Covering downshifting only-

Posted by Marco Tahtaras on July 29, 1998 at 22:47:13

In Reply to: Re: You know what really makes me mad -
posted by Rex Lasson on July 29, 1998 at 20:49:34

Rex,
The difficulty in down shifting the Model A transmission is due to the lack of synchromesh found in modern gear boxes.The solution is to manually synchronize the gear speeds in the gear box by means of double clutching.
When downshifting from third to second, depress the clutch, shift to neutral and release the clutch.Throttle the engine to the appropriate speed to to synchronize the countershaft gear with the second gear slider, depress the clutch and shift into second, release the clutch.
In short, clutch in, shift to neutral, clutch out, rev engine, clutch in, into gear, clutch out.
Matching speeds isn't as difficult as it sounds.The more you drive your 'A' the more you will become familiar the the engine sounds in all situations and speeds.Just practice a little and don't force it.When you hit the speed right it slips into gear smooth as glass.After a while you'll find you can drop it into any appropriate gear without thinking about it.
You will also find that double clutching when shifting up can be an advantage.while in neutral with the clutch released, let the engine slow down the drive gear, then use the clutch again and shift up.When the heat has the transmission fluid warm to where it doesn't slow the gears rapidly, this will speed up your shifting.
Double clutching at all times is a good habit.With a little practice you will automatically slip it into the gear you want at any time.
Enjoy the new toy!!!

Follow Ups:
Re: Covering downshifting only- Glen Weilbaker July 30, 1998 at 07:36:12(0)

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