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Regarding using engine braking to slow down, I do it all the time and have for years. If done correctly, it saves brakes, doesn't hurt the clutch, and adds some fun to driving. It also helps keep you alert due to your involvement in driving the car (not just operating it). I replaced the first (and only) clutch on my '91 Mazda Protege at 200,000 miles, and the first set of front brake pads at 138,000; the first set of rears at 184,000. At around 100,000 miles, my 2006 Mazda 3 had about 80% of the front and rear pads left. Both cars were/are driven in the SF Bay Area, so there is a lot of traffic involved. I also drive in a "spirited" fashion. I try to have the clutch fully engaged before about 1,200 RPM, and double-clutch my downshifts. I learned to double-clutch my downshifts with my first car (a 6 year old 1960 850 Mini), as that was the only way you could downshift. I've done it with every car I've owned, and it adds that extra bit of involvement. I've never had engine or transmission problems with any of my cars, and have gotten long clutch life out of all of them.
Downshifting to slow the car down is senseless. NEVER downshift until the car is at rest.
Brakes are cheaper than clutches and transmissions. ThatsaFact
Nothing tears a clutch and tranny up more than downshifting.
Of course, it doesn't help that modern automatics are getting really good, especially now with dual-clutch transmissions and computerized controls for faster and smoother shifts. Indeed, a Porsche equipped with a PDK dual-clutch automatic can often lap race tracks faster than a conventional manual!
Of course, it doesn't help that modern automatics are getting really good, especially now with dual-clutch transmissions and computerized controls for faster and smoother shifts. Indeed, a Porsche equipped with a PDK dual-clutch automatic can often lap race tracks faster than a conventional manual!
Heel/toe? You NEVER need to do this on the street, it is a racing technique for maximum braking going into the corner and maximum performance accelerating out of a corner. The only time I do it is when I am running laps on a track. It will become even more rare as even the new corvette has a rev-matching 7 speed.... and less than 10% of cars manufactured today have a MT.
It requires a feel for the car and an understanding of synchronizing the speed of the engine with that of the drive train.
It has gotten me out of bad places on occasion.
Master that, and we'll talk about emergency starting in gear, without the clutch.
The operative word is EMERGENCY.
I wasn't aware all MT cars were RWD only...
I should be able to drift my Honda Civic then...
/sarcasm
Doing this in a front-wheel drive vehicle can get real exciting—especially on a slippery surface—when the front and rear swap in the direction of travel.
On many modern cars, the brake and accelerator are so far apart that heal-toe downshifting is impossible unless the accelerator is modified.
I'll leave shifting gears to my great six speed automatic transmission.
I'll leave shifting gears to my great six speed automatic transmission.
My question is, is there any harm in pushing the clutch all the way in and coasting down hills? I've long done it to conserve a bit of gas (I live in Pittsburgh, which is hill after hill, which means I get to use this fairly often). I usually actually shift to neutral in such cases, because I've noticed that, even with the clutch to the floor, there is some minor strain evident.
I think all young people must drive a stick until your 21. This will eliminate texting and calling and thus make the road a whole lot safer. Bonus: Young people will learn to love driving a whole lot more, because to use a clutch one must raise the awareness of the road and engage the brain. Now that's clutch worth using.
Is that bad for the syncros or do any other harm?
Engine braking puts no additional stress on the engine whatsoever, an engine can never brake harder then it can accelerate so stepping on the gas pedal puts an order of magnitude more load on the internals then letting your foot off the gas. The only exception to this is if your taking the engine past its redline in order to engine brake, then that would put additional stress on the components. Contrary to popular belief engines(that are running properly) do not experience massive wear from revving them up to even near redline. Thats why its the redline, past that point vibrations cause extra wear, not before it...
Are you serious????
Now let's be clear. I've never burnt out a clutch in my life. I already knew all these myths. I'm a driver that loves a high-performance car and driving in a ... "spirited" manner. But telling me about the wonders of man and machine found with a manual transmission is just hokem.
If manuals are so good, why are Ferrari, BMW and other hgh-end manufacturers getting away from them in their highest level performance cars?
Automatic transmissions have been around for almost 100 years. The first one was invented in 1921....in other words, only about 20 years behind the car itself. They are no longer the uncommunicative slush boxes of the past. And when using the paddles, they can be controlled just as well as a manual while being much faster and more efficient.
So please, if you're going to write for a car website, don't drag all these old-fashioned prejudices with you. Evaluate how it works, not how you'd like to see it work.
As for me, I have continuously driven a car with stick since the mid-80s, and before that, whenever possible back to the mid-70s, when I learned (the hard way) on my mom's poor VW Rabbit.
Even though they are harder to find, I go out of my way. This includes listing "Manual" as a required feature whenever I search for a car on AutoTrader.com. Doing so greatly reduces the availability of the model or increases the distance needed to go to find a fair pool of choices, but for me, a few days worth of extra effort is small price to pay for several years of a much more enjoyable driving experience. Unbelievably (to me), new cars with manual transmission are usually ~$1000 cheaper than the same model with automatic.
CA - VC21710. The driver of a motor vehicle when traveling on down grade upon any highway shall not coast with the gears of such vehicle in neutral.
There are several reasons why this is unsafe. The main reason is better control of the vehicle and also the engine can die in neutral (usually unkempt engines or in high altitudes but it can happen even in normal driving situations). A side benefit is that the car will slow down faster when the transmission is engaged and the brakes are applied versus being in neutral and the brakes are applied.
#5 Noone should attempt heel toe shifting on normal streets/highways even if properly trained. It's a method of shifting for track use, and any cop that knows their ish is going to get you for reckless driving. Granted... if your an expert then it might not be noticeable if your smart about it and don't push the limit.
One final point... I love how heel toe is mentioned as a way to help keep clutch wear down but nothing about double clutch/declutch. If anything you should learn the basics... then double clutch, then heel toe...
Down shifting- Using clutch or not- The Clutch is a convenience, it is not necessary. It is a great help to getting a vehicle going, but once going, you can shift quite nicely and smooth without it. In fact, if you don't match engine and transmission speeds, it won't shift. If you have a heavy load, going downhill using your brakes is a very bad Idea. It doesn't take very long before your brakes overheat. Once hot, they fail, and if you can't down shift, you better have a traffic free road and pray. Down shifting does not place a load on the engine unless you down shift to many gears at once, then you may have clutch failure and/or catastrophic engine failure. A good rule of thumb is to use one gear lower going down than up. (never use overdrive going down.)
I have only owned manuals the past 10 years, so off I went in Mini Cooper 1. A small 1.6l diesel that is supposed to get about 70 mpg highway.
My front brakes lasted over 95,000 miles. However, went through 6 transmissions in the same period. However, the stock transmission was garbage. I have a NV4500 HD now, and nearly 100,000 on transmission and front brakes. I use engine and clutch to slow down, frequently not even using brakes to stop at a signal light. Smooth, careful shifting and do not leave your foot on the clutch!
Never-the-less, I strongly prefer a manual trans to an automatic.