Downshifting Stock 30????

B

Banky

Senior Member
Hi all,

I finally got my A on road after a year or refreshing everything my wallet could stand. LOVE driving it.

My question: How much downshifting is ok to do? Doesn't seem to like it much. I just been letting the current gear I'm in slow it down, then put it in neutral and use the brakes to finish the stop. How do you guys drive yours?

Dumb question, but I don't want to put unneeded stress on the 4-banger.

thanks,
Banky
 
I'm sure you'll get several opinions, but what you do is how I drive mine. The exception is when I am slowing for a corner but not stopping, if high gear would lug the engine I will down shift into second. It takes double clutching and a lot of practice to do it smoothly.
 
Just got back from riding around the park, good place to concentrate on figuring it out. I think I have it figured out, was double clutching. That takes some getting used to.

thanks
 
Normally I try not to downshift much, luckily with the way these cars are geared and being able to adjust spark advance lets that work out for the most part. If I do have to down shift (traffic slows up a hill, etc) then clutch, neutral, let off clutch, blip the throttle, clutch, then second. Normally you can feel the gears a little bit so you can tell when it's ok to complete the shift.
 
Sparky said:
I'm sure you'll get several opinions, but what you do is how I drive mine. The exception is when I am slowing for a corner but not stopping, if high gear would lug the engine I will down shift into second. It takes double clutching and a lot of practice to do it smoothly.
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I do the same thing as Sparky. Sometime I just let it go around the corner in 3rd, depends on how sharp the corner is.
 
Humble Opinion:

One very simple method for persons not familiar with how to drive a Model A Ford, Ford manufacturers very carefully developed & printed the "Ford Model "A" Instruction Book", for which copies are still available from vendors.

This very simple little manual, with very explicit easy to read details was issued to Model A owners with every Model A that was sold.

This little book is often overlooked; however, if one "very carefully" reads & pays attention to the paragraphs entitled:

"Starting the Engine"; "Starting the Car", (which addresses second speed & high speed shifting); "Shifting Back to Low Speed"; "Descending a Hill"; "To Stop the Car"; and "The Spark Control", these well prepared instructions were very successfully read & very well understood by millions of first-time Model A drivers, (both men & also many young & old women), who owned Model A's years ago.

Over the years, there have been thousands & thousands of questions asked on Model A Forums & everywhere else one could imagine for which many of the answers are already provided in this one small book.
 
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jjcom said:
clutch, neutral, let off clutch, blip the throttle, clutch, then second. Normally you can feel the gears a little bit so you can tell when it's ok to complete the shift.
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That's how I do it...you need to blip the throttle to match the speed of the engine to the speed of the driveshaft. With practice it becomes second nature...
 
I downshift going into EVERY corner whether a right or left turn. In forty years I may have done a left turn in third gear two or three times.
 
Just posted this for a new thread. Maybe you and I can figure this out together, with help from the Barn.

"I was just reading a thread from Banky, who is kinda new like me.

I would love to hear about some technique on downshifting for next spring (she's hibernating) when I take the 29 Tudor back out.

I tried 2ble clutching to downshift a couple times this summer, but my teeth made just as much noise as the gears!

Does each clutch have its own personality! Do I just keep practicing till I get it and will I roast the clutch/gears in the learning process?

Finally snowing here in NH! Cheers everybody!"
 
Ride, watch and practice with someone who is good at it. It takes a good ear for rpm. Clutch engagement point is important. You don't need to put the pedal all the way down.
 
I like to downshift especially when my son is riding with me, because he can't do it no matter how hard he tries.He gets so frustrated. It's a learned thing and you just have to feel it. Sometimes it takes a couple of "blips" on the gas and you can feel the transmission gears through the gearshift lever. I can even downshift into first gear when pulling into the driveway to park. Got to be going pretty slow for that one though. Just keep at it - it will come in time.
 
Dal's Dream Car said:
Just posted this for a new thread. Maybe you and I can figure this out together, with help from the Barn.

"I was just reading a thread from Banky, who is kinda new like me.

I would love to hear about some technique on downshifting for next spring (she's hibernating) when I take the 29 Tudor back out.

I tried 2ble clutching to downshift a couple times this summer, but my teeth made just as much noise as the gears!

Does each clutch have its own personality! Do I just keep practicing till I get it and will I roast the clutch/gears in the learning process?

Finally snowing here in NH! Cheers everybody!"
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One thing I can say which I think is noteworthy. You will need to rev the engine a little more than you might think at any given speed.

marty in Ohio said:
I like to downshift especially when my son is riding with me, because he can't do it no matter how hard he tries.He gets so frustrated. It's a learned thing and you just have to feel it. Sometimes it takes a couple of "blips" on the gas and you can feel the transmission gears through the gearshift lever. I can even downshift into first gear when pulling into the driveway to park. Got to be going pretty slow for that one though. Just keep at it - it will come in time.
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It's been common for me to downshift into first between 10-15 mph. I'm actually trying to break the habit as there is no need except possibly on a steep downhill. My main purpose in downshifting is to ALWAYS be in a position to accelerate when/if needed. That is doable at about 5 mph in second and you only go slower than that if you are stopping. That basically means I've really done it all these years for fun but technically it's a waste of time.

Bruce said:
Ride, watch and practice with someone who is good at it. It takes a good ear for rpm. Clutch engagement point is important. You don't need to put the pedal all the way down.
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That is the best way. In the 70's (before kids) we went on several long trips in the '29 Roadster that was my everyday car when I met Susan. She was in that car for thousands of miles. For the life of me I don't know why I never had her drive it. In late '79 (after settling into a new house) one day I asked Susan if she wanted to drive it. Of course she said SURE! After the first half mile around the neighborhood where she missed couple shifts I told her "relax, you won't hurt anything" and almost immediately she was hitting every up and downshift. She was doing everything at similar speeds that she grew accustom to feeling and hearing. Experiencing it is everything. I was proud to say the least as Susan was managing that little Roadster in less than two minutes like few "A" owners I've known could do after YEARS!
 
Back when the '29 business coupe was my daily driver, I had a really tough right turn on to a 2 lane, off a busy 4 lane which was tighter than 90 deg. I was moving pretty fast on the 4 lane and double clutching was absolutely necessary to keep moving after the turn. I found that I did not have enough hands and feet, so early on resorted to doing the above mentioned throttle blip with the hand throttle. Worked great, as it allowed the feet to do the clutch & brake and left hand to do a good bit of the steering. Meanwhile the right hand tried to keep up with shifting, blipping, and rest of the steering.
 
I agree with H. L. Chauvin The "Ford Model "A" Instruction Book" is great!

Double Clutch to Down Shifting
To down shift from third to second: Disengage (push in) the clutch, shift to neutral, reengage (let up) the clutch and rev the engine; then disengage the clutch again and shift to second, after which reengage the clutch. Basically: "clutch-neutral-clutch-rev-clutch-shift"... fairly quick.



dwnShift.gif
 
This has just been well covered.. I'll just repeat that it takes practice.. Most fellas tend to 'blip' the throttle,, I hit the throttle to raise the engine speed and leave it there.. Did I mention that all this takes is practice ?? Lots of it..
 
Marco--
I also agree with you about going around a corner in 3rd gear....I hardly ever do that, unless I am rolling pretty good through a left turn. Some guys sound like they do it all the time, even slow right turns. I am not sure why, as you would have to retard the spark that slow and then very slowly accelerate to avoid lugging. A quick downshift to 2nd is easy and then the car is ready to accelerate smoothly, plus it keeps you in good practice on "blipping" the throttle correctly.
 
Patrick L. said:
...it takes practice.. Most fellas tend to 'blip' the throttle,, I hit the throttle to raise the engine speed and leave it there.. Did I mention that all this takes is practice ?? Lots of it..
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Yup - there's no substitute for just getting out there and actually doing it yourself.
I'm a relative newbie (bought my Town Sedan just over a year ago), but after the first month or so of driving had no problem with (not) grinding gears at all, either up or downshifting. Upshifting was much easier to get right, though. Now I don't even think about it - it's just "driving" to me. It also might have helped that I had previously driven a modern stick for 13 years; I can't remember what it was like to first learn driving a manual transmission from scratch.

Edit:
Oh, yeah - I ALWAYS downshift when going around corners, and I also occasionally find the need to do so when that red light suddenly turns green and I've already slowed the car down in preparation for stopping.
 
Double clutching is ONLY helpful for downshifting when you ROAR! UP to match your input shaft speed to the car speed for whatever next lower you are going into. Double clutching on upshifts does NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZERO!!!!! Wonder who started that oooooold TALE???????? Just learn to wait, in neutral, on upshifts, 'til the engine comes down to the right speed to easily "slip" into the next higher gear!! It ain't ROCKET SCIENCE. You just have to adapt YOURSELF to an ooooold straight cut sliding gear transmission. There are NO tricks to HURRY up the shifting with a Model A transmission, except for some of that GUMMY-GOO gear oil that MAY speed up shifting, ever so slightly, (SIGH!) Chief never taught me HOW to shift, I just did what I had seen him do for years, I'd add my own VOCAL motor sounds as I drove, RUDDIN, RRRRR, RUDIN, RUDIN, and he'd LAUGH like a KRAZY man!!!!!! Such fun crap to recomember!!!!! Bill W.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Double clutching is ONLY helpful for downshifting when you ROAR! UP to match your input shaft speed to the car speed for whatever next lower you are going into. Double clutching on upshifts does NOTHING, NADA, ZIP, ZERO!!!!! Wonder who started that oooooold TALE???????? Just learn to wait, in neutral, on upshifts, 'til the engine comes down to the right speed to easily "slip" into the next higher gear!! It ain't ROCKET SCIENCE. You just have to adapt YOURSELF to an ooooold straight cut sliding gear transmission. There are NO tricks to HURRY up the shifting with a Model A transmission, except for some of that GUMMY-GOO gear oil that MAY speed up shifting, ever so slightly, (SIGH!) Chief never taught me HOW to shift, I just did what I had seen him do for years, I'd add my own VOCAL motor sounds as I drove, RUDDIN, RRRRR, RUDIN, RUDIN, and he'd LAUGH like a KRAZY man!!!!!! Such fun crap to recomember!!!!! Bill W.
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You are correct in that it isn't needed for upshifting. However I'm not the "laid back" kinda guy and don't like to wait So I "make it happen". Necessary? no. Faster? yes. I'm always in the gear I want to be in when I want to be there! With that said it's still as relaxing and therapeutic for me to drive one of the A's as anyone else that finds it somewhat an escape from daily issues.
 
Marco Tahtaras said:
You are correct in that it isn't needed for upshifting. However I'm not the "laid back" kinda guy and don't like to wait So I "make it happen". Necessary? no. Faster? yes. I'm always in the gear I want to be in when I want to be there! With that said it's still as relaxing and therapeutic for me to drive one of the A's as anyone else that finds it somewhat an escape from daily issues.
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You're totally right about the "ESCAPE," Marco,
Minerva was like a TIME machine, the moment she fired, my mind was 1,331 miles away, (Sigh!) Bill W.
 

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