Those with the 6mt... Do you guys downshift all the way down to 1st gear when you completely stop? I haven't driven a stick in almost 10 years. I kind of forgotten. I have been down shifting to 2nd before stopping.

 

No. I'll go down to 2nd most of the time. Never 1st though.

2003.5 6MT Premium Black Coupe Al. Pedals Grounding kit Borla TD exhaust PIAA lights

 

Usually I go down to 3rd. I will go down to 2nd only if I need to brake pretty quick (not emergency slam on the brake obviously).

2004 G35C 6MT DG/Gr/Prem/NAV/A.Pedals/C.Corners/C.Bra [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

Aren't you just supposed to leave it in the gear you are driving in as you brake untill you are at about 10-15 mph then throw it into neutral as you come to a complete stop? I was told downshifting to come to a stop wears the clutch out...

 

justme,
that depends, let's say you are going 40+ MPH @ 4rth gear and see a red light ahead downshifting to 3rd (if done correctly) will not hurt the clutch, but by just applying brake that kind of habit will wear out your brake a lot faster, for me I only downshift to 3rd most of the time and assist with brake, I downshift to 2nd only if my speed fall to 20MPH or less..

 

The general idea there is a brake job is cheaper than a clutch job. You shouldn't engine brake unless you're on a long downhill stretch or towing something.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Think of 1st as the gear used just to get the wheels moving. In other words: don't downshift into first gear.

<font color=red>..</font color=red> 2004 Black 6-Speed On Order <font color=red>..</font color=red>

 

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr>

Aren't you just supposed to leave it in the gear you are driving in as you brake untill you are at about 10-15 mph then throw it into neutral as you come to a complete stop? I was told downshifting to come to a stop wears the clutch out...

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That is true. But if you're going to drive it like that, why even get the manual? Half the fun is down-shifting, heel-toeing, etc. Rev-matching is the absolute key. IF I ever need to get the clutch fixed, I'll pay for it. It's definately worth the money(less than 1k) for the fun and experience...it's part of owning a sports car! But that's just me...

2003.5 6MT Premium Black Coupe Al. Pedals Grounding kit Borla TD exhaust PIAA lights

 

I agree. Brakes are way cheaper than clutch. Plus I wanna wear out my discs so I can buy the Brembo huge slotted rotors. =)

Who cares about downshifting .. Unless you really need to .. Hit the clutch and slam on the brakes. =)

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

brakes are not much cheaper I think since dealer most like to change rotors everytime you change brakes, when I check my brake pads I still have about 1/5 of an inch front and back and I am reaching 14K miles, base on this I think I will reach 30K for the next brake service..

 

Using the engine to slow down your car (instead of the brakes -- that's their job) over a long period of time will cause unnecessary engine wear and tear. If that's what you want, go for it!

-T

 

Never to first. First is to short. If you do it once, you won't do it again. Second is all you need from 5MPH anyway. Unless you be racing!

 

Well, now that they're warrantied, brakes are free for 3yr/36k mi, which makes them much, much cheaper than a clutch job. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img]

As for the whole heel-toe downshifting.. that's supposed to be used when you're braking hard into a corner, and need to be in a lower gear when exiting the corner. The lower gear is immediately used for accelerating, not for engine braking. You use the brakes to slow the car, and downshift into the gear that you're going to need to get going faster again.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

I thought that the 3yr/36k mile warranty only applies to cars with non-Brembo brakes and the coupe 6MT doesn't come with a non-Brembo option (atleast in Canada).....

Unless some of the above information is outdated or incorrect?

 

Correct,
The warranty covers only ATs.
Besides, I'm not sure if replacing the Brembo pads AND the rotors is much cheaper than replacing the clutch.
I'm not a notorious mechanic, but I have never heard of anyone replacing his clutch because he used to engine brake. I mean, yeah, no doubt about it - every time you use your clutch to engine brake you put more wear on the clutch. But unless you have a really crappy clutch to begin with, you should not get to the point where you need to replace the clutch before you reached something like 150K mark on your odometer at the least...
Again, I'm not a mechanic and I could be wrong. It's just that from my own personal experience (I've been driving sticks all my life - never own an AT car), I've never heard of anyone who had to have his clutch replaced under 150K just because he engine-brakes....


2004 G35C 6MT DG/Gr/Prem/NAV/A.Pedals/C.Corners/C.Bra/PIAA [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]