning to rev match downshift .. any tips?

renzop · 01-19-2009, 07:13 AM

Here are some suggestions:

Start your practice when downshifting form 4th to 3rd. The higher gears are easier to shift between because the greater rotational inertia of the wheels when traveling at faster speeds tends to smooth out RPM differences during shifting.

Before you go right into your practicing do this.
1) In 4th gear do a steady 40 mph
2) Look at the tach and note the RPM in 4th at 40
3) Shift to 3rd and bring your speed back to 40 mph
4) Look at the tach and note the RPM in 3rd at 40

Now you are ready for a little practice

1) Get up to 40 in 4th
2) With your foot steady on the gas push in the clutch
3) Put the tranny in 3rd (clutch still in, foot still steady on the gas)
4) Look at the tach and bring the revs up to the RPM you noted in step 4 abive
5) Smoothly release the clutch

The key is that you DO NOT BLIP the throttle but squeeze it to increase revs from a steady amount in 4th to a steady amount in 3rd.

Practice this until you can do it instinctively and quickly. Once you have the confidence of doing a steady speed downshift work on doing it while slowing down by coasting.

By the way - each pair of gears has a different RPM difference, not the 1200 RPM you mention. In general the lower gears have bigger gaps than the higher gears and this varies from car to car.

01-19-2009, 07:13 AM	#6
renzop Registered User Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: PA Posts: 246	Here are some suggestions: Start your practice when downshifting form 4th to 3rd. The higher gears are easier to shift between because the greater rotational inertia of the wheels when traveling at faster speeds tends to smooth out RPM differences during shifting. Before you go right into your practicing do this. 1) In 4th gear do a steady 40 mph 2) Look at the tach and note the RPM in 4th at 40 3) Shift to 3rd and bring your speed back to 40 mph 4) Look at the tach and note the RPM in 3rd at 40 Now you are ready for a little practice 1) Get up to 40 in 4th 2) With your foot steady on the gas push in the clutch 3) Put the tranny in 3rd (clutch still in, foot still steady on the gas) 4) Look at the tach and bring the revs up to the RPM you noted in step 4 abive 5) Smoothly release the clutch The key is that you DO NOT BLIP the throttle but squeeze it to increase revs from a steady amount in 4th to a steady amount in 3rd. Practice this until you can do it instinctively and quickly. Once you have the confidence of doing a steady speed downshift work on doing it while slowing down by coasting. By the way - each pair of gears has a different RPM difference, not the 1200 RPM you mention. In general the lower gears have bigger gaps than the higher gears and this varies from car to car.