Driving a standard, getting it into first?

Y

yabbadabbadoo

New member
OK, so I got a 04 Mazda3 the other week and it's a standard. I have a couple of questions about driving it. First, when starting the car in first, should i rev the engine a little bit (up to around 2k rpms) and then take my foot off the clutch while giving it gas to try and maintain a steady state of rpm's, or should I take my foot off the clutch slowly and wait for the car to want to move, then give it gas? Of these which one causes less wear and is better for the car?

Secondly, when I downshift I "blip" the engine to match the rpm's to make the downshift smooth. How do you downshift without blipping the engine. I've tried it but I can't seem to make it a smooth shift and tends to be jerky.

Any answers are appreciated.
 
Rev then clutch is going to result in less stalls, and a more expedient start. With a bit of practice you should be able to easily get to the point where you only need to rev up to 1100 to 1500 rpms as you start.
Downshifting the blip is the only way to make it really smooth, but odds are since you're asking these questions that you will gain more from practice with the clutch than you will from blipping.
 
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