Engine Braking, downshifting while slowing down instead of being in neutral and depending all on brakes...Is it good/bad for the car? Do you guys do it too? Any severe wear and tear on tranny?

 

I do it a lot and haven't seen any damage from it but if done from too high an RPM range then it can cause some severe problems.

In otherwords don't downshift from 4th at 60 mph to 2nd because your trannyu and engine won't like it for too long.

 

if you rev match and double clutch it isnt too bad... but I personally still goto neutral and use the brakes. Brake pads/rotors = cheaper to replace than tranny parts.

 

rev match and double clutch?? I think you've been driving truck too long!

Downshifting when slowing down does not hurt anything... but like he said... do it when the RPM's wont go too high in the next lower gear. The speeds you normally upshift when accelerating NORMALLY (not racing), do the same when downshifting. When you get really good, you'll begin doing it without the clutch.

 

i dont know how to explain it, but downshifting through the gears when coming to a stop synchronizes everything and its much smoother when downshifting. for example, go 4 3 2 and then come to a stop and put it in 1. instead of going 4 2 1. my dad was explaining it to me when i was learning to drive my car a couple years ago and new to the game. it has something to do with the snychro's. if anyone can elaborate on this, feel free to help. oh yeah, another thing i never do is put the car into first when im still rolling, even with the clutch in. i always wait til im stopped. not sure if it helps, but its just a habbit ive formed. it just seems pointless to let the engine break in first gear ( i only let it roll in 1st when im in traffic). thats just me though. but ill quit rambling now.

 

uhhhh i don't think you can shift without the clutch in a car bro.
in a synchronized tranny yes, but that's on trucks

 

Actually you can although if done wrong can have some serious issues with the synchros. I used to drive around all the time with a few of my vehicles only using the clutch for getting into first gear. Its still not real good to do on normal vehicle trannys but truck drivers do it all the time.

 

I do it all the time... upshifting and downshifting... as long as its done right, you dont hurt anything, and it saves on the clutch. Of course when you really want to accelerate fast, use the clutch, as clutchless shifting usually takes a lot longer between gears, and dosent work too well when there is a heavy load on the gears.

 

more times you shift, more clutch you will wear out. I just usually leave it on the gear that i am in and start braking. As the rpm drops to about 1200, i put it in neutral and continue braking. id rather spend money to replace brake pads more often rather than dismantle the entire tranny and replace the clutch more often. Thats just my $0.02 and that method has gotten my dad to get 166k miles before replacing his clutch for the very first time in his 93 accord ex.

 

I think of it this way. The brakes are more disposable than the clutch, so why bother.