Sometimes I downshift and brake but most of time I just put it in neutral and then brake.

 

I like to use the e-brake as much as possible. Making a turn, pull the e-brake; stopping for an intersection, hit the e-brake; parallel parking, e-brake. wink1.gif

 

I first push the clutch in then brake, I was thinking to myself that I should brake first but I cant get used to it...

 

ANY change of gears requires a rev-match for the least amount of clutch wear. The perfect "shift + rev-match" will cause ZERO wear to the clutch. If I have plenty of time to brake, I'll downshift+revmatch and brake.

 

^^^ yes and with rev matching you have less wear on syncros wink1.gif

 

I ALWAYS match the revs when downshifting.. and for those of you who say it puts unnecessary strain on the clutch.. my clutch has 113,000 miles on it.

Basically, the who idea is to be smooth. If by matching the revs you can keep the car from jerking as you downshift, then you are less likely to loose control.

And btw. my brake pads cost $75 an end...

 

I've read a lot about it, and I think I even do it, but can someone easily explain rev matching to me? This is my first car , and it's a manual, and I drive it pretty well but some clarification would be much appreciated.

 

rev matching is when you match speeds of engine with tranny.

for example if you need to downshift from 4 (going 2500 RPM) to 3 you need to rev up motor to about 3500 RPM.

when braking you use 3 feet (j/k) left foot - clutch, right - brake and accelerator same time.

 

and if you cannot "Heel toe" , the term for using the brake and throttle at the same time.. you can clutch, blip the throttle to bring the revs up, shift down, and then hit the brakes as you disengage the clutch...

The whole idea behind rev matching.. is knowing your car.. If you know that as Dmitry said, dropping from fourth to third with the car currently running at 3500 rpms.. you are going to have to bring the revs up to about 2600 or 2700 rpms for a smooth downshift (not quite a full grand drop from fourth to third)

with practice it becomes second nature.. with a simple blip of the throttle, I can generally get the revs without 100 rpms of where they need to be...

 

I also use my e-brake with regular braking.

Stock brakes sux0rs. They are way too spongy, IMO. It can be scary in times of need.