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Blipping on Downshifts

D1CKY

D1CKY

Ive just read on a post about blipping on downshifts to save gearbox a bit.

What does actually blipping on downshifts do ? :S
 
i cant belive you people dont know what this does :eek:

many years ago cars didnt have syncomesh and you had to double declutch.....

noobs tbh ;)
 
This had made perfect sense to me, done it since i had my first car, otherwise when you change down car tries to slow and engine revs scream up and all that stress is going through the clutch and gearbox!
 
i dont always blip going down the box as engine breaking helps you slow down

also in a RWD car if you bang it down into a corner it can help you back it in for some tailout fun something i used to do all the time in the wet when i had my capri 2.0s :)

*remenices*
 
i always do it in the car, even the Traffic van needs it doing on these cold mornings lately but that might just be because its fooked and wont go in any gear lol
 
so you have the clutch pressed down, and as u lift up you hit the accel to blip it to match the revs? surely u are giving it extra revs
 
kind of, i think i blib it more as the clutch is being depressed more than on the way up. i do it without thinking though, so not 100%.

yep it givs extra revs
 
stinka said:
i cant belive you people dont know what this does :eek:

many years ago cars didnt have syncomesh and you had to double declutch.....

noobs tbh ;)
Click to expand...


bit harsh but hey.........i learnt how to drive in a old school vw beetle with no syncrhomesh... so learnt how to double de clutch from day one!
o and it wouldnt idle ethier, always fun in slow moving traffic!
 
Used to do it in my 325i Sports alright but I find it very difficult to get correct in the Clio unless really jumping on the breaks into a corner due to the over-servoed nature of the front breaks. Also the steering wheel is a little big/ I can't get the seat low enough.

Double de-clutching is different to hell-toe.
 
i tryed heal-toe this morning and could'nt twist my ankle round enough!!!
i need a long open stretch of road where i can practice it.
 
heal-and-toe FTW! Took me a while to get used to it, but I do it naturally now. Only problem is, my work shoes are wearing on the top/side where I hit the accelerator while doing it! :S
I actually do it with the side of my shoe as apposed to the heal - smallish feet! (yeah, yeah- I can see the jokes starting already).
Never got double-declutching - my old man swears by it, but then he learned to drive in ye olden days of yor. I'm pretty good at matching revs on the downshift, so never really needed to do anything other than that.
 
Shindig said:
so you have the clutch pressed down, and as u lift up you hit the accel to blip it to match the revs? surely u are giving it extra revs
Click to expand...

Best way is to bring the revs up to the point needed to smoothly engage gear, then bring the clutch up. Easier to practice than blipping, as it's alla bit slower, once you've mastered that try blipping the throttle. With the first technique, if you match the revs you won't actually need the clutch to change gear.
 
As far as i know, if you blip the throttle with the clutch depressed you arnt actually helping anything... the clutch needs to be up when you blip it then back down to go into gear. I found this out when driving an old jaguar xk140, which required double clutching to make a down shift (no synchros)

Out of all the cars ive had (apart from the old elise) id say the clio has the best pedal set up for heal-toe shifting :D There are some videos on youtube which demonstrate how its done properly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-3xIZK-Bk
 
Heal and toe, Ive got small feet too mate, ive always heal and toed nearly evey car ive had. Not sure why I have done, i think its just because its smoother.
 
mini_nick said:
As far as i know, if you blip the throttle with the clutch depressed you arnt actually helping anything... the clutch needs to be up when you blip it then back down to go into gear. I found this out when driving an old jaguar xk140, which required double clutching to make a down shift (no synchros)

Out of all the cars ive had (apart from the old elise) id say the clio has the best pedal set up for heal-toe shifting :D There are some videos on youtube which demonstrate how its done properly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-3xIZK-Bk
Click to expand...

What height are you? I still find it difficult to do in my Ph1 RS. I've the steering wheel up as far as it can go but I still catch my knees on the botton of it.

I'm 6ft
 
I'll maybe have to try this blipping technique etc :)

So its a case of before i put clutch down Blip throttle

Then down with clutch and into gear is it ?
 
I always blip (double-de-clutch) on the way down the box unless significant breaking is required as I haven't mastered heel-toe yet where a skilled driver is able to both break and double-de-clutch at the same time.

My understanding of blipping (double-de-clutching) is as follows step by step:

1. Come off the throttle
2. Clutch in
3. Take out of Gear (i.e momentarily into neutral)
4. Clutch out
5. Blip throttle
6. Clutch in
7. Put into next gear down
8. Clutch out

All of these steps need to be done in quick succesion and need practice, simply blipping the throttle with the clutch depressed is not doing a lot, you need to do it with clutch out whilst for a split second being in neutral so engine and transmission parts are matching speed. When mastered this will provide a much smoother transition between gears.

Hope this helps. Any old boys out there with pre-synchro experience pleases correct me if i'm wrong.
 
yeah he is right, there is a fine art to mastering it though, and DICKY, dont try it when im within a mile of you ;)
 
AndyT23 said:
I always blip (double-de-clutch) on the way down the box unless significant breaking is required as I haven't mastered heel-toe yet where a skilled driver is able to both break and double-de-clutch at the same time.

My understanding of blipping (double-de-clutching) is as follows step by step:

1. Come off the throttle
2. Clutch in
3. Take out of Gear (i.e momentarily into neutral)
4. Clutch out
5. Blip throttle
6. Clutch in
7. Put into next gear down
8. Clutch out

All of these steps need to be done in quick succesion and need practice, simply blipping the throttle with the clutch depressed is not doing a lot, you need to do it with clutch out whilst for a split second being in neutral so engine and transmission parts are matching speed. When mastered this will provide a much smoother transition between gears.

Hope this helps. Any old boys out there with pre-synchro experience pleases correct me if i'm wrong.
Click to expand...

That's how it's done, I've pretty much always done it (so 10 years now!), my Dad used to do sprints and hillclimbs in his MGB, so he taught me as soon as I had passed my test (and even before, in an old Mini we had when I was 15)

With practice you should be able to get through 1-8 above in less than a second, but start slowly (even parked with the engine off!) otherwise you'll make all kind of grinding noises, and may knacker your clutch by banging it back up with a gear partially engaged.

Not only will it make changes smoother, but is a must if driving cross-country quickly, as you can bomb down a straight in 4th, see a bend ahead that is clearly a 2nd gear job, slow to the appropriate speed in 4th, blip into 2nd (ideally a heel&toe) before the bend without any engine braking then floor it through the bend.

I agree with an earlier post here too, that pedals in the Clio are v good for heel&toe-ing, easiest when wearing narrow trainers.

Nailing a 4th->2nd heel&toe into a bend then flooring it out of the bend is of the best driving experiences there is!
 
Catagorically, whats stated above, is wrong.

Modern cars do not need to be double clutched and you will find no fast road driver, manual box rally driver or track day instructor double clutching. Cars have synchromesh gearboxs'. Double clutching is wasting your own time and everyone elses that has tried to practice it since they took a shine to it.

Corner approaching, on the brakes, clutch in, change gear and flash your heel/ side of foot across to blip the throttle, clutch out.

That's it. There's no magic. There's no special double clutching. This is life, not the fast and the furious.
 
ianeire said:
Catagorically, whats stated above, is wrong.

Modern cars do not need to be double clutched and you will find no fast road driver, manual box rally driver or track day instructor double clutching. Cars have synchromesh gearboxs'. Double clutching is wasting your own time and everyone elses that has tried to practice it since they took a shine to it.

Corner approaching, on the brakes, clutch in, change gear and flash your heel/ side of foot across to blip the throttle, clutch out.

That's it. There's no magic. There's no special double clutching. This is life, not the fast and the furious.
Click to expand...

You say that and I agree up to a point...

Sure modern gearboxes have a synchromesh - but you can still 'assist' the gearbox by double-declutching - without doubt, if I double-declutch, the next gear selection is smoother and easier than if I just heel/toe blip alone.

It's a useful technique to practice in my opinion, it makes you think about the car, what you're asking it to do, and can help with the timing of the blip before the final 'clutch-up'.
 
I agree that double de clutching is a total waste of time with modern cars as well, due to development of gearboxes and synchromeshes.

Heel and Toe is primarily a technique used in the wet, this is to stop the driven wheels locking when downshifting.
By braking hard and blipping the throttle you are matching the engine rpm and the wheel speeds so you wont cause a sudden jerk in deceleration.

All race drivers use this technique in the dry as well, to stop the locking of wheels but its more noticeable in the wet with someone who cannot heel and toe effectively.

I personally heel and toe with the side of my foot, this way i can keep the main part of my foot on the brake. And i find it more comfortable.

But you need the height of the brake pedal when its depressed to be level with the accelerator at rest. Otherwise you have no chance!
 
I've been blipping the throttle for years - ever since my dad went on the IAM course and mentioned it to me. I don't think I was old enough to even drive back then, but I started to practice it early on.

IMO, there's nothing better on sweeping roads that to go from 4th to 3rd and with a quick blip, the gear just transfers perfectly and smoothly. No lurching through the transmission, no stressing the 'box - it just feels great. ;)

If you go on motorways regularly, I'd suggest having a go on the exit sliproads - especially if they are straight. You'll be doing a a good 70mph and need to slow down anyway, so blips-away and get those downshifts perfected!

Takes a while, but it's SO worth it. :)

D.
 
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