Is It Bad To Downshift

So the way I was taught to drive stick was to downshift through all gears except for first when slowing down to a light or stop sign to save the brakes. But I have heard that I'm using more gas and that it's not good for the tranny. What is ur opinion.

Its cheaper to replace brake pads than clutch. I'll downshift during slippery conditions, like rain, snow and ice.

DJ, you were taught correctly.

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It's illegal because it's dangerous. You have less control of a vehicle when it's not in gear. You can't accelerate and the brake booster is not as effective when there is no load on the engine.

definitely better to keep it in gear, you want to have that control of the vehicle, especially in an emergency situation..

 

and it wont really wear on your clutch as long as you are rev matching when you're downshifting..

Nah... its not bad to down shift when slowing down. I use both methods down shifting and braking depending on traffic and conditions. That is part of the fun of having a manual!

As long as you rev matching when you downshift.

So the way I was taught to drive stick was to downshift through all gears except for first when slowing down to a light or stop sign to save the brakes. But I have heard that I'm using more gas and that it's not good for the tranny. What is ur opinion.

 

I skip gears when I downshift (save the trouble of wearing out the synchros).. I downshift to the lowest gear that matches the speed that Im traveling at to get the car ready if the light turns green... in other words, I rev-match (heel-toe to use more of the brakes to slow the car down instead of 'engine braking') to get the car into a gear that will get me ready to have the fastest acceleration when it's time to go or while Im rolling towards the situation.

if im rolling up on the light i just put it in neutral and if it goes green, put it in the appropriate gear and rev match then go. dont know if the rolling up in neutral is bad for the car or not, but it makes things easy.

I skip gears when I downshift (save the trouble of wearing out the synchros).. I downshift to the lowest gear that matches the speed that Im traveling at to get the car ready if the light turns green... in other words, I rev-match (heel-toe to use more of the brakes to slow the car down instead of 'engine braking') to get the car into a gear that will get me ready to have the fastest acceleration when it's time to go or while Im rolling towards the situation.

 

me too...except I don't know to heel-toe yet.. I brake-blip-downshift.

Its cheaper to replace brake pads than clutch.

 

 

Agree with this 100%. I heel/toe for turns and downshift, but not for slowing down. Even with heel/toe, using engine braking puts more strain on the motor, in addition to wearing the clutch.

Agree with this 100%. I heel/toe for turns and downshift, but not for slowing down. Even with heel/toe, using engine braking puts more strain on the motor, in addition to wearing the clutch.

 

How does it put more strain on the motor ?

I think it depends how you downshift to slow down. For instance, I like to have the car in gear at all times..I rarely leave the car in neutral when slowing down from say 40 or 50 mph. This doesn't mean I am down shifting to 6000 rpm and letting it slow scream down to 2000 and then downshifting again to slow down some more. That would place some strain (I imagine) on the engine. The type of down shifting I am referring to is at low RPMs..about 3000-4000 or less...in case I need to accelerate again I want to be in the right gear.

I suppose there are two schools of thought here:

 

1. If you know you're going to be stopping (stop sign, light with numerous cars waiting, etc.), then pull it into neutral and brake. If you're slowing down with the possibility of speeding back up before stopping, downshift appropriately.

 

2. Downshift all the time. I'm a proponent of this because I drive like everyone on the road is out to kill me. If you're in gear, you have four options if you're facing a collision: accelerate, decelerate, turn left, turn right. If you're out of gear, you've taken one of those options away.

 

I love age old debates

How does it put more strain on the motor ?

 

I wouldn't say more strain, but definately more wear. Even if there is no load, wear is occuring quicker at 4,000 RPMs vs. 1,000 RPMs.

 

Concerning fuel consumption: By letting the vehicle rev down in-gear you will probably actually use less fuel as the fuel injectors turn off under no load above ~1700RPM iirc.

 

My opinion is out on public roads, the brakes are there to stop the vehicle and the engine is there to accelerate it. You aren't driving a big rig! Brakes are expendable, easily replaced and relatively cheap, while a motor is supposed to last the life of the vehicle.

the manual recommends that you down shift, especially when going downhill.

Agree with this 100%. I heel/toe for turns and downshift, but not for slowing down. Even with heel/toe, using engine braking puts more strain on the motor, in addition to wearing the clutch.

 

+1 and yes there is more strain on the engine/drivetrain when engine braking. engine braking does little to slow a car down compared to a modern brake system plus it's harder to control in slippery conditions. whats cheaper a clutch or brake pads? bosco

*edit* eh was offtopic......

 

but i downshift

+1 and yes there is more strain on the engine/drivetrain when engine braking. engine braking does little to slow a car down compared to a modern brake system plus it's harder to control in slippery conditions. whats cheaper a clutch or brake pads? bosco

 

Again, I don't get why people say there is more wear on the clutch, when you downshift and rev match properly, where is the wear coming from ?

 

Engine braking is purely using the engine as a compressor, with no fuel or spark. That's the same compression that happens when you have your foot flat to the floor accelerating, but without the extra load of the air/fuel mixture exploding on the piston crown. Therefore there is no extra load on the engine at all.

 

Take your driving test in Europe, if you don't downshift properly coming to a stop, then you will fail.

heel-toe. That way you're not putting excessive wear on the clutch, and it's good practice, and you'll impress others with your rev-matching skills.

Again, I don't get why people say there is more wear on the clutch, when you downshift and rev match properly, where is the wear coming from ?

 

Engine braking is purely using the engine as a compressor, with no fuel or spark. That's the same compression that happens when you have your foot flat to the floor accelerating, but without the extra load of the air/fuel mixture exploding on the piston crown. Therefore there is no extra load on the engine at all.

 

Take your driving test in Europe, if you don't downshift properly coming to a stop, then you will fail.

 

I doubt it. Are you saying you have to shift down a gear at a time to come to a stop? I highly doubt it.

 

I leave it in the gear I'm in, take my foot off the gas a long way ahead, don't break until I'm close to a stop. When I get close to a stop, I put in the clutch, hit the brakes, come to a stop, put it in neutral, and pop it in 1st when the light hits green.

 

If it's a red light and I see it way ahead, I hit the brakes early drop a gear or two to slow down so I don't have to come to a complete stop, and if the light turns green while I'm still approaching, I don't have to use as much gasoline to accelerate back up to speed.

what exactly is heel toe?

I doubt it. Are you saying you have to shift down a gear at a time to come to a stop? I highly doubt it.

 

I leave it in the gear I'm in, take my foot off the gas a long way ahead, don't break until I'm close to a stop. When I get close to a stop, I put in the clutch, hit the brakes, come to a stop, put it in neutral, and pop it in 1st when the light hits green.

 

If it's a red light and I see it way ahead, I hit the brakes early drop a gear or two to slow down so I don't have to come to a complete stop, and if the light turns green while I'm still approaching, I don't have to use as much gasoline to accelerate back up to speed.

 

If you did that in a UK driving test, you wouldn't automatically fail, but you would get points marked against you. Get enough points and you fail.

 

It's marked as "Improper use of gears"

 

GEARS:

• Incorrect gear selection.
  
• Reluctant to select higher gears.
  
• Labours the engine.
  
• Does not match gear with road speed.
  
• Excessive speed in gear.
  
• Unnecessary gear changes.
  
• Used to reduce speed instead of brakes.
  
• Selected too soon for hazards.
  
• Selected too late for hazards.
  
• Coasting with clutch down.
  
• Coasting in neutral.

 

The full excerpt is here: http://www.learnerdriving.com/Driving_Lessons/DrivingTest/drivingtest.html

 

That's the way it was when I did my test there in 1982 and it's still the same now.

what exactly is heel toe?

 

here you go

 

http://motoringfile.com/2005/07/24/heel_and_toe_shifting_made_simple/

+1 and yes there is more strain on the engine/drivetrain when engine braking. engine braking does little to slow a car down compared to a modern brake system plus it's harder to control in slippery conditions. whats cheaper a clutch or brake pads? bosco

 

 

+1 Learn how to heel and toe or "left side of right foot and right side right foot". "Heel and Toe" is from the old days when the distance between the accelerator pedal and the brake was so wide that the only way to use both was to use the heel of the foot on the gas and the toe of the foot on the brake. Look at old car layouts and you will know what I mean.

 

In modern cars, you can use 1/2- 3/4 of your foot on the brake and the remainder to blip the throttle and and synchronize the motor with the drive wheels.

 

Think of it this way. You should be either on the the gas, on the brake or holding speed.

I think the original poster was simply asking if it alright to simply work your way back down through the gears as you come to a stop. I would say yes. Just make sure that you choose the gear that corresponds to the first number of your speed. For instance. If you are going from a 50 zone to a 45/40 zone; throw it in 4th and let it coast down to 45 or gently apply the brake. 45-35 3rd gear. 30-25 2nd gear and then use all brake from there on down. No harm done. However I would not try to force it into 2nd gear at 60 to come to a quick complete stop. Doing this will tear up your synchros, tires, tranny and clutch IF it engages.

How is letting the car coast under it's own weight going to damage the clutch. I think WOT acceleration is far harder on your trannny than coasting in gear. The transmission is in no way a substitute for brakes, but you do not need to hold the clutch in every time you press the brakes to come to a stop.