Change that to "only on fwd cars." Down shifting on ice/snow is a lot safer than braking because the wheels are kept spinning, unlike breaks (minus ABS) which try to stop the wheel completely.
Change that to "only on fwd cars." Down shifting on ice/snow is a lot safer than braking because the wheels are kept spinning, unlike breaks (minus ABS) which try to stop the wheel completely.
LOL, I probably contributed to more than a few cases of road rage in my time. That reminds me of a few asshole tailgaters I've had back when I used to think I was invincible. Some jerk-off would be late for his decaf espresso or some such and get right on my tail trying to sqeeze a few extra inches off his destination. I'd downshift and dump the clutch without braking and let him get a real close view of my license plate; probably got a real nice view of his life flashing before his eyes too.
Of course the only time I would do that was when I was driving a company vehicle; I wouldn't do that in my car. And me being a family man now, I don't take those kind of risks any more.
That's not quite true. When you brake on snow or ice, you apply brakes just before the wheels lock. If they do lock, you can let up on the pedal until the wheels spin again, then apply less brake. The reaction is very quick.
With downshifting on snow or ice, the engine puts a lot of drag on the wheels. You are depending on the ground to try to spin those wheels to overcome the engine drag. In most cases, the engine drag is too much and the wheel will lock up on the snow.
Trust me on this, I've been driving in upstate NY snow for over 22 years.
What you're talking about is compression. When you let the engine rev high and you're not giving it gas then it will naturally slow down because of the compression in the cylinders and since the engine is connected to the wheels that slows down the car as well. Brake pads are cheap, use your brakes to slow the car. Engine braking is useful in hilly areas to avoid brake fade, but in regular driving there's no need for using excessive compression. Downshifting one gear and braking at the same time should be good.
If you see a red light far ahead of you and you're going at a decent speed don't even downshift, just put it into neutral and coast to the light. You'll save both your gas and your brakes this way.
Why do you have to release the clutch when it's in neutral? Shouldn't blipping the gas with the clutch pressed be good enough? I mean, it's in neutral anyway with the clutch pressed.
Downshifting can also turn the engine's crank into unsprung weight, if your brakes are top notch this would impede them.
You "should" brake as much as possible (rather than downshift) because it is rather cheap and easy to replace brake pads while clutch replacement is bit more expensive and complex. That said, I downshift a lot because (a) it's fun (b) your engine is typically residing in its powerband so if you need to accelerate quickly, you've got the power at your immediate access.
Down shift when you have to, don't use it as your brake! Your brakes are designed to slow you down, your clutch isn't...... besides anyone who says they down shift to save their brake pads is a moron.... obviously they never tried replacing a clutch before.... I will tell you from personal experience, it is 100 times cheaper and easier to replace your brake pads than your clutch.
In the same situation I shift to neutral and not waste the clutch. Brakepads are cheaper to replace.
Ok, the general opinion seems to be that its more economical to use your brakes instead of downshifting. Thats good, because thats what I always do (its a lot easier), but my dad always says that I should downshift to reduce wear on the brakes.
I only downshift when going up hills, or when the speed of traffice is reduced to a point where the engine starts to strain.
I only downshift when going up hills, or when the speed of traffice is reduced to a point where the engine starts to strain.
I would post the video of a mis-shift, but damn cyberwings is down.....
If anyone like to see an RSX Type-S misshift, contact me on AIM at PCMMX
If anyone like to see an RSX Type-S misshift, contact me on AIM at PCMMX
you're supposed to downshift. you're supposed to do 50% strictly braking, 50% downshifting so that you can extend the use of both parts longer. if you downshift too much, you'll have to change your clutch but if you brake too much, you'll have to change your brake pads. so use them at the same ratio to extend their lifetime.
Brake pads are $20-60 a set. A clutch job is $700-2000. Pretty big difference, eh? You want to extend the life of a clutch as much as possible. F--k the brakes!
Use the brakes to slow down, and downshift appropriate to your new, slower cruising speed, or to accelerate.
Use the brakes to slow down, and downshift appropriate to your new, slower cruising speed, or to accelerate.
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