I have friends that drive manual transmission cars and have said that it is a good idea when slowing down to push in the clutch and downshift through the gears as you slow down without letting in the clutch till you stop. They told me this after I told them that when I slow down that all I do is press the clutch and take it out of gear to nuetral and let the clutch back and then coast/brake to a stop. They said that doing the shifting through gears method stops wears on the synchros. Is this true? Let me know if this is clear or confusing.

 

They're wrong.

Your synchros are used every time you put the shifter in a gear (especially if you're moving DOWN through the gears, because they're being used to speed the layshaft up). They're not used when the shifter is sitting in the neutral position. Guess which causes more wear...

 

I'm not sure if I'm clear on this, but are they telling you that as soon as you know your going to be coming to stop you should clutch and hold the clutch down until you are completely stopped, in the meanwhile shifting down gears (at any specific speed? just through all the gears quickly?) while you do this? Doesn't sound good to me, but i'm no mechanic. Seems a bit extrenious to me.

 

Sounds interesting clutchperformer. There's not alot of info on manual driving tips that a new person just starts doing things and doesn't know if it's right or if it's ok for the tranny. Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

It's shameful that the manual transmission is such a mystery in this country.
I'm glad I spent the better part of my younth destroying clutches in my dad's manual tranny pickup trucks, in an effort to learn how to drive one.

 

what he was saying is referred to as "ENGINE BRAKING".....sometimes engine braking is good...but it puts more wear on the engine. Would u rather wear down the brakes and pay around 1000 to replace them or wear down the engine and pay 5000-10000 to replace the engine? Tats why they made brakes.....

 

 

Downshifting and using the method "Engine braking" does have its advantages, but for minimal wear and tear, rev matching is the most efficient way to slow down your car.

 

You wouldn't replace the engine, you'd replace the tranmission and it'll cost less than $5k.

 

That doesn't sound like engine braking to me...

I'm guessing he meant "out" because it's hard to move the shifter without pushing the pedal IN (not impossible, but too hard to do every time you stop).

 

Oops... I didn't mean to sound like I was making fun of you. Sorry if you took it that way.

Check out this thread for some more info on MT driving.

 

If the clutch is in (meaning depressed) ... the car isn't in gear. So what benefit is there to moving the shifter through the gears ? I dont see how that would do anything at all ?

 

Yeah I mean depressed-clutch pedal. I've heard that it keeps the synchros from being ruined. How? don't know.

 

Another question to add to the mix (I do not currently own a mt car): A friend once showed me how one can change gears without using the clutch at all, utilizing a 'sweet spot' where the gears overlap. This is done with no grinding or unsettling sounds coming from the engine. Does anyone utilize this and/or is anyone aware of whether this is bad for the engine?

 

Don't even try this!

 

I am one of those people who always needs to know why ;-)

So... why not?

 

While it's true that you can change gears without a clutch, you can do massive damage trying to find that "sweet spot".

 

Do you have to push in the clutch when you take it from any gear to neutral? Or do you just shift into nuetral with out pushing in the clutch pedal. I haven't tried it cuase I don't want to destroy the clutch. I don't know any better. Only three months of manual trans experience.

 

I agree. That's why there is a clutch pedal. Use it.

 

ALWAYS push in the clutch pedal before moving the shifter. This disconnects the engine from the drivetrain and allows the gears to do their thing without having the engine's power applied to them. When you shift into a new gear and then let the clutch out, the gears are sync'd up and ready to go. In the case of shifting from a gear into neutral, nothing is really "syncing up", but you still want to disconnect the transmission from the engine before taking the car out of gear.

 

My "friend" was a professional trucker. While driving big rigs may be a little different, he was showing me a trick on his 1/4 ton truck which I was able to learn very quickly. It is easily done on some vehicles when accelerating moderately.

Tap the shifter a bit and you will see that there comes a point when it very easily falls right into the next gear. I went from gear 2-5 with no clutch action whatsoever, and NO grinding.

 

Running the engine wears on the engine. Using the brakes wears on the brake pads and rotors. Rolling the tires wears on the rubber. Rolling the windows up and down wears on the motors. And using the climate control wears on the blower motor. Likewise, using the transmission wears the synchro gears -- but they may never need replacing.

Why do you have a manual instead of an automatic? So that you can put it in neutral and let it coast? Believe it or not, that is apparently illegal in some states.
The purpose of a manual transmission, over an automatic, in today's world is to give the driver more control. You are not going to have more control if you are in neutral. Unless you are going slow, like 30 MPH or less, then it is recommended that you downshift, release the clutch, and let the engine slow down the car. Do not worry about the synchro gears. There were designed for that. But, using a little throttle to rev match will make the load on the synchos a little lighter. But, leave that for later.

Once you learn to downshift, you will find that you can safely navigate a curve at a higher speed. The car will feel more responsive and the joy of driving will be enhanced. You will learn to be in the desired gear and RPM's at the apex of a curve and when approaching a traffic light that is about to turn green and will not require a full stop.

If you are going to learn to drive an MT, then you are going to have to learn to downshift and be in the right gear at all times. That's what it is all about -- being in the right gear at all times. Being in neutral is NOT the right gear; except in very, very, few circumstances.

Take the time to learn to use the MT to it's fullest and you will be surprised at how much more control you seem to have; especially in curves.

I have the AT with SS and I am nearly always in the right gear at all times -- because I control the shifting rather than the car. I know better than the car what is in front of me and what needs to be done next. And, you would be surprised at how little I use the brakes. It is rare when I press the brake pedal at a speed over 40 MPH. I normally anticipate when I will need to slow down and downshift in time to allow the engine to slow the car down. I am always amused at the kids that go flying by me (especially those in pickup trucks) when I start slowing down for a traffic light -- only to stomp on their brakes when they get to the light. It is not uncommon for me to then go cruising by them without having to come to a full stop when the light turns green. Naturally, this occurs on roads with two, or more, lanes.

 

Found this on another Forum:

you'll find that if you make casual gear changes, you don't even need to think when changing up without a clutch. I've tried it in every modern motor I've driven. As you put pressure on the lever, while the revs are coming down, once the revs match, it just slides in.

changing up, you just treat it as if you're changing up, but deliberately miss your gear. ie. Foot down on imaginary clutch pedal, into neutral, Foot off the imaginary clutch (as if to pull away in the new gear), (right foot goes down automatically), As the revs go up, you notice you're not in gear, so you put your imaginary clutch pedal back down, and slip it into gear.

I thought my skill, in this area, was a throwback to my greenlaning days in my old Series 1 Landie, but getting my wife and daughters to try it, I've found that it's not my natural tallent at all. It just works for everyone! (believe me, my wife has no natural talent for driving. It's not uncommon for her to come into the house, toss the keys at me and say, "You'll have to park the car, someones knicked my parking space!" )

On modern cars, when the revs are not right, the gear change becomes stiff. If you apply no more force to the gear lever than you would normally, this holds the gearchange off untill the revs match. If you are making a casual unrushed gearchange, you barely notice this slight hesitancy.

 

Admittedly, you couldn't drive hard like this. But for Sunday driving, it really works. Try it!