View Poll Results: Do you guys downshift when decelerating?
Yes, all the time.
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232
22.92%
Yeah, most of the time
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355
35.08%
Nope, once in awhile though
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355
35.08%
Never
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70
6.92%
Voters: 1012. You may not vote on this poll
Downshifting
#141
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Originally Posted by Justin00SS
So what's the point of downshifting when your coming to a stop. You are stopping.
No need to keep power to the wheels because you are gonna stop.
Downshifting so as to that you don't bog the engine is just plain driving.
No need to keep power to the wheels because you are gonna stop.
Downshifting so as to that you don't bog the engine is just plain driving.
Engine braking though.
Extreme Example:
If you are driving at ~75 mph (this applies to the A4) and you go from 4th gear OD to 2nd gear the car is going to seriously slow down.
I would have to say if you drop to second at ~75 mph without touching the gas you might slow down faster than the brakes by themselves (initially). If you just drop one gear though it allows you to be lazy and not have to touch the brake pedal if you want to slow down.
You drop a lot of speed fast. I mean you drop speed FAST, you jump to close to the stock rev limit on the LS1.
Semi's do it all the time, hence the big *** NO ENGINE BRAKING sign on the road inbetween the two cliffs a bit before the Hoover Dam going into Las Vegas.
I have no reason to mention this specific one except that I sat staring at it for like a freakin' hour due to police check points preceeding the dam on New Years.
You probably know all that already though (except maybe the Vegas part...)
There used to be a post that a guy was telling about a time he was driving his Le Baron and wanted to be lazy so instead of braking he engine braked. Instead of dropping one gear he dropped to some ridiculously low gear like 1st or 2nd.
He ended up dropping his nose and ripping off his front bumper, not including psycotic engine damage. Something like it should have been at ~14k rpm's. It was a good story. It probably would have been ~14k rpm's is the entire engine didn't pop like a firecracker first.
#142
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![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by Justin00SS
So what's the point of downshifting when your coming to a stop. You are stopping.
No need to keep power to the wheels because you are gonna stop.
Downshifting so as to that you don't bog the engine is just plain driving.
No need to keep power to the wheels because you are gonna stop.
Downshifting so as to that you don't bog the engine is just plain driving.
![Driving](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_driving3.gif)
Originally Posted by Genesis_26317
Semi's do it all the time, hence the big *** NO ENGINE BRAKING sign on the road inbetween the two cliffs a bit before the Hoover Dam going into Las Vegas.
#144
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I had a friend who said he's rather wear out the brakes than the clutch. I never blip the throttle to match revs'. Thats what the syncros and clutch are for. In a tractor its more important. You've a lot of weight, those tranys dont like to mesh unless you speed match the gears. But in a car I've never had trouble shoving the stick down a gear so I really dont see any sense in blipping the throttle unless your arent using the clutch. Then you need to match gear speed.
#145
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Originally Posted by 99blancoSS
I had a friend who said he's rather wear out the brakes than the clutch. I never blip the throttle to match revs'. Thats what the syncros and clutch are for. In a tractor its more important. You've a lot of weight, those tranys dont like to mesh unless you speed match the gears. But in a car I've never had trouble shoving the stick down a gear so I really dont see any sense in blipping the throttle unless your arent using the clutch. Then you need to match gear speed.
#149
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i kinda taught myself how to drive stick, and i've always just put the clutch in, putting the car in neutral and then using the brakes. if im going around a corner or something where i need to slow down just a little, ill put the clutch in and then let it back out after. ive heard doing stuff like this is bad for the the throw out bearing, but like they say, old habbits are hard to break.
#153
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Originally Posted by 99blancoSS
bahhhhh!! maybe in a f1 race car its important but in an fbody I dont see any effect at all. None. Push the gas as your lifting your foot and you'll have a smooth transition.
#154
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Originally Posted by kookamunga
in open track events and some Autox it makes a big difference. to that end using the drivetrain to slow you down is not what the downshifting is for rather that's the job of the brakes. downshifting in our application is simply to find the correct gear that allows forthe most drive out of a corner. as others have stated brakes are cheap compared to driveline components. that said I have been guilty of using excessive engine braking to aid in braking due to sevearly overheated brakes and in at least one case to rotate the car thrugh a very tight turn after botching the entry.
I am just wanting to know the advantage of downshifting when coming to say a red light or stop sign.
#155
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Originally Posted by Justin00SS
Yes. In racing downshifting is critical to turning fast laps.
I am just wanting to know the advantage of downshifting when coming to say a red light or stop sign.
I am just wanting to know the advantage of downshifting when coming to say a red light or stop sign.
I downshift from 50-40 mph speed changes (5th to 4th gear)... heh... yeah, I didn't think so.
#157
10 Second Club
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Originally Posted by 99blancoSS
bahhhhh!! maybe in a f1 race car its important but in an fbody I dont see any effect at all. None. Push the gas as your lifting your foot and you'll have a smooth transition.
#158
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![Default](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif)
Originally Posted by Genesis_26317
There isn't.
I downshift from 50-40 mph speed changes (5th to 4th gear)... heh... yeah, I didn't think so.
I downshift from 50-40 mph speed changes (5th to 4th gear)... heh... yeah, I didn't think so.
4-3-2-1 ?
Then brake? What's the point in that if you know you are stopping. But if the traffic is just moving a little slower then yeah downshift instead of brake but if its a stop preplanned stop then why?
#159
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Um, because it's just easier. People who know how to drive a standard are taught to downshift when slowing because you never know when you'll need to accelerate again and you want to be in the proper gear. But if you like to dig for gears, go for it. You guys who don't downshift always end up being the guy at the red light trying to take off in 4th gear and slowing everyone down while you're accelerating by burning up your clutch that you just saved by not downshifting.
#160
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Originally Posted by N4cer
Um, because it's just easier. People who know how to drive a standard are taught to downshift when slowing because you never know when you'll need to accelerate again and you want to be in the proper gear. But if you like to dig for gears, go for it. You guys who don't downshift always end up being the guy at the red light trying to take off in 4th gear and slowing everyone down while you're accelerating by burning up your clutch that you just saved by not downshifting.
Anyone who knows how to drive a stick or has driven one for any amount of time knows when to downshift and when not too.
Do you downshift when pulling into a parking spot?
I downshift all the time. When I know I will probably not be stopping. But if I know I will be stopping I just let her idle.