Speeding down - a skill you need to know when driving a manual transmission car

To shift gears without the car jerking, the driver applies the method of pressing the clutch twice and accelerating to synchronize.

The technique of shifting gears smoothly is to match the engine speed with the rolling speed. If the speed is not the same, the gears on the two transmission shafts will be damaged or even not be able to shift gears when they mesh together.

The problem of synchronization is simply solved when the car accelerates, because at this time the engine speed and the car speed are both increasing. Conversely, when wanting to downshift, the car may be rushing but the engine speed has decreased because the driver is no longer pressing the accelerator, so to synchronize, the driver often presses the accelerator very quickly (accelerates) to synchronize, making it easier to shift gears.

1. When to double clutch:

With old manual transmission cars, without a synchronizer, double clutch is a matter of course. But with new cars, this technique can also be applied to make gear shifting smoother, the car does not roar or jerk, especially when shifting off, for example, from 4 to 2, skipping 3. Besides, this method also helps prolong the life of the synchronizer, for example, when from 3 to 2, the 2nd synchronizer takes a while to work, then accelerating will be beneficial.

2. Practice:

Find a secluded area to practice this move until you’ve mastered it. While this move has a low risk of causing an accident to others, it’s best to practice it in a place with few vehicles.

3. Start with low numbers:

Accelerate to 3rd gear, preferably in lower gears to get a feel for the difference. Then depress the clutch as usual.

4. About N:

After pressing the clutch, shift to N (mo) and release the clutch. At this time the car is rolling in N, the appropriate speed should be around 40 km/h.

5. Acceleration:

When the car is rolling in N, quickly press the accelerator with your right foot to increase the engine rpm, the engine speed matches the gearbox speed.

6. Press the clutch again:

After accelerating, continue to depress the clutch a second time, this is why this technique is called double clutch.

7. Shift to low gear:

8. Release the clutch:

Release the clutch to complete the downshift, but release it quicker than normal.

According to VNE