i hav a car with a stick and ive been driving it for awhile. I wanna know if im driving it right. when i drive to accelerate i shift from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and so on... but when i slow down i lik to put it in nuetral and coast to a stop. Sometimes i would downshift to stop also. Wats the best way to use a stick to save gas?
i have a Toyota T100 long bed 1996 with 100,000 miles on it.
2007-11-07 04:26:09 · 11 answers · asked by Alex S 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
in addition to this question this toyota i have does not show RPMs.
2007-11-07 04:34:43 · update #1
Downshifting at a stop will only rev your RPMs causing you to burn more gas, more wear on your clutch, The only good news is, it saves on your breaks.
2007-11-07 04:28:29 · answer #1 · answered by Zenkai 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Downshift only when needed to aid in stopping or slowing. Downshifting typically reduces fuel economy and is stress the engine doesn't need. Coasting to a stop is best.
The single biggest issue, and most common mistake, is leaving the clutch down while sitting still. Do that as infrequently as possible. Take the vehicle out of gear and lift your foot.
Number 2 is riding the clutch. Never ever ever ever do that. Same thing, waiting for the light to change, put it in neutral and pick up your foot. Just rest on the brake. If you're on a steep hill and afraid of rolling back, use the hand brake, that's why it's there. Apply the hand brake, then when it's time to move, put the thing in gear, let off the foot brake, take off as you normally would, releasing the hand brake at the same time.
Something I've done that helps, when stopping on a hill at a traffic light, is rolling back a bit, move up, roll back again, then stop. If the person behind you is observant at all they may realize that you will roll back when you take off. Some people won't notice.
Use the clutch as little as possible. Driven properly the clutch will last 100,000 miles or more (starting from new)
Something to watch for, never rest your hand on the gear shift while driving along. It takes time but you can seriously damage the transmission.
2007-11-07 04:30:42 · answer #2 · answered by E. F. Hutton 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
If the manual transmission vehicle is older with drum brakes it is a good idea to use the clutch and transmission to slow down because it reduces wear on the brakes.
Newer cars with disc brakes it is better to allow the brakes to slow and stop the car. As for fuel saving, it doesn't matter much. The carburetor or fuel injection system lets in just a little bit of fuel to prevent too lean of a condition which can cause popping or backfiring when you use the transmission to slow the car.. Other than that little bit of fuel it is just idling either way.
2007-11-07 04:32:57 · answer #3 · answered by don_sv_az 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually Chevdud97 knows what he is talking about, also. Technically you always downshift, but I do it both ways. Just depends on the situation. I mainly downshift when slowing or stopping going downhill. Rick has already said it, no need for me to repeat it.
2007-11-09 20:14:51 · answer #4 · answered by rcl.1984 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Never put it in neutral to coast to a stop, or even downhill - believe me - cos when you suddenly NEED that power for some reason, eg something suddenly appears in front of you, coming towards you that you need to power around... you're gonna make nothing but noise and you'll crash. Been there, done that.
Downshifting is fine. I sometimes go 1, 2, 4, 5 when accelerating.
2007-11-07 04:30:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Either way is OK but downshifting helps slow the car faster while using the brakes too
2007-11-07 04:29:15 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Technically, coasting to a stop you are not in total control of the vehicle. You should always downshift to maintain control. Thats actually a question for CDL licences...
2007-11-07 04:35:51 · answer #7 · answered by chevdud97 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
downshift to save on the brakes. Don't go from 3 to 2 at 40mph, but you get the idea.
2007-11-07 04:29:32 · answer #8 · answered by SRT4/Busa Guy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
put it in 1st then rev up to 1.5 rpm slowly let go of clutch till pull begins gass up to 3.5 rpm shift to 2nd repeat for higher gears....when u turn downshift to 2nd and rev up to 2 rpmtill after the turn and shift up! comming to a stop usuall just shift into neutral is the best for saving gas.
2007-11-07 04:31:18 · answer #9 · answered by ShannyBikdiK 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
just the way that you are doing it ..give the points to rocking rick........me,you and rick seem to be the only ones that know how to drive a car with a standard transmission
2007-11-07 04:41:16 · answer #10 · answered by james a 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋