This is my first time owning a manual. I have driven them plenty, but have had no reason to get detailed knowledge on the best driving techniques. Question:

What is better: Downshifting or Breaking

I understand that you will always have to use the break toward the end of your stop, but heres the situation I would like advice on:
Your going about 60-65 and you have to eventually stop, but are in no hurry. Do you just leave it in gear and break? Take it out of gear and break? Or put it into 3rd, tap the accelerator to match your RPM, and then let the engine rev down from about 5000?

Thanks for the help.

G35Coupe B/B 6MT Aero/Premium

 

i am NOT a professional driver, but have been driving standard for 8 years.

leave it in gear and break: no, your probably in 5th and gonna stall eventually if you do that.

take out of gear and break: yes, thats what i would do. (then put in the appropriate gear for your speed after braking/stopping)

put into 3rd....: GOD NO, 5000 rpms for no good reason. thats a bad idea. you only want 5000 rpms on an acceleration for power. downshift to create 5000 rpms is unnessary wear and strain on your car.

6MT red/willow, premium, aero

 

I agree with the idea of breaking, not down-shifting when coming to a complete stop. As you slow, move it into neutral. Don't let the engine take the unneccesary wear of breaking the car for you. That's what the breaks are for.

 

yes, in general:

BRAKES are for slowing/stopping

ENGINE is for accelerating

 

just leave it in gear in fith or 6th and lightly apply the breaks this is a good idea to do beacuse you will save your breaks and this makes your engine do some of the breaking for you. It doesn't cause any harm or stress on the engine, as your rpms come down to 1k or 700 drop it into a lower gear until u come to a stop. peace

 

This one is simple. What costs more, replacing the engine or replacing the brake pads? There are some times when you want to downshift rather than brake, but in each of the questions you had and in most cases use the brake rather than downshifting.





G35C 6MT CB Willow Aero Prem

 

when you bring your rpms and let the engine slow down your car your eating away mainly your clutch and putting strain on the engine depending on how high the rpms are, or you could just drop it into neutral or stay in the same gear and break and eat up your breaks, its all on you...a little of both to equal out the ware and tare? nope, just drop to neutral and break...

 

Don't drive it like you stole it, drive it like you're making payments on it.

G35C (on order)
6MT DG/G

 

???

"Use the Forced Induction Luke!"
-Jedi
2003 G35C, 6MT, Navi, Black Obsidian/Graphite

 

For those interested in much more detailed discussions of braking vs. downshifting, you should do a search on FreshAlloy.com, where the subject was discussed at length. An interesting statistic came out of this thread however; apparently, one requirement for coupe ownership, is not being able to spell. Of the seven posts that used the word "brake" five spelled it"break."

 

"Of the seven posts that used the word "brake" five spelled it break."

LOL, must be a lot of previous domestic owner's there!! Most of their threads consist of the work break, vs. brake.
j/k, had to say it.

 

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll start BRAKING (not breaking) from now on. I just loved hearing the exhaust as it winds down. But anything to save the engine/clutch/trans etc......

G35Coupe B/B 6MT Aero/Premium

 

I do not think its an either/or thing . . .its not either I brake or I downshift. . .

To be honest, I think they are to be used in conjunction to exert maximum control on the car and to shorten your stopping distances . . .

Let's say for example you are travelling at 65 mph . . and then you need to come to a quick stop . . .jam on the brakes and slam the car into 3rd or 4th gingerly letting of the clutch until it catches . . .This will stop the car extremely quickly and allow you to be in the right gear if you need to maneuver around something. . .also, because you already slammed on the brakes, your speed would have decreased significantly, so by the time you downshift to 3rd or 4th, your speed should be appropriate whereby the revs should be at about 3000 rpm which is fine.

Example 2: Let's say you are traveling at 60 to 65 mph and need to come to a gradual stop . . .Leave the car in gear and brake, with one low impact downshift to aid in braking . . .In other words, brake the car . .as your speed decreases to say 35mph . . .downshift once to third, gingerly lifting the clutch . . that will help you slow down further taking some pressure off the brakes and not really straining the engine which at that point should only be at 2500 to 3000 rpm.

Remember, in both scenarios . . .you do not downshift and pop the clutch. You gingerly lift the clutch to let it catch . . .if the revs are 3000 or less than you could continue to let it out slowly . . .Again, since you are braking at the same time . . . your revs will come down quickly anyway . . .

That's the way I drive . . .I had a manual Volkswagen Corrado SLC for 8 years in which I put 96,000 miles on it . . the clutch was just as strong as when I bought it . . and I serviced the brakes only once at 48,000 miles. . .

If done right, downshifting and braking can be used together safely and effectively.

 

zman is correct both in his assessment of which item costs more and in technique. most state motor vehicle deparmtents will read you the riot act on NOT disengaging from a gear and "coasting" to a stop. and there's some validity to their claim that if you're out of gear, you do not have as miuch control over your car as otherwise. however, in a manual trans car, if you were to push in on the clutch while still leaving the shift lever in whatever gear (or a lower gear), and then use the brakes to slow down/stop, I don't see anything wrong with that. you'll still be prepared to "dump" the clutch (let it out quickly) and re-engage it.

there are times when you want to feel the engine doing some of the braking for you and at those times that's when you'd downshift to a lower gear and then let up on the accelerator to slow the car. sometimes, it'd be because you're on a beautiful twisty road. or, it could be you're exiting a main road onto a very slow (read: sharp) off-ramp and want to have/be in the right gear when you come out of the curve.

BONDg35c

 

No offense to anybody here, but I never heard of an engine or transmission failing due to downshifting (excepting idiot moves like going from 6th to 1st or something like that). If your not going to downshift, you may as well get the Automatic.

I also ride a motorcycle, and as any rider can tell you, downshifting is an invaluable tool. When you enter a corner in your car, do you leave it in 6th or neutral and use the brakes? No - you downshift to the appropriate gear, slow down, then are ready to accelerate out of the corner.

As another example - watch (or listen) how the Nascar guys drive.

G35 6MT/DG/Fully Loaded