Questions about downshifting

[mutatio]

Originally Posted by Yaris TTE JWRC

No im not taliking about u taking a turn that u will brake first then switch to 2nd, im talking about non braking, double downshifting to gian extra speed when going straight. ANd what do u mean by forcing the gears??? i have never felt that before, the only thing i felt is that i can never shift the stick in to 1st whenever im over 10MPH and when u try to shift form 5th to R. the shifter wont let the stick to shift in ,in those two cases, but never felt that i have to force the stick in to any gears, im not getting what you are trying to tell me sry

the following basically covers it. :)

Originally Posted by 07WYarisRS

If engine or car speeds are too high for that gear it's going to grind or over rev the engine and cause damage.

[07WYarisRS]

Providing your not over revving the engine and speeds are low enough for the gear you are selecting yes you can sellect any gear.
If engine or car speeds are too high for that gear it's going to grind or over rev the engine and cause damage.

[graywolf_14]

Ok in my car the gears are about 1k apart. at 70mph in 5th I am at 3300rpm, so if I down to 3rd it is pointless because that puts it about 700rpm under redline. One thing going 45 u should be in 4th not 5th but no I would not shift that low. Just because the rpms are higher doesnt mean u will go faster. 1st can only go so fast just like the rest of the gears. That is why there is 5.

[60 Somethings]

It nice that you have all had good luck with your cars driving like mainiacs, but several thoughts from someone who has about 50 yrs of driving under their belt - in almost all stick-shift cars, including three 1970's Alfa Romeos: the word is SMOOTH and controlled. It's fast and it's safer (and the resulting insurance rates will likely be lower).

Some of you are obviously very accomplished to be able to shift from 5th to 3rd at 80MPH or from 4th to 2nd at 35-40MPH and not tear your cars up, but............race car engines and drive trains do NOT last as long as those in normal cars. Plus, all engines have a "power band" and in stock vehicles it's usually several 1,000 RPM BELOW redline.

Might suggest you pick up a Lotus Super 7 if you really have the need for speed and handling on city streets. Keep your Yaris for actual transportation.

[Yaris TTE JWRC]

Originally Posted by 60 Somethings

Some of you are obviously very accomplished to be able to shift from 5th to 3rd at 80MPH or from 4th to 2nd at 35-40MPH and not tear your cars up, but............race car engines and drive trains do NOT last as long as those in normal cars. Plus, all engines have a "power band" and in stock vehicles it's usually several 1,000 RPM BELOW redline.

so from what you are saying is that a normal road car can and well be able to handle the double down shifting? if so in a long term it will still be damage by doing so? several 1000 below red line, u mean if you did reach several 1000 after red line in a gear means no good? the US Yaris HB doesnt have the RPM gauge, i have to listen to the engine noise to drive, one thing really sucks about the US

[ChinoCharles]

I will be so disappointed if I don't blow my clutch before my warranty is up.

Just say no to first gear. First should be used to get you to second... that's it. Other than that, compression downshift your little asses off. ROFL

[TrancosRt]

I don't downshift 2 gears "directly" (at least at full speed). I usually don't need to gather speed fast, so it is not necesary to skip 2 gears. When braking, I start loosing speed (rolling and maybe some braking) to gain a rolling green light rather than a full stop. If I need to stop, I downshift according to the speed (usually 4th or a 5th at 4th speeds (about 35-40mph) to 2nd).
The only time I might downshift for speed is 5th to 4th in the highway and when driving on the right lane and someone turns making me speed down from crusing speed to 15mph and up again rapidly...

[eTiMaGo]

As mentioned by several others, as long as your engine RPMs don't go too near or above the redline when you downshift, then there should not be a problem. This is where a tach is certainly most useful

Be sure to move the stick smoothly and not too fast either, so that the gears can "mesh" together better, this should preserve the life of the gearbox.

[stuffy]

i can't see much need for downshifting more than one gear at a time on city streets or even on the highway,
if i want to pass a car, i just drop it down one gear and that is sufficient

if you are downshifting more than one gear at a time and punching it, you might want to consider giving your passengers (if you have any) a barf bag.

[Biggie™]

Originally Posted by stuffy

if you are downshifting more than one gear at a time and punching it, you might want to consider giving your passengers (if you have any) a barf bag.

DUDE!!! 106 HP<---- You need to drop 2 gears to go up some hills in a Yaris!!!

This is about the funniest thread I have ever read on the internet!

[spkrman]

Originally Posted by Biggie™

DUDE!!! 106 HP<---- You need to drop 2 gears to go up some hills in a Yaris!!!

This is about the funniest thread I have ever read on the internet!

lol yea... I live in an extremely flat IL... 1 little "steep" hill, which would probably be referred to as "my driveway" by many... and I found myself not being able to just hold the gas in the normal stop/go easy driving position... when the a/t shifted into third the car just couldn't accelerate without downshifting.

[Pars]

I think you guys have a point, cause come to think of it, with my new Yaris, I don't double downshift as much as my old 98 Civic. I guess there's ample mid-range power in the Yaris, so bring the rev's to the higher range doesn't return a significant increase. Interestingly enough, the Celica GT still had ample power after 6000rpm and the GTS was just getting started once you hit 6000rpm.

It's too bad the Yaris doesn't have more usable power at the extreme revv's (over 6000rpm), but I bet a more fancy exhaust system and some engine tweaking could untap it. It would definitely make for a more fun ride.

[ChinoCharles]

I was thinking the same thing... I've dropped from 5th to 3rd a billion times and my tranny is still in there. 4th to 2nd is a little rough, but at about 35 MPH its doable...

[stuffy]

DUDE!!! 106 HP<---- You need to drop 2 gears to go up some hills in a Yaris!!!

This is about the funniest thread I have ever read on the internet!

lol, maybe i got a special one with 206 hp because i have never had to drop it down two gears going up hills to maintain my speed, and that includes some fairly steep grades.
if i'm going 100 km/h in 5th and go up a hill, i drop it into 4th and wow! i'm still going 100 !
likewise, if i'm going 90 km/h in 5th and want to pass a car, i drop it into 4th and give it some gas and i've increased my speed enough to get past the car quickly and safely.

it is a funny thread, especially for people who think we should be racing our 106 hp cars on public steets.
i'm also not interested in running my car at the redline continuously for no good reason.

[Biggie™]

Originally Posted by stuffy

it is a funny thread, especially for people who think we should be racing our 106 hp cars on public steets.

Racing a Yaris on public streets = normal traffic! 106 HP = SLOW!


The questions people need to be asking are how would down shift hurt my car and why do racers heel toe/rev match when down shifting.

1. Downshifting 1, 2 or even 3 gears wont have any adverse effects on your transmission or engine. IF you do select a gear that causes your engine RPMs to raise above your car's red line, it can and will blow something up. Over revving the engine does cause damage, and is what needs to be avoided when downshifting in to ANY gear, even 5th to 4th.

Now to put the nonsense of why you wouldn't ever need to "down shift two gears" to bed. The Yaris is geared for maximum fuel economy. So when cruising down the freeway at 65 mph running relatively low RPMs, you are well below the cars maximum power output. By dropping 2 gears you are raising the engine's RPMs to a point deep in the power band, making the car accelerate at a much faster rate than if only dropping 1 gear.

Now, if you are an 85 year old woman, you might ask yourself why would anyone need to accelerate that quickly? Well, there are two reasons, one is some people enjoy driving a bit more aggressively than your average 85 year old women and the second reason is you only have a car spouting out 106 hp. Even dropping 2 gears will only allow you to accelerate like a 106 hp car, when you are used to driving 300 hp Supras or a 200 hp IS300 you become accustom to faster response without a downshift. I understand this is a strange concept for the elderly or those that think 30 mph is FAST, but they are valid reasons none the less.

2. I could go in to great detail about the necessity of rev matching a race car and the technique of "heel toe", how it is used to maintain control and stability, why race cars running straight cut dog box transmissions can ONLY down shift by rev matching down through every gear and why cars like the Yaris that utilize synchronizing gears don't need to down shift through every gear. I could, but I wont... What's the point? As stated above, as long as you don't over rev the engine drop that bad boy from 5th to 3rd as much as you want.

[stuffy]

thanks for the sermon biggie, but you seem to have missed my point,

no one should be driving aggressively on city streets, it is dangerous and puts people's lives at risk,
in real-world situations, there is little need to be downshifting more than one gear at a time. that's my point.
i dont' have a problem if you enjoy driving aggresively, just keep it on the track,
you may think that you are a great driver and fully in control of your vehicle but the reality is probably very different.

more importantly, if you enjoy driving like that.....

why are you driving a yaris?

[Biggie™]

Originally Posted by stuffy

thanks for the sermon biggie, but you seem to have missed my point,

The "point" of this thread was to find out if it was harmful to drop multiple gears at a time. And the answer was no...

What you seem to be missing is the Yaris driven aggressively isn't fast, it's not even quick! You need to floor it to keep up with normal traffic... Ask everyone passing you what they think about your slow and steady driving technique in the worlds slowest Toyota.

The Yaris is my commuter/winter car, and I really have to plan ahead to get that thing anywhere near dangerous.

[bigsky2]

Well said, stuffy.