Subject says it all. A friend of mine argues that one of the many upsides to a manual is the ability to use the engine to slow down. But another friend argues that using the transmission to slow down could cost more in the long run than using brakes.

So my question to you, the distinguished g35driver.com userbase..

What do you think is more adventageous, slowing down through the transmission, or through brakes?

Thanks for your opinions!
-Chris

 

New brake pads are a lot cheaper than a new tranny.


<font color=blue>04 G35C DG AT
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<font color=red>Long Island, New York, USA</font color=red>
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downshifting to slowdown...on purpose?? are u serious????

I will give that first friend credit in the since it is advantageous IF THE BRAKES GO OUT...a normal auto has no way to downshift when brakes go out....

but use ur breaks man and slap ur friend around for saying otherwise

'03 G35 Coupe | Black on Black | Performance | 20% tint | Clear Corners | http://www.cardomain.com/id/dabomb3

 

Being able to downshift and use the transmission to 'control' the speed seems to be a common arguement I have heard. I never understood it and apparently you guys don't either. I've always argued that the cost of an engine is worse than that of brakes.

I will give them credit though. In terms of Infiniti's warranty, you have a longer time to get free transmissions, than you do to get free brakes.

-Chris

 

The appropriate use of the transmission with the brakes is a valid way to control the speed of the vehicle. This means that you have to be aware of the speed vs RPM etc. It is certainly not a good thing to slow from 60 by stick it into second gear. But I think you can slow from 60 (drop to 4th & brake) when you exiting a highway in prepartion for powering thru the corner.

 

This may be a really dumba$$ question then. But how does an auto tranny slow down----doesn't it itself automatcally downshift while you are pressing the brakes? I guess it just waits until the car is slow enough to downshift w/out making the revs jump.

 

auto tranny isn't always in gear.. i dunno about the g35's auto, but many other autos (if not all?) disengage using the torque converter. Which is why if you aren't pressing the gas, the rpms may drop to just above stall point..

as for engine braking, I do it all the time. If you know how to rev match correctly, and you trust your synchros (or you double clutch too, which I don't...), it isn't bad for your transmission.

Imagine how much stress is put onto a tranny when you're accelerating... engine braking is just letting the internal friction slow the car down.

On that note, I agree about not putting it into 2nd while doing 60 mph... but yeah i'll downshift from 6th to 4th when doing 60 all the time. Plus it's good if you need to accelerate to avoid a collision or whatever...

---
2004 Twlight Blue/Willow 6mt Coupe.
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Next Project: Carputer.

 

i downshift and brake to slow down, but now i'd rather waste my brakes than the clutch.

 

I bought my last car brand new and when it got stolen it had about 75000 miles on it and I downshifted to slow down from the day I bought the thing never had a problem I down shift to slow down in my G just the same and dont think twice about it.

03 6mt black/black

 

I downshift then use the brakes. You just have to be smart about it.

 

I think the only good reason to slow down with the tranny is to avoid overheating/fade of the brakes. With that said, I don't think that there is that much of a wear issue with the tranny if you properly rev-match.

 

I've been driving manuals all my life and never had to replace a tranny because of engine braking. You can argue something else: that engine braking will wear out your clutch faster because of excessive clutch use - but even that is a long shot. I've driven cars before to well beyond their 150K miles mark with the original clutch on and never had to replace it.
IF (and that's a big if), you end up screwing up your tranny or engine, which I can't see how unless you don't know how to drive a stick, you still have a powertrain warranty for 6 yrs (IIRC).
Clutch is a wear and tear part but if you rev-match and don't downshift in a retarded way (5th to 2nd for example....), there shouldn't be any problem.


<font color=orange>Atco Meet</font color=orange>

 

theres no reason to use your engine to slow down when you have breaks in most occasions. only in a racing situation would you need to do this more often to save time. I know of people that get a kick out of rev matching/down shifting through every turn/traffic slow down...but the posing gets old after a while. what ever floats your boat. but you do wear your parts faster when you do, its a fact.

 

I rev match and brake

 

I always laugh when this subject comes up. Does it say anywhere in the car manual, "Don't downshift when you slow down or the transmission might get damaged!" Do people really think car manufactures build manual transmissions to not be downshifted? If that were the case, then they'd put some safety device to prevent you from doing it.

Manual transmission cars are meant to be DRIVEN. This includes upshifts, downshifts, and sideshifts. How do you think race drivers shift - do they put in it neutral before entering a corner? Hell no!

If you want another opinion, ask anyone who rides a motorcycle (my other car is a Ninja). On a bike you use both the transmission and brakes to control your speed.

And finally, if the transmission does go, you're covered under warranty!

[rant ends]

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