First off, I've been getting some mixed responses about downshifting on a stick shift...is it bad or not? Secondly, if it isn't damaging to the tranny or engine, how do I downshift properly?
2006-08-14 23:13:47 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I'd appreciate responses from mechanics, car enthusiats, and personal experiences or troubles concerning this....Thanks!!
2006-08-14 23:14:58 · update #1
Oh and to clarify, I'm talking about downshifting in order to slow the car down, pretty much making the engine help the brakes...not how to shift.
2006-08-14 23:19:39 · update #2
everyone is making this way too difficult. If you choose the right gear for the speed and use the clutch properly downshifting will not hurt any thing. Think of it this way if you come off a freeway at 65 in 4th gear and you use only the brakes without pressing the clutch pedal at some point the car will stall and it will be before you get to a stop. So either you can ride the clutch to a stop or down shift. Then if you need to accelerate again you're already in the correct gear to do so. Just shift in order and match the correct gear to the speed. I've driven every car I've had this way and just now replaced a clutch in my jeep with 224,000 miles on it.
2006-08-15 03:09:48 · answer #1 · answered by iwingameover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Downshifting is harmless to your engine. Basically it saves your brakes and I consider it to be safer to have the engine slowing the car down. It can cause a litte extra wear on the clutch, but very little. If someone says that they had problems because they downshifted, chances are that they drive like an idiot and abuse every car they have. I sometimes use the clutch when downshifting but half of the time I speed shift to save the life of the clutch because I hate having to replace them. I can have a car for several hundred thousand miles and still have a good clutch because I speed shift. Dad ensures me that I am causing damage to the synchronizers but I'm willing to sacrifice them for extended life to the clutch. It's all about personal preferance and which parts you prefer to wear out first. Good luck.
2006-08-15 07:28:22 · answer #2 · answered by jeff s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Face it, the car has brakes that are designed to stop your vehicle. Using the engine to stop the car does not hurt the engine assuming your not spiking the RPM's when you do it. BUT you are putting more wear into your transmission. Granted the transmission is built pretty stoutly, but you are putting a similar load on the tranny as when you accelerate the car. The brake pads only cost around $25/set, why are you wanting to save them? The most efficient in terms of gas would be to shift your car into neutral and then brake as needed to slow down.
If you think you have to shift, try to time your shifts to stay at or below the RPM's you normally run the vehicle in (your normal shift points in reverse).
2006-08-15 09:52:47 · answer #3 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with M.L about matching the RPM's. In a manual gearbox this is the name of the game. but think about this, every time you downshift, the shift is the same as an upshift , so in essence, you are doubling the number of shifts in your drive. (which i would say halves the life of your clutch) of course this all depends on how you drive and whatnot. however, while you may be able to do it safely. why would you not use the brakes for slowing down? brake replacement =a couple of hundred bucks...how much would a clutch job be?.
2006-08-15 06:55:13 · answer #4 · answered by silver_viper_tb 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is called a MANUAL gearbox hmmm. most of the time when down shifting it will be diffcult to downshift if the vehicle is rolling too fast. What does the manufacture say about downshifting? Read your owners manual !
2006-08-15 13:03:19 · answer #5 · answered by Silvertooth 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dude,
Down shifting is essential if you are going fast and need that extra drag to slow down your car. I would say that using the brakes is much better and also much cheaper as a new brake pads are relatively cheaper than changing your whole transmition. Usually it depends on the situation why you need to use the transmition to slow down the car for example if you going down a hill for a long period of time then I suggest you use you transmition to slow down as you need extra traction to negotiate the corners plus if you use too much brakes the brakes could overheat and render it useless. You wouldn't want to come down a steep slope without any brakes would you? So go ahead use the transmition in certain conditions. Enjoy!
2006-08-15 07:05:15 · answer #6 · answered by HAMIDON K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Down shifting will not hurt your engine in anyway if done at low RPMs'
You don't want to hurt the engine by over revving it,so when down shifting make sure the gear your in is low on rpms' before trying to go to the next lower gear
Now doesn't an Automatic Down-shift.....!
2006-08-15 06:19:25 · answer #7 · answered by Vulcan 1 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
downshifting is not bad if done right. you need to rev your engine (using the gas pedal, of course) to a higher RPM before you downshift, that will match where your RPMS will be when you downshift. say, if you are downshifting from 5th to 3, you would wanna rev to like 6000 or so. if you rev before you downshift it is not quite a shock to your engine.
2006-08-15 06:19:35 · answer #8 · answered by M. L 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
push in on the clutch and let go of the gas slightly and then just downshift and slowly apply pressure to the gas as you slowly release the clutch
2006-08-15 06:16:43 · answer #9 · answered by BEEFSHIELD 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, It Is Bad For The Tranny.....
2006-08-15 06:17:14 · answer #10 · answered by iLL_TeK_NeekZ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋