I watched many different videos on how to shift smoothly and preserve the health of the clutch, they all say rev matching is good for that. is it?

I tried it a few times today and it does shift down without the jerking..good for the clutch?

 

Won't hurt it any.....when done correctly.

 

I think you're over thinking and not having enough fun driving.

 

it's like asking if double clutching will hurt it

 

You're gonna have to worry about the life of the transmission before the life of the clutch, the clutch has proven to be pretty durable.

Rev matching requires a lot of effort and over thinking for normal street driving, and since our throttle is drive by wire, the response time seems too slow to quickly and accurately perform.

I would focus more on making well timed shifts, less missed shifts, less hard shifting, in order to extend the life of the transmission. An all new MT82 transmission is approx $3000, while all new clutch parts and flywheel are approx $800-1000.

 

What you are referring to is called compression or engine braking. And if done correctly has no ill effects on the clutch. I have always done this and my last clutch (GM car) lasted 149K.

 

Absolutely good to do. When driving for performance, stab the throttle briefly before downshifting for a smoother shift with less wear on your clutch. Straight out engine braking at high RPMs will wear out your clutch. Trust me, I know from experience. Rev matching isnt needed fir regular street driving though unless your maxing out on the way to get milk.

 

rev matching is good for almost all clutches.

 

Awesome tip thanks guys I sure did notice smooth transition with rev matching and no trunk jerking during downshifting!

 

I rev match every downshift.

 

You can hurt this car???? Lol

I rev match all my downshifts. Sometimes not perfectly (RPMs fall too fast, result in a nice jerk). Your car will be fine, all in the learning process. I've made even worse mistakes that I got a cringe out of. Got stuck upshifting from 2-3 and hit the gate between 1-3. Released the clutch out of muscle memory with it partially into 3rd and GRRIND!!! Learned from that one.

 

This is the correct answer, IMO. As to whether you're talented enough to do it, however... Well, I ain't great at it, but I do try. Every little bit helps.

/I mess it up sometimes though... Poor clutch, having to put up with me.
//80K and still grabbin' good though. 20MPH, stick it in fourth, floor it, she's not slippin...yet.

 

I tried some more today, I have to say it really helps going 4-3 without the jerk havent tried 2-3 or 3-4

 

Wait...some of you guys downshift WITHOUT rev matching? Why?? Doesn't that make for an uncomfortable ride?

I can see if you're going from 6th to 5th, the jump in ratios is small enough that it might not matter much but for any other downshift...YES you should be rev matching.

Not rev matching causes much more wear than properly downshifting and puts unnecessary shock through the whole drivetrain...worse yet, in low traction conditions, it could cause the tail to come around on you.

You're not going to match perfectly every time but with some practice, you'll get good at it. Besides, being 100rpm off on your rev match and getting a small jolt is way better than being 1000 rpm off and expecting the clutch to absorb the difference.

If for no other reason, there is barely anything that sounds better than a well executed downshift. Rev matching: do it.

 

I didn't even know NOT rev-matching was an option. Also do it when you can.

 

How many people here heel-toe? I do it all the time. Love it. My old 370Z has a feature that blips the throttle automatically so all you have to do is brake and clutch. I always turned it off because doing it yourself was way more fun.

 

This x1,000.

 

Ever since 1990 I was wondering how my dad came to stop after a loud rev in our 1981 BMW 316 beige, he was rev matching afterall :O

 

I do this on occasion...but I have to admit that I'm not great at it. It requires a certain amount of foot dexterity and a car with appropriately spaced pedals...or a car that cheats for you like the 370! The fact that I have absolutely no ability to dance might be related to my inability to heel-toe with any level of skill.

The pedal arrangement in the Mustang is OK for this but it's not ideal.

If you have any hopes of turning competitive lap times on a road course, this is a necessary skill though.

 

I actually think the pedal arrangement is better than on my 370Z and even my S2000. There is a lot of spacing between the pedals on the S2000 so I have to work a little harder when I drive that car, but with the Mustang it's pretty easy just to roll your foot over to blip the throttle. I think the key is that you aren't really using your heel at all. You can keep your heel hinged to the floor ahead of the throttle, use your big toe on the brake, and roll the right side of your foot onto the throttle to blip.

On the 370Z there was considerable throttle input lag which could get frustrating if you tried to do it yourself. I find with the 5.0, even stock, the lag is insignificant. And with a tune I don't even think I notice it.

Though I do prefer the traditional throttle cable on the S2K. Such a connected feeling car!