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POLL: Manual drivers, how do you decelerate (to a full stop)?

P

psteng19

Diamond Member
Here's the scenario.

You are doing 60 mph in top gear (5th or 6th depending on the car).
You know you will be coming to a full stop and you have plenty of road in front of you, which is flat and level.
You know you will not need to accelerate (to avoid an obstacle perhaps), so it is purely deceleration, 60-0 mph.

I'm not asking which is the best or "correct" method, or which is best for the engine/brakes.
Just curious on what most people do.
Let me know if I missed an option.

I do A.
 
Generaly, I apply the brakes. I forgot to one time, and hit a car making a left turn. But other than that, I apply the brakes.
 
i engine brake.. and when i am close to stopping (less than 10 mph) either put it into neutral (which you really shoudltn ) .. or pull cluctch in and hit the brake.. and then when stopped moved to first.

I do teh latter more often, its the correct way to do so.
 
I don't know whether it's better for the engine or brakes, but I always shift down through the gears until 2nd, then I usually start applying brake to a full stop (so the people behind me see my brake lights). Saves brake pads this way, too...

Dan
 
Depends on how I want to drive

Most of the time just brake till around 700 rpm or so, many times I just shift into neutral because in city driving my brakes are more than enough that they'll be fine without engine braking

Some other times I'll go through each gear but I need larger pedals to be able to do it accurately.
 
generally stay in 2nd or 3rd while applying brake until about 10 mph (or somewhere around 1500 rpm)

then full stop.

I always try to stay in a good gear in case I have to accelerate quickly.

-edit- meaning I will downshift to 2nd or 3rd while braking from 60.
 
Typically revmatch & downshift (just because)..probably into third until ~35mph, then into second (~3500rpm)..slow down to ~20, clutch/brake.

Since I have a sticky caliper (replacing this weekend), I now have a tendency to stretch out engine braking as long as I can, so I don't have to fully engage the brakes. They work fine, but if I use them often they start to stick..which is annoying.

Edit: Btw -- coasting down a hill in neutral is technically a traffic violation..but I have never heard of it being enforced.
 
I leave it in gear and hit the brakes until it is no longer prudent to leave it in the gear I'm in, then I put it in neutral and continue braking. Why add wear and tear to my clutch when the brakes are cheaper and easier to replace?
 
Since Louisiana is relativley flat, I do A. However, When I drive in hilly terrain I will do c to save my brakes from committing suicide.
 
Why would I want to downshift thru every gear until I get down to 1st gear, then neutral and apply break? Unless I'm reading it wrong. Downshift to every gear will wear the clutch down, wouldn't it, with all that engaging/disengaging?

I'd let it go to neutral if I see the light in front of me has changed from green to yellow and eventually red. Unless by the time I approach the light I think it's about time to change back to green then I'd leave it in second gear. When the car is still rolling it won't let me engage 1st gear anyhow.

I'd leave it in the gear I'm in until rpm drops to 2k, then disengage and leave it in neutral and apply brakes.
 
Totally depends on how/where I'm driving. I honestly don't pay much attention, but if planning to come to a full stop, I typically put in the clutch, gearshift to neutral, gas off, add break, keeping the clutch depressed just in case, say the light turns from red to green and I need to stick it in gear.

For more spirited driving I do a lot of 4-3 and 3-2 downshifts. I never downshift into 1st unless I am at a complete stop.

Edit: Keep this in mind. It's much cheaper to replace break pads than it is a clutch.
 
I just hold the clutch and leave it in the high gear untill i need to put it into gear to accelerate.

When I?m stopping at say a stop sign or red-light I hold the clutch the whole time and shift directly from whatever gear I?m in, usually forth, into first. I hardly ever actually put it into neutral.

I have no idea if thats good for my car or whatever, but honestly i dont care, its old and a POS so...
 
Originally posted by: CadetLee
Edit: Btw -- coasting down a hill in neutral is technically a traffic violation..but I have never heard of it being enforced.
Click to expand...

Well how the hell do you prove one way or the other? At any rate, I usually just leave it in gear and brake unless I can see the light is getting ready to change then I'll just coast and downshift accordingly.

I do downshift to 1st if I dip under about 20 mph😉
 
Originally posted by: mugs
I leave it in gear and hit the brakes until it is no longer prudent to leave it in the gear I'm in, then I put it in neutral and continue braking. Why add wear and tear to my clutch when the brakes are cheaper and easier to replace?
Click to expand...

Agreed
 
Originally posted by: psteng19
Here's the scenario.

You are doing 60 mph in top gear (5th or 6th depending on the car).
You know you will be coming to a full stop and you have plenty of road in front of you, which is flat and level.
You know you will not need to accelerate (to avoid an obstacle perhaps), so it is purely deceleration, 60-0 mph.

I'm not asking which is the best or "correct" method, or which is best for the engine/brakes.
Just curious on what most people do.
Let me know if I missed an option.

I do A.
Click to expand...

shift into N, apply the brake

rather waste the brake than let the engine do the work
 
I do what you're supposed to do, which is apply the brakes while smoothly downshifting through the gears at the same time. Please add that to the poll. In that scenario (my car is a 5spd), I would shift down to 4th at about 55-50, and into 3rd at about 40-35, and then ride 3rd down to about 20.
If I'm coming to a stop, I do not downshift into 2nd, and I never shift down into 1st until the car is stopped (or at the very least at a slow crawl). I also heel-and-toe rev-match every downshift. It's so a part of my driving habits now that I don't think I could not do it, and it bugs me whenever I drive someone else's manual trans car where the gas and brake pedals aren't properly setup for heel-and-toe'ing.

Riding in neutral is a big no-no. Dangerous and against the law in some states. And IMO the way n00bs drive a manual. You learned to shift up, now learn to shift down.
 
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