Also downshift if you are driving uphill. Even in long slopes, a few downshifts are enough to give you a little boost.

If you hear "Very long" and any number, it is often good to aim for one gear lower than the call. "Very long 4" indicates that you are aiming for third gear.

It is also good to downshift just before a bridge. This gives you better control of the car and you will avoid hitting the edges.

When changing surface from tarmac to gravel or from snow to ice, downshift to improve control on the more slippery surface.

When using semi-automatic transmission you can override the CPU's choice of gears. This is useful because several cars have rather bad torque. Often you can brake hard and then downshift one gear more than announced. For example, when your co-driver says "Three right" when heading in the turn, brake hard enough or downshift so you are in second gear. This will result in a slight acceleration when exiting the turn.