[McQueen]

Greetings T-BHP members! How many of you use vroom-vroom downshift to rev-match your car or your bike?

For clarification, "vroom-vroom downshift" is the colloquial term for rev-matching achieved through throttle blipping (which generates the "vroom") or a rapid tap on the accelerator.

Description of the method:

1. Release the accelerator/throttle/gas pedal
2. Engage the clutch
3. Downshift and blip the throttle in a split second, keeping the clutch still depressed
4. Release the clutch

Here are some videos of the same.

My questions to all of you:

1. How many of you use this technique while driving your car?
2. How many of you employ this technique while driving your bike?
3. Can we switch the order of blipping the throttle and downshifting in step 3? That is, blip the throttle first, then downshift. This oughtn't to be an issue as the engine revs up and brakes until the desired RPM is reached (which occurs rather quickly), with only the sequence of it being altered.

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[shankar.balan]

This is an old technique which used to be common place in all non-synchromesh manual gear-shift cars in normal driving, rallying and racing too.
Most of us who learned our driving in the hills learned this rev matching technique too, along with ‘heel and toe’ on an incline, etc. The Standard Heralds, Ambassadors and Fiats and all used to have 3 forward synchromesh gears but first gear was not. As per my memory from the
1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s all those who drove Fiats in particular, used to particularly enjoy the nice burbling sound that came naturally through the exhaust end can and used to always ‘throttle blip’ when downshifting when approaching an upward or downward incline or when taking a turn. This sound, coupled with the smell of exhaust gases and the unique whine of the transmission in those Fiats, are etched forever in my memory. Throttle blipping to rev match was always easier in cars which had floor shift gears. Many Fiats were modified to this. And even after the advent of the Maruti SS80 many drivers used to do this. The Gypsy in particular was conducive to all of these techniques and it felt particularly as if one was ‘flying low’ even if one was only at 50 or 60 kmph. The throttle blipping, rev matching and all of this simply added to the aural and mechanical pleasure in the act of driving. I still do all this in my Gypsy but the other cars are Automatics, hence I tend to use the paddle shifters in the Cooper to enhance the ‘burble’ or the Manual mode in the Thar to achieve kick down. After a poijt it becomes pure instinct when one’s earnis totally attuned to the car and the ‘right revs’ and one instinctively changes gears almost on Auto Pilot.
For example, I would rather use the Paddles in the Cooper along with the throttle so as to achieve higher revs and put on a burst of speed, than just mash the pedal and go into Over Boost etc. I think this technique is gentler on my car as well as being very enjoyable.

[Cresterk]

I do it all the time in my 6 speed i20 crdi. Like with most turbo diesels, the power band is narrow and hyundai gave it some weird gear ratios so downshifting without it would lead to massive jerks. Kerala is pretty hilly so I even use it for slowing down before curves so I don't end up lugging the engine or roasting the clutch. I do it by :

1. I start braking with my right foot
2. pressing the clutch in with my left foot while still braking with my right foot
3. Pivoting my right heel to also blip the accelerator to rev up the engine to match the RPMs it would need to be in a lower gear and downshift. I will be using all 3 pedals while downshifting.
4. After engaging the gear, I let go off the clutch and I can either continue braking or press the accelerator to smoothly take off.

This is called the heel-toe method.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heel-and-toe_shifting

[amitoj]

I use it in both my manual cars all the time, mainly because it is fun
The brake and accelerator pedals are close enough that I can just roll my foot over to the gas pedal while pressing the brake pedal.

[Jeroen]

It's a carry over from years beyond. From the time we had no synchronization or poor synchronization between gear shift. It is also used in racing and rallying.

There is no need for it on modern cars, unless you enjoy doing it of course. I usually do whichever car I drive. It will give you a slightly more smooth shift of the gear stick.

I have always used it on my Alfa Romeo Spider. Even though the gearbox is fully synchronised. A weak point was the synchromesh rings wearing out quickly on 1-2 and 2-3. And of course, it makes for a terrific sound!

Jeroen

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by McQueen

1. How many of you use this technique while driving your car?
2. Can we switch the order of blipping the throttle and downshifting in step 3? That is, blip the throttle first, then downshift. This oughtn't to be an issue as the engine revs up and brakes until the desired RPM is reached (which occurs rather quickly), with only the sequence of it being altered.

I do it a lot of times during my drive as it helps keep the engine in the power band, especially when doing spirited driving. Very effective and I like the engine sound too!

I have not attempted the third one, since the whole idea is to match the engine revs. I engage the clutch, shift in, and almost at the same time, blip in the throttle. This gives a good effect of the engine being in the desired rev range when the clutch is disengaged and accelerating at the same time or get the desired engine braking.

[Turbohead]

It depends.

Simply downshifting by blipping the throttle is easy and I do it regularly inside the city as long as I need to slow down gradually.

Out on the highway, I use the heel and toe downshifting while braking to slow down and prepare myself for the numerous barricades lined up along Tamil Nadu highways. It's also an absolute blast to do this in narrow roads and ghat roads.

But this is a concious effort and I may or may not do it during an emergency maneuver. Guess I have found the perfect excuse to go on a track day to properly learn this skill

Regarding question 3, the order doesn't matter as long as the engine speed is correctly matched when releasing the clutch pedal which is anyway the hardest part about down shifting correctly.

[tharian]

On a 4sp Bullet, this is the only way to down shift, or the gear will fall into false neutral. I have been riding 4sp gearbox Bullets since 2002 and this is something I do subconsciously every time I ride the bike. On a car, I used to do it and enjoy it on my previous car which was a Ford Figo 1.2 with a full free flow exhaust system. On my present car, I still do it although not always and it gives that perfect and smooth shift and release of the clutch.

[keroo1099]

Originally Posted by tharian

On a 4sp Bullet, this is the only way to down shift, or the gear will fall into false neutral. I have been riding 4sp gearbox Bullets since 2002 and this is something I do subconsciously every time I ride the bike. On a car, I used to do it and enjoy it on my previous car which was a Ford Figo 1.2 with a full free flow exhaust system. On my present car, I still do it although not always and it gives that perfect and smooth shift and release of the clutch.

Exactly how I do it on my CI, or if I'm feeling a bit naughty don't use the clutch at all when I feel the engine is spinning at the right RPM. I haven't blown any gears so far.

[rajeevsulu]

I love doing this in my Interceptor. I have been doing this from my Rx100 days. The two strokes were real fun. On the interceptor, the gear shift becomes so smooth. The aural delight is another benefit!!

[gt3t0uring]

I do it all the time, has become my second nature. I first use engine braking to slow down then press brakes at end. There’s just another level of satisfaction hearing perfect rev match and also seeing fuel efficiency numbers going up on the console.

[GTO]

Only really possible in a Petrol MT. Three of our primary drivers are ATs, while the only MTs I now own are diesels.

But yes, the last time I was revv-matching for fun, it was in a Fronx MT. Absolutely loved that car.

[Ashtoncastelino]

I have learned to do this from the initial days since getting the Swift in 2020; I made it a habit since I learned how the car responds to the Accelerator input, which is almost instant since it is drive by cable. I'm not sure, but I think this lessens the wear and tear on the clutch.

But I genuinely enjoy doing this on the drive-by-cable car; this is not relatively easy to nail on the drive-by-wire vehicles of today's era, at least for me.

[McQueen]

First of all, I thank everybody who responded. I have a few lingering questions that I'll address in a single post later if my doubts persist.

Originally Posted by sudeepg

I have not attempted the third one, since the whole idea is to match the engine revs. I engage the clutch, shift in, and almost at the same time, blip in the throttle.

I think blipping the throttle first and then downshifting accomplishes the same work, just in the opposite sequence.

For instance, if you're driving at 60 km/h with the engine at 4000 rpm, and the desired rpm after downshifting is 4750 rpm, a quick throttle blip raises the rpm to, let's say, 4800 rpm. As you downshift, engine braking brings the rpm down to the desired 4750 rpm without a jerk. That's how the blipping-before-downshift method works.

However, if you downshift before the blip, considering the same car/scenario as above, the downshift triggers engine braking. Subsequently, the blip raises the rpm to a level very close to (and above) 4750 rpm. Say, you reached 4800 rpm - then engine braking will pull it down to 4750 rpm without a jerk as you'd desire.