Downshifting Question

Learn to float the gears on those old trucks

 

Lots of good advice has been given. You'll get it, just keep at it. This is an important skill to have. There will be times you'll need to drop several gears quickly. Like being cut off in city traffic. The ability to ease it into a lower gear quickly is the difference between a difficult situation and one that is merely irritating.

 

Always remember high pitch grinding your rpm’s are too high
Low pitch grinding your rpm’s are too low. I tap my throttle as I’m pulling out of gear and go to the lower hole as rpm’s are falling….if it don’t fall in I’ll play with the throttle a bit.
Keep practicing and you’ll get it. Just have patience.

 

Once you know how your throttle response is it should only take a little bit and it'll be 2nd nature. You won't need to look at the tach all the time either, you'll be able to just "hear it". If you don't know what I mean by that last statement you will soon.

I know my truck I just have to blip the pedal really light. Some are more responsive than others

 

Agreed, it’s not good. You’d likely fail a road test for loss of control of the vehicle for rolling in neutral.

 

What engine/trans is in it? Because to this day, no matter how much I think I have it figured out, I still cannot shift an ISX

the cats and Detroit’s were a “lazy” shift if you will

 

I'd probably be no help giving advice here. I have no idea what rpm to shift at. I have never looked at the tachometer when shifting. The engine sound and feel tells me when to shift. Way back when my Dad taught me to drive, it was by sound and feel. In fact, I don't recall that old cornbinder even having a tach.

 

Neither one of those are anything good but try downshifting at a lower rpm