Trouble downshifting on an 8-speed

How many times do I need to say this.....

Treat the truck like it was a woman......
Don't force "it" up-shifting or down-shifting.....
Don't "manhandle" the stick......
Use two fingers and only two fingers to shift.....
Feel for the gear to go in or out.....When it's right (Road speed and engine speed) it will "slide" in.....Or out....

It's not that difficult....Just be patient.....

 

The way they are teaching us in school is when downshifting, add the two digits of your speed up and that will be what gear you need to be in for a 10 speed. ex. 45, 4+5=9 so 9th gear and so on. But they are only teaching us to downshift to 9th, then 7th they 5th, for coming to a stop. You can use other gears as needed for hills and curves. but it works well. They only have the gear master for the people doing their observation in the back to see what the speed is and what gears are available to you to get into. They dont let the student driving see the gear master. I think peoples biggest problem with downshifting is that they clutch, go to neutral, then pump fuel pedal, then clutch and then place gear stick near the right place. If you do it that way you have waited to long and the rpm's have already fallen to far and you will have to pump pedal again. If when you are pumping fuel pedal, already have the gear stick pushing very lightly in the position you want it in already. As soon as the revs match, it will just fall in like butter. dont wait til after you rev to then press the clutch and try to find the gear, you will loose the revs and start loosing to much speed and then as you are still trying to get it in that gear, you actually need to get it in a lower gear. Hope this helps.

 

I am also a newbie...3 weeks driving with trainer...When I started school I had never driven a stick and I had never been in a truck...The Key for me to get the shifting down without the grinding was to open my hand on the stick and not grap it in a death grip...If I use open hand I don't grind...

 

Hey girl! So how's it going out East? Liking the hills, tight spaces, and bad drivers? What about those aggresive driver signs?

 

Ok....Forget the clutch....."Tach-shift"......And.....Use your ears....The engine will tell you what gear you need to be in.....And when to shift.....

The clutch is for starting and stopping....If you have to "Double-clutch" to get into gear or out all of the time....You and your trainers are doing it all wrong.....

 

That might work later on down the road, floating is much easier but for the state test you have to double clutch. No exceptions

 

I loled for about 5 minutes reading this. But so true!

 

Remember that when down shifting you control the rpm's! Take ur time and go slow. clutch in, move shifter out of gear clutch out and then back in raise the rpms to where you need to be and move the stick.

 

No, don't look at me; watch the tach.

Who's got a copy on me, c'mon

 

Get a new trainer, obviously he hasn't been driving long enough to really be a trainer.