Manual transmission usage - downshift or brake?

[coxy321]

Personally I brake IMO saves the clutch.......

I tend to brake most of the time too, but thats from my old man telling me "Use your brakes when you can. Pads and discs are cheaper than gearboxes.". Is i have to slow down gently for traffic lights or something i'll use the gears (or if towing).

[REDNUT]

do u mean u drop it inot neutral when u want to slow down?

[coxy321]

do u mean u drop it inot neutral when u want to slow down?

Angel gear? Shit no! I keep it in gear, but i don't agressively downshift and rely on the engine braking as the main thing slowing me down. There's a big difference between letting the engine slow you down and forcing the engine to slow you down.

I know a few guys that mostly use engine braking agressively to slow down, and they are also the same guys that go through engine mounts etc.

On the odd occasion (usually in the city) where i have to brake overley hard, i'll use an agressive downshift to help slow down and avoid a possible lock up.

Does that sort of make sense? Its a bit hard to explain.

[Goatse.AJ]

Down shifting and heel toe gives much better control of the vehicle also, particularly in a rear drive car.

Left foot braking a whole different conversation, but it certainly makes for faster cornering in FWD and AWD cars

[Moph]

I guess it's too hard to teach road rules as well as flow and timing, which is 90% of driving a car and especially a manual IMHO. I work very hard at this, and I'm quite proud that I can drive at about 8/10ths (on a familiar road) with my wife asleep in the seat next to me. I'm not trying to talk myself up at all, only to point out that I think that driving quickly and smoothly is quite hard work and an end itself in a way.

Agree 100%. I'm a pretty average driver but do well remember a trip to Falls Creek with friends, staying off mountain. Shared the driving on a daily roster between myself and my mate ... he kept trying to 'coach' me on how to take corners faster. Ended up timing the trip on two similar days and found that while the trip 'felt' faster with him driving (due to his brake, turn in, reach apex, floor it approach to corners), I was about 10% quicker than him, simply by setting up for and taking each corner smoothly.

On topic - I always declutch, blip gently and downshift. Even my wife does it by force of habit. Should always be in a gear that is suited to your speed in case you need to accelerate suddenly.

[Gwagensteve]

On topic - I always declutch, blip gently and downshift. Even my wife does it by force of habit. Should always be in a gear that is suited to your speed in case you need to accelerate suddenly.

This is interesting Moph. Doing this (and getting it right) in my STi is quite easy, however, in my last two cars, Mini Cooper S and Renaultsport Clio, the electronic throttle didn't have sharp enough "no load" response to make this feasible- few revving cars is "dirty" so crisp free revving falls by the emissions wayside.

The new 370Z has a button ( I think it's called "synchro rev" that automatically rev matches every downshift. Many performance automatics and DSG type cars also do it.

Steve.

[REDNUT]

i always use the engine to wash off speed, i drive the gateway bridge everyday in peak hours, i find it easer to use the engine to slow me a little, only really use the brake to stop,