Why do you need to downshift in manual cars?

Question

Should you downshift or hold in the clutch and coast when you are slowing down in a stick shift (manual)?

Answer 1

you don't need to, infact downshifting and holding in the clutch both add extra wear to the drivetrain. Brakes are to slow your car not your drivetrain, so don't downshift. Gears make you go. it is best to leave it in gear and when the engine rpm's start getting too low like at 10mph then you can put the car into neutral

Mr T are you retarded because i pitty the fool who thinks that replacing a clutch and other related parts is cheaper then brake pads and rotors. Brakes are much cheaper, oviously you are the most retarded mechanic out there.

Answer 2

In a manual, or standard, there are a number of reasons to and not to downshift.

If you're coming to a stop, remain in the gear you're in until the engine reaches idle before depressing the clutch.

If you're on steep hills, downshifting is recommended to "save" the brakes, also known as engine braking, where the brake components could get too hot. Brakes work by converting kinetic energy to heat energy, the heat dissipates into the atmosphere, the brake pads, or shoes, rotors, drums and slave cylinders. Boiling the fluid in the cylinders massively decreases the command authority that the master cylinder, (connected to the brake pedal,) has over the slave cylinders.

Meaning that if you're going down a long steep hill, or have noticed loss of brake efficiency, you should downshift and save the brakes for when you really need them.

If you're simply changing speeds, say entering a school zone on a rural highway, slow down until you need to downshift to keep the engine operating and producing power and just above idle.

The easiest clutch in the world to replace is not something the weekend mechanic looks forward to, and it's expensive to have a shop do it. On rear-wheel drives, the transmission and engine have to be split, the clutch plate removed, and it's typically a good time to replace the throwout bearing and pilot bearing, inspect the slave cylinder, then restab the transmission, (a chore in and of itself,) bolt everything back, (don't forget the loctite,) and try not to smash a finger in the process. Or you go to a shop and write a very large check.

Doing it yourself is a pain in the @ss, and going to a shop will leave you with a pounding sensation in your shorts.

Downshift as needed, not with every stop, preserve your clutch, conserve your brakes, and conserve the balance of your bank account.

DGI

Answer 3

the first poster is wrong. putting the car in neutral and coasting (or pushing the clutch in) take the gears away from each other. therefore there is no way to burn out the clutch. when you downshift in order to slow your vehicle, you are shoving the input shaft (which is moving at the speed of the engine) into the output shaft (which is moving at the speed of the vehicle). This is very hard on the clutch, as it is pressing up against another material that is moving much faster than it. This causes the clutch disk to wear out. Brake pads are much cheaper, so use the brakes instead of the clutch to slow down.

Answer 4

Yes, but be sure to downshift to the next gear down. Don't try to go from 5 or 4 to 2 without braking. A gradual downshift should feel just like an automatic car, when you go from Drive gear down to 3 and 2, which I use when driving on offramps on the highway sometimes. Why won't you get your brakes fixed? I hope you're not trying to downshift as a substitute for braking, because you could never downshift to first gear, for instance. That would be dangerous to car and driver.

Answer 5

You should never coast in neutral or with the clutch depressed. Shifting down saves your brakes. When you select a lower gear, the engine act as a compressor, in effect slowing the vehicle without aid of the brakes. The time to hold the clutch in is when you about to come to a complete stop.

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Answer 6

Downshifting is down to help slow a car down when you are trying to slow down or stop. Staying in the same gear will keep you at higher speeds longer. An automatic transmission does it on its own.

Answer 7

If I want to coast, I will shift into neutral. Try not to use your clutch to slow yourself down all of the time, because it will wear out your clutch over time. Breaks are less costly to replace.

Answer 8

You downshift to slow the car down, but if you hold in the clutch, you are not in control of the car, it is still in neutral. Never hold the clutch in and coast, you will burn out the clutch.

Answer 9

It seems to me that the reason to downshift is to save gas. If you disengage the clutch, the engine must burn fuel to keep running. If the engine is kept spinning by being connected to the wheels as you slow down, the governor will cut off all gas to the engine. Downshifting does increase the wear on the clutch, gears, bearings, and tires.

So, if you re leasing or renting and have to pay for the gas, or planning to sell your car before the drive train wears out, you re better off downshifting. But if your car is old and you re trying to get the most miles out of it before a major breakdown turns it into scrap, coast.

Answer 10

Ask yourself what you'd rather have fail. The clutch or the brakes. Brakes are easy to fix, but the rest of the vehicle is a little harder to repair when you run into a tree.