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Always been curious about this: I've never bothered to downshift and why should I start?

L

LOLyourFace

Banned
If I need to slow down, I depress the clutch to gear into neutral then brake to any desired speed.

*It's better than downshifting when braking to a stop because the eventual task of putting into neutral is already done, simply continue depressing the brake to stay still.

*It's better than downshifting when braking to a slower speed because neutral-braking makes the car feel much more 'free' becaues it's not bound to any gears and is not engaged to the wheels, eliminating the unneccesary wear on the clutch.

Am I missing something? 😕
 
Yes you're missing something. Going in neutral isn't always good.

Engine breaking is, in fact, good for the engine.
 
when you need to speed up again you'll have to shift into a gear, in which case your will lurch forward since you didn't revmatch (i'm assuming since you're asking this question), in which case everybody will call you a n00b since they're accelerating again and you're still shifting =P
 
so NSF4 started a lot of manual tranny posts this evening w/o even knowing it huh...

i never downshift to slow down... i've been in cars where others have done it, and being thrown forward is no fun
 
Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis
when you need to speed up again you'll have to shift into a gear, in which case your will lurch forward since you didn't revmatch (i'm assuming since you're asking this question), in which case everybody will call you a n00b since they're accelerating again and you're still shifting =P
Click to expand...

I simply rev-match when I re-engage. Takes a split-second and I'm good to go... I think I'm driving differently.. 😕
 
Originally posted by: Murphyrulez
The less you hit your brakes, the longer they will last, meaning more $$ in your pocket.
Click to expand...

So far to my knowledge:

The more you downshift, the sooner you have to change the clutch

and clutch is far more expensive than brake discs.
 
Keep the car in the gear appropriate for the speed. Don't shift it into neutral.

I have no real reason for this advice, however.

You're probably right, it does save wear on the clutch though... but unless you're launching from every stoplight, or have other bad clutch habbits, its longevity shouldn't be an issue.
 
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also seems to give me a better sense of control.
 
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
 
Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
Click to expand...

If you're going down a steep, icy hill, going down in a low gear gives you much better traction/control than going down in neutral with the brakes engaged to keep your speed in check.
 
Originally posted by: guapo337
Yes you're missing something. Going in neutral isn't always good.

Engine breaking is, in fact, good for the engine.
Click to expand...
Says who? I say it's not. Not that it's necessarily bad for the engine, but I see no benefit.

Don't bother to downshift. Brakes=cheap. Clutch and synchros=not cheap.

Honestly, transmissions are built to take quite a bit of abuse, but there's really no reason to downshift constantly just to slow down.
Dropping back from 5th to 4th, or 4th to 3rd for a long, gradual slowdown doesn't hurt the trans much, but going back into 2nd or 1st is where you'll work the synchros the hardest.



 
Originally posted by: KingNothing
Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
Click to expand...

If you're going down a steep, icy hill, going down in a low gear gives you much better traction/control than going down in neutral with the brakes engaged to keep your speed in check.
Click to expand...
If you're driving a stick, particularly in a rear wheel drive car, dropping back a gear on your steep, icy hill will likely cause your rear tires to skid and cause you call a wrecker. You'd have to be a complete stupe to downshift a RWD car on an icy hill.
FWD is a different story, but on ice, it could still lock the wheels up.

On ice, your best bet is to go very, very slow. If you're going fast enough on ice to even be in a high enough gear to be able to downshift, you are a Darwinization candidate.

 
Originally posted by: guapo337
Yes you're missing something. Going in neutral isn't always good.

Engine breaking is, in fact, good for the engine.
Click to expand...

Could you explain why, please?
 
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Originally posted by: guapo337
Yes you're missing something. Going in neutral isn't always good.

Engine breaking is, in fact, good for the engine.
Click to expand...
Says who? I say it's not. Not that it's necessarily bad for the engine, but I see no benefit.

Don't bother to downshift. Brakes=cheap. Clutch and synchros=not cheap.

Honestly, transmissions are built to take quite a bit of abuse, but there's really no reason to downshift constantly just to slow down.
Dropping back from 5th to 4th, or 4th to 3rd for a long, gradual slowdown doesn't hurt the trans much, but going back into 2nd or 1st is where you'll work the synchros the hardest.
Click to expand...

So on my turns would it be better to downshift to third? My dad has me slow down enough to get into second when I take turns.
 
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Originally posted by: KingNothing
Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
Click to expand...

If you're going down a steep, icy hill, going down in a low gear gives you much better traction/control than going down in neutral with the brakes engaged to keep your speed in check.
Click to expand...
If you're driving a stick, particularly in a rear wheel drive car, dropping back a gear on your steep, icy hill will likely cause your rear tires to skid and cause you call a wrecker. You'd have to be a complete stupe to downshift a RWD car on an icy hill.
FWD is a different story, but on ice, it could still lock the wheels up.

On ice, your best bet is to go very, very slow. If you're going fast enough on ice to even be in a high enough gear to be able to downshift, you are a Darwinization candidate.
Click to expand...

So you think it's better to ride the brakes down the hill instead of letting the drive wheels turn freely? My parents used to have a RWD Oldsmobile, not a stick, but I fail to see how a stick would be any different from an automatic in this respect. We had a big hill near our house that I always went down in a low gear when it was snowy out.
 
You have a lot better control when the engine is connected to the wheels, in case you have to accelerate or brake. The engine can provide braking force if your are in a lower gear as well as the brakes. With the trans in neutral you only have one pedal that provides any control and it's the brake and it can only provide deceleration. When you have downshifted you have the engine helping either to brake or accelerate if necessary in an emergency. I always try to limit the time the auto is in neutral because it equates to less control.

mdcrab
 
Originally posted by: SoyBoy004
hmmm...i've always downshifted, just a habit of mine to always have complete control of the car at all times...
Click to expand...

same here. I have no idea if it's good or not but it's something I've been taught and have gotten used to.
 
Originally posted by: KingNothing
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Originally posted by: KingNothing
Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
Click to expand...

If you're going down a steep, icy hill, going down in a low gear gives you much better traction/control than going down in neutral with the brakes engaged to keep your speed in check.
Click to expand...
If you're driving a stick, particularly in a rear wheel drive car, dropping back a gear on your steep, icy hill will likely cause your rear tires to skid and cause you call a wrecker. You'd have to be a complete stupe to downshift a RWD car on an icy hill.
FWD is a different story, but on ice, it could still lock the wheels up.

On ice, your best bet is to go very, very slow. If you're going fast enough on ice to even be in a high enough gear to be able to downshift, you are a Darwinization candidate.
Click to expand...

So you think it's better to ride the brakes down the hill instead of letting the drive wheels turn freely? My parents used to have a RWD Oldsmobile, not a stick, but I fail to see how a stick would be any different from an automatic in this respect. We had a big hill near our house that I always went down in a low gear when it was snowy out.
Click to expand...
Read my post again, slowly.
Particularly the part where I said "On ice, your best bet is to go very, very slow. If you're going fast enough on ice to even be in a high enough gear to be able to downshift, you are a Darwinization candidate
The point is, if you're going fast enough to be in a higher gear, and you downshift running say, 40 mph, it won't slow you down, it'll spin you 'round.
You went down that hill in low gear, but you were creeping along, not running along at speed and then downshifting.
 
You should always be in control of your car, and that means being in gear, as much as possible.
This doesn't mean you need to use downshifting to brake the car though... that's unnecessary with today's brakes. And the argument that downshifting saves wear on brakes.... sigh... how stupid are people these days?... :frown: Obviously brakes cost less to repair/replace than clutches and transmissions, so you want to put the majority of the stopping effort on the brakes.

So... the reason to downshift is not to brake, but because coasting in neutral means that you are not in control of your car. So as the car begins to slow, ride it in gear until you slow below the usable rev range of that gear, then gently downshift into the next gear, ride that until you slow below its usable rev range, rinse and repeat, etc. If you are slowing to a stop, it is unnecessary to downshift into 2nd (do that only when slowing for sharper turns).
Done properly, it is no harder on your car's drivetrain than upshifting and should be smooth and unnoticeable to your passengers.

And NEVER downshift into 1st gear while moving faster than 5 mph. It is completely unnecessary and can damage your transmission.
 
Originally posted by: LOLyourFace
Originally posted by: Joeyman
If you're ever going down a steep grade, downshifting is good. I downshift because it also allows seems to give me a better sense of control.
Click to expand...

you're talking about the 'feel' you get, but what's the real, hard, factual advantage? I still fail to see it...

going down a steep hill, how does that make any difference?
Click to expand...

Have you ever driven in San Fran? Going in an out of traffic on steep hills is impossible without downshifting.

Yeah its a 'feel' you get when you downshift. I've got the whole engine behind me and in my control so incase somthing happens I can zip out of the way instead of throwing the truck back into gear (rwd toyo tacoma) and wasting that extra second.
 
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
On ice, your best bet is to go very, very slow. If you're going fast enough on ice to even be in a high enough gear to be able to downshift[/b], you are a Darwinization candidate.
Click to expand...
*knock knock*

When driving on ice, 1st gear usually exerts too much engine torque on the wheels in order to acquire usuable traction, and sudden but very slight variations in throttle can cause a loss of control. This is why experienced manual drivers upshift in such conditions even when travelling at relatively low speeds.
 
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