[Jeza]

DMF's aren't cheap, so glad I have a CTR clutches are allot cheaper.

 

[nEEdLzZz]

Continually using engine braking to slow down to a stop(or near stop)by going down each gear in sequence from 4th, will cause extra wear and tear on the gearbox and clutch, simply because you are regularly doing more gear changes than is strictly necessary.

hmmm i was always told to drive like this in town, to minimize brake wear and save fuel...

 

[WhiskyDelta]

I used to use gears to slow down as my first car, a 97 clio rt had rubbish brakes so I used the gears to compensate. I did it in my c2 vts and had no clutch issues but have since changed my driving style as the logic of changing pads as they are cheaper rather than a new clutch seems more sensible and it is meant to be the way in new cars. My mum changes down through every gear but when just cruising I skip gears up and down...e.g 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th from standstill then say 6th to 3rd if approaching a roundabout so in the right gear if there is a gap or if not straight to 1st or 2nd depending.

When having a sprightly drive, never skip gears up or down and while if I dont need to brake going into a corner I will rev match to a lower gear I cant do toe and heel braking so just brake and change down without rev matching which i know is not as good as rev matching but i am not Senna .....I assume what I am doing is all standard/ good practice stuff?

Regards

Whisky

 

[T41l589]

It's not the engine braking that causes the wear, it's the changing down gears that does. If you really must downshift for this reason, rev matching will ensure you do as little wear as possible to the clutch. I try and rev match to reduce the amount of work the clutch is having to do.

 

[WhiskyDelta]

Agree...now need to learn how to toe and heel so I can brake and Rev match

Question though, when I change down I slowly let the clutch in. There is no slipping as I am decelerating but feel if it's better for the engine and clutch to gently match the revs of the lower gear as opposed to a fast/ abrupt change like when you accelerate. Is this advisable?

Whisky

 

[T41l589]

Agree...now need to learn how to toe and heel so I can brake and Rev match

Question though, when I change down I slowly let the clutch in. There is no slipping as I am decelerating but feel if it's better for the engine and clutch to gently match the revs of the lower gear as opposed to a fast/ abrupt change like when you accelerate. Is this advisable?

Whisky

Yes that's correct. Harshly letting the clutch out while downshifting can cause instability at the front end. In some cases, a lock up. Smoothness is key.

 

[Forbidden8701]

On a downwards slope the engine braking effect in the CTR is so great that you can actually hold 30mph in 4th gear and not have to use the brakes to slow down at all.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Ron240]

hmmm i was always told to drive like this in town, to minimize brake wear and save fuel...

Seeing as i was the person you quoted in your post, allow me to reply.
Ive seen longer, but 18 months still deserves a -

 

[nEEdLzZz]

Seeing as i was the person you quoted in your post, allow me to reply.
Ive seen longer, but 18 months still deserves a -

I'd rather have a reply on my reply to your older post ?



When the bell rings, the bull***** stops...

 

[Ron240]

I'd rather have a reply on my reply to your older post

Well strictly speaking you never actually asked a question, but ok then i will comment on what you said.

I see you are located in Switzerland, but i dont know if thats where you learned to drive.
I learned to drive in the UK in 1984, and my instructor told me there was no need to go down every gear in sequence when coming to a full stop.
For example when approaching a red traffic light i was taught to change down into third then come off the gas and let engine braking slow the car, brake when necessary then press down on the clutch when the car is travelling around 10mph.
I was also taught that it is acceptable to split the box when downchanging after braking to match gearbox to road speed, eg.change directly from 4th to 2nd.
I used these methods on my test and passed first time. However i do know that some other instructors at that time were still teaching the use every gear in sequence method for downchanging.
I believe modern methods of teaching are similar to how i was taught, ie. it is not necessary to use every gear in sequence when downchanging.
When driving on public roads there is simply no need to drive like this because it most certainly will cause extra wear and tear, although relatively speaking it will probably be very little.
I like to drive very briskly when the mood takes me but i also have mechanical sympathy for my car, so my normal driving style is not to downchange in sequence with the engine revs rising and falling....rising and falling...rising and falling.
But hey.....everybody has their own driving style, and i am certainly not attempting to tell anybody how to drive.
Im sure my girlfriend will disagree with that last statement. :lol:

 

[nEEdLzZz]

Well strictly speaking you never actually asked a question, but ok then i will comment on what you said.

I see you are located in Switzerland, but i dont know if thats where you learned to drive.
I learned to drive in the UK in 1984, and my instructor told me there was no need to go down every gear in sequence when coming to a full stop.
For example when approaching a red traffic light i was taught to change down into third then come off the gas and let engine braking slow the car, brake when necessary then press down on the clutch when the car is travelling around 10mph.
I was also taught that it is acceptable to split the box when downchanging after braking to match gearbox to road speed, eg.change directly from 4th to 2nd.
I used these methods on my test and passed first time. However i do know that some other instructors at that time were still teaching the use every gear in sequence method for downchanging.
I believe modern methods of teaching are similar to how i was taught, ie. it is not necessary to use every gear in sequence when downchanging.
When driving on public roads there is simply no need to drive like this because it most certainly will cause extra wear and tear, although relatively speaking it will probably be very little.
I like to drive very briskly when the mood takes me but i also have mechanical sympathy for my car, so my normal driving style is not to downchange in sequence with the engine revs rising and falling....rising and falling...rising and falling.
But hey.....everybody has their own driving style, and i am certainly not attempting to tell anybody how to drive.
Im sure my girlfriend will disagree with that last statement. :lol:

thx for ** reply mate

 

[Syx]

My wife passed her test after I did, and she was taught to shift down through each gear - which I find incredibly frustrating to observe!
I don't really recall getting much guidance on it but I was in a position where I could drive before I'd ever had a formal lesson so I probably ignored whatever I was told :lol:

 

[Grayfox]

I will go from 4th to 2nd.

Shouldnt do damage as long as you rev match.

 

[hondafan2636]

I will often skip out gears when driving eg go from 4th to 6th or 6th to 3rd. or engine brake when going down hill in 4th and only brake when needed. but then I rev match all the time anyway. even if I am not having a spirited drive I still rev match on downshifts as it is force of habit.
If you can teach yourself to heal toe then great it does put less strain on your transmission.

 

[Jon_G]

Using the gears to slow down will obviously cause some clutch wear... the plate is spinning at a different speed to the flywheel/cover while torque is being transmitted. But I'm not sure I'd call it damage!

I use the brakes to slow down, not the gears.

 

[wulfe]

I use the brakes to slow down, not the gears.

What jon said

Better replacing pads and disks than clutch and flywheel!

 

[Tricky-Ricky]

I still use both gears and brakes most of the time, but then the cars and bikes i learnt to drive on needed both

 

[lucian18]

It is acceptable at a practical driving test to go down each gear,it's a fault but it is considered not worthy of mention as long as the candidate reduces their speed before each gear change.Having said that the examiner will point out in the debriefing that is advisable to skip all the unnecesary gears ie if your coming up to a set of traffic lights and your in 4th gear then you should brake in that gear until just before the engine starts to labour and then you should press the clutch wait for the speed to reduce fruther and then select 1th gear to move off again.