Leave MT car in gear when braking, or go to neutral?

[Throckmorton]

Who here double clutches? I don't because I can't do it quickly, unless I'm slowing down on the highway and have lots of time. I downshift then rev match while releasing the clutch pedal.

 

[JCH13]

I do not double clutch because someone invented synchro-mesh making double-clutching absolutely pointless, Mr. Diesel.

 

[Arkaign]

People keep associating 'engine braking' with 'aggressive downshifting.' This is not accurate.

I use engine braking like crazy, and I never coast in neutral unless I'm deciding on which gear I want to use (like when there's sudden traffic or something, and I stop in the middle of an upshift).

I do not downshift through the gears when slowing down. I leave it in the higher gear, and shift into whatever gear is proper when I then need to accelerate.

I'm not even sure how people do this. Unless you want it to be jerky and akward, you're going to be manipulating the throttle, which means you're using more gas. In addition to the time spent in neutral during shifting, there's also the effect of more throttle on your deceleration. It's just a pointless exercise.

edit: also it sounds like kiatech drives exactly like me. I generally use 3rd and 4th to limit speed in 30-35 and 45-50mph areas, respectively. If I get into the RPM range where I feel significant braking when I let off the gas, I'm probably going too fast.

And I do ride third like crazy. Unless I'm doing a really slow/sharp right-angle turn (can't 'apex it' very well), I don't shift into second.

Yes I get what you're saying. There are many different schools of thought on this. Proper downshifting requires revmatching your shifts, which indeed uses a bit of fuel (we should honestly throw fuel usage out the window in this discussion, as all the differences are so minor that they're irrelevant .. 99% of your fuel use will be in how you accelerate and how fast you travel anyway). Simply staying in gear while you slow down varies wildly by vehicle though. In my old F250, keeping it in say 4th slowing down from 50mph you would feel an appreciable drag which indeed helped slow it down even without downshifting. In my Focus, the drag was almost imperceptible unless you contrasted it with neutral. Drive 40mph in 4th, let off gas completely while not touching brake or clutch, and speed drops extremely slowly. Iow, once I found myself in a position where I was no longer needing the higher gear, I'd usually drop to neutral, and hold the clutch in and get ready to grab whatever gear I'd need (perhaps if a light *might* be ready to change and there's nothing in front of me, I might need 2nd, I might need 3rd, or I might have to come to a complete stop depending on how long it stays red).

In the end, as long as you're an aware driver, don't abuse your clutch/tranny, I don't think there's a *wrong* way. Some people say you should always be in a gear. I can only say 'ouch', living in a metro area where getting anywhere involves huge rush hour jams, sometimes sitting 3+ minutes at a stretch at red lights waiting to get through, etc. It takes me about 1/3rd or less to grab 1st from true neutral anyway, and even less to grab a particular gear while still in motion, so I don't fuss over it too much. It all depends on the situation though, if traffic is moving fairly well, there's usually no reason to be in neutral at all.

 

[imagoon]

Confirmed this with solid proof for ATG long ago with a datalog posted showing injector duty cycle going to zero and AFR pegging lean when TPS went zero and RPM was above idle target.

But we still have this argument at least twice a month.

I can further confirm on my speed6... .28-.32 GPH @ idle 0 GPH during engine braking / engine decell. 0 GPH of course inferring 0 injector width. Switchover on my computer seems to be around 1250RPM also.

 

[imagoon]

Who here double clutches? I don't because I can't do it quickly, unless I'm slowing down on the highway and have lots of time. I downshift then rev match while releasing the clutch pedal.

I used to double-clutch the 1943 tractor I used at the school where I did grounds work.

 

[Doppel]

I do not double clutch because someone invented synchro-mesh making double-clutching absolutely pointless, Mr. Diesel.

You're saying you granny shift and don't double-clutch like you should?

 

[Eos]

I haven't driven a manual (semi truck) since 2005, but I always downshifted. Without the clutch, of course.

Downshifting + Jacobs engine brake ftw.

Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKiVTQyZSgg

 

[JCH13]

You're saying you granny shift and don't double-clutch like you should?

I'm a n00b like that.

:awe:

 

[kitatech]

My Altimas (94/99) and current 05 Camry 5-speeds don't need 2x clutching...just a quick "goose" of the engine between gears is all that is needed to match RPMs for a smooth shift...ain't modern tech grand!