How to recover from a miss shift downshifting

The first key is ramping up the engine RPMs to roughly 1,500 rpm and making a rough guess which gear matches the current rolling speed and try and get it in once the rpm has ramped up. If that doesn’t work, recalculate and try again.

 

The biggest problem in missing a downshift, is over revving for that next gear. If road speed is dropping fast, it may be just as easy to skip the next one, and go to the next. Remember, it's only a couple hundred rpms between gears. Make a quick glance at rpms, speed and gear that finally worked, as kind of a model for next time. Over revving the motor.

 

A lot of times after missing a gear you need to skip that gear and hit the next one. I used to chase a gear all the way down and always be one gear behind until I skipped a gear and bingo started hitting it perfect. It gets to just be a habit after a while

 

One trick is to write down the MPH for every gear. Another thing is look at you RPMs before downshifting. It's usually 400 RPMs between gears. So if your at 1200rpm add 400 you have to get 1600rpm to get it in grear

 

Each truck engine responds to a fuel tap and “accelerates” at different rates. When parked, tap the accelerator and see how it responds via the tachometer. Keep this response in mind as you tap to try and match the rpm to the gear you’re hoping works for textbook gear selection

Remember, you’re not going to get it into ANY gear at idle or near idle and the same for higher rpms over about 1600. When you find a gear, it needs to be one that “makes sense” at the present speed so you’re not lugging or over-speeding.

 

Going downgrade? Come back upstairs one or two, make it quick. And then gain control of the rpms using service brake until the jacobs have a hold of it. Usually downgrade when everything is in order you don't shift. Much. Hardly at all.

 

You could get a sweet automatic like the DT-12. That way you would never miss a gear again. Hands at 10 and 2 focused like never before. A missed shift costs you time, fuel mileage, but most importantly humiliates the offender.

Not an issue witha DT-12. Confidence climbs, fuel mileage climbs, time is saved. Call it the triple win.

 

Mine (DT12) does my laundry while going down grades and cooks my meals when going up. Plus, it gets 13.5 mpg heavy and into the wind. But I don’t like the way it sometimes forgets to balance my checkbook every month. Still waiting for the flash update.

 

best transmission? 13 speed. 2 transmissions in one.