Car jolting when i drop down a gear

[Alixw]

Can anyone tell me if I am doing something wrong? Whenever I drop down a gear, say from 3rd to 2nd turn a corner, no matter how slowly I take my foot off the clutch, the car jolts forward. Is it me or the car?

[Ward-Minter]

It could be you. Are you a newly qualified driver?

It is not the speed you take your foot off the clutch it is the interactaion and timing with the accelerator pedal. I am aware that driving schools tell you the two feet should never be used together apart from on a hill start (have things changed since?)

When you drop gear your revs go up. Match the anticipated rev with your right foot before the gear is engaged. If you have heard of double-d-cluctch (before syncromeshes were invented) then this it.

1) Foot off accelerator

2) Engage gear with full clutch

3) Match revs whilst still engaging clutch

4) Lift off clutch whilst accelerating.

(2 and 3) are done very quickly

There are hundreda of websites explaining this with diagrams better than me.

[funkymoped]

find a quiet place to practice. try going for a quicker method, quicker as in the way you work your pedals NOT speed. there is no 100% correct way of driving, its down to the individual. a driving school or instructor can only advise. better driving techniques can only come with time and experience.

[Toureman]

Ward-Minter does not know how to double-de-clutch or do an emergency stop by using both feet together, one on the clutch and one on the brake!

This is the correct method to double-de-clutch when changing down a gear....

Press the clutch pedal down and lift your foot off the accelerater then move the gear lever into neutral, then take your foot off the clutch.

Blip the accelerater to increase the engine revs to match the revs of the gear you wish to engage, then press the clutch pedal down and engage the lower gear, and release your clutch.

To double-de-clutch when changing to a higher gear it is the same method but you do not blip the accelerater.

double -de-clutching is just as fast if not faster than normal gear changing once you know how to do it but is really completly unnecessasary on modern cars.

It is probably you and not the car.

[qapmoc]

I don't see how the car can jolt forward unless you are pressing the accerator when you release the clutch, have you tried just releasing the accerator completely when you change from 3rd to 2nd, if it still happens maybe the problem is that the accerator is sticking and keeping the engine revs high.
If you sit in the car with the engine idling and just press the accerator and release it does the engine slow back down to idle speed immediately??

[Alixw]

Thanks for all the help guys, i'll give all the ideas a go. I do def take my foot off the accelerator when i change gear. I will also try pressing the accelerator to see what it does when i'm not moving.

[Keeprockin]

You shouldn't jerk no matter how slowly/fast your going,but for arguments sake,if you change from 3rd gear at 30mph to second.your gonna slow rapidly. No need to double your clutch as all cars are syncromesh these days. Just put a few revs on when changing down,with practise you'll soon find the appropriate revs needed for "jerk" free change