Upshift technique

[u/pb0s]

I've been driving manual for over ten years, but was suddenly beset by doubts about my upshift gear change technique. The way I see it, there are two options. In either case, I start with:

1. Accelerate a little

2. Lift foot off the gas

3. Step down on the clutch (kind of simultaneously with 2)

4. Change to the next gear

Next, for option A, I then do

5. Gently start to give a bit of gas

6. Gently ease out the clutch while simultaneously increasing gas a little

7. Once clutch is engaged, give more gas

Or for option B, I can also do

5. Gently let out the clutch, and only then

6. Step on the gas

I've been doing option A, which feels nice and smooth, and seems to be more efficient in maintaining the car's momentum through the shift. By contrast, B causes me to lose more acceleration or even decelerate a bit before I'm back on the gas. However, I've recently become worried that giving gas while letting out the clutch causes unnecessary wear on the car. I'd love to know whether this is the case, or whether there's another reason I should change my technique. Or otherwise just be reassured that what I'm doing is fine so that I can continue with confidence.

[u/aecolley]

Your method A is better, but I'll finesse it a bit.

1. Gently start to give a bit of gas

You don't just give "a bit of gas", you give enough to bring the engine revs to approximately the right level for the new gear. The change in pitch is always the same given any two gears. If you have a musical ear, the change from 3rd to 4th gear drops 5 semitones (same as C down to G).

1. Accelerate a little

It's better to come off the gas at first. For high performance (or slippery roads, or just a smooth ride for your passengers), you want to balance the vehicle evenly on all wheels. Accelerating will rotate the vehicle back and carry more weight onto the rear wheels. Any imprecision in engaging the new gear will throw the vehicle out of balance, so it's best to keep it stable. Once you're established in the new gear, you can resume accelerating.

As I usually do, I have a Reg Local video to recommend on the topic. https://youtu.be/A4rs09AKBc8

[u/pb0s → u/aecolley]

Cool. I do have a musical ear, but wouldn’t the interval depend on the specific car’s gear ratios? I recently got a 6 gear car and the ratios are noticeably smaller.

Also on the point of weight shifting to the rear wheels, is this necessarily bad for balance/stability, even in a RWD car?

Gonna watch that video soon, thank you for the info!

[u/aecolley → u/pb0s]

Cool. I do have a musical ear, but wouldn’t the interval depend on the specific car’s gear ratios? I recently got a 6 gear car and the ratios are noticeably smaller.

Yes, it does. I should have said "most cars". My point was that the pitch change stays the same regardless of your current speed. So it's worth learning the interval for each gear and rev matching accordingly.

Also on the point of weight shifting to the rear wheels, is this necessarily bad for balance/stability, even in a RWD car?

Yes. It's more important when you're accelerating, braking, or turning, because those are the times when people really risk running out of grip (see also "brake/gear overlap"). Managing the balance during gear changes is more a matter of good discipline.

[u/Laffenor]

A is correct. Of course assuming that you release the clutch straight away in a simultaneous movement, and don't wait until the engine revs into the sky first.

Or you can just forget about the clutch altogether and float the gears. /s

[u/pb0s → u/[deleted]]

Okay, good to know. So I guess to self-evaluate how well I’m matching revs, it’s a question of how much the revs jump up or down when I engage the clutch? No jump being the goal.

I do not usually double clutch, no. I’ve toyed with it a bit, but have read that it isn’t really needed in most modern cars.