I downshift cause it helps keeps the brakes cooler and as long as you match revs there is very little actual clutch wear and Yes I can downshift into first very easily as long as I am not going any faster then about 30MPH. I only downshift into first if its a really tight turn and I want a high exit speed. usually I brake then downshift into 3rd or 2nd (depending) and then right before I stop I put it into neutral. usually dont have to use the clutch to get it from 2nd to neutral but I do anyways.

My 2 cents

 

I cannot believe all these people do not down shift!!!!! When driving on the roads where things can change in a second, your crazy to have the clutch disengaged or in neutral for such a long time and change in speed.

What happens when you are slowing down to make a turn and a bus behind u isnt paying attension and doesn't slow down. Hopefully you got good insurance and don't mind whiplash cuz your gonna get socked from behind. With downshifting this could be averted cuz you just have to gas it and you can continue driving, not fumbling to get the car in the right gear. Maybe you have to do a "U" turn and go back, but its worth it.


[for the track]
And another thing your slowing should be done b4 the turn, and u do heel toe, in order to make sure U CONTROL the braking speed not all of a sudden to engage the clutch and the car bucks(meaning jolts u forward cuz slows faster), droppping your speed faster than u want. Its the little things that add up in the end and gives u slower time.

 

Just my 2c after 10+ years of rebuilding racing gearboxes in Formula Cars.

Engines are for making cars go, Brakes are for making cars stop.
The Idea of downshifting was never intended to be used to slow a car down. The technique was developed to get the car in the appropriate gear under braking to charge out of the following corner within the power band, while at the same time giving the driver a referance of what gear they are in. It was not uncommon for talented drivers to skip gears while braking and go straight for the gear that was needed. However since the advent of the sequntial gearbox, it is imposible to skip gears in a modern racing car. Downshifting, using a heel & toe technique, done CORRECTLY dose little to harm the driveline internals. However, amonst the dozens of drivers I have worked with over the years only a handfull have trully masterered the art of heel and toe. Some have still have gone on to long racing carrears cannot get it right. I have a pile of broken input shafts, gears, clutches & flywheels to prove it. Based on that I would suspect that there are few people driving around on the street properly downshifting & threfore dealing their drrivelines a slow death.

My advice, unless you are road racing, USE THE BRAKES

 

My integra had over 150 000 mile son it, I've always downshifted it to 2nd gear when stopping. Used half as much the brakes as I do now on my automatic car.

If you downshift at a low rpm, it doesn't damage as you are all trying to day. Then again, maybe my integra had a stronger clutch than lancers?

Etienne

 

I have been downshifting to stop ever since I started drving stick. Dad would pop me in the head everytime I would come to a stop coming out of a higher gear if I didn't downshift. So, if my trany goes to **** he's payin for it.

The car isn't made of crystal.

 

Since I am tired and this thread keeps going nowhere.....

ViceGripX has is twisted like many others. The thread says "What do YOU do when slowing to a stop?" Not slowing down behind a freakin retard bus, or grandma crossing the street.

Makes no sense in the world if you are around town doing 40mph in third gear to downshift to second to come to a stop at a traffic light.

Go back to driving school.

 

alrighty... i'm not an avid fan of reading every post, since most of them are from nubs who really don't have much driving experience, but ralliartguy555 stated that he likes to heel/toe when coming to a stop... WTF? !

why in hell would you heel/toe to STOP your vehicle... heel/toe-ing consists for you to using your left foot to engage the cluth, right foot's toes to apply the brakes, and right fot's heel to applying gas as to keep your RPM up so you can come out of slowing down at a higher RPM, mainly used for taking sharp turns, and/or drifting... how does THAT help you stop your car? you got me stumped!

 

Sounds like "bla, bla bla" to me too....

 

its actually not that hard to understand DeZaVu, if you your not using heel toe shifting when your slowing down.... when the hell would you use it? while your accelerating? because i don't think putting your foot on the gas AND the BRAKE are goin to make you accelerate any faster. so obviously heel/toe shifting is used to slow a vehicle AND put your RPM's at the right spot for the gear your downshifting into, plus if you don't give it a blip of gas to match the RPM's to the appropriate gear you'd be giving the tranny a beating.

it all makes sense if you stop and think about it, why else would professional race car drivers do it????

awhile ago there were a bunch of lancer owners who were replacing their brakes WAY to soon (8k, 12k, 17k, etc...) i'll bet you that the majority of them were autos, or they didn't downshift when slowing for a turn or to stop. i downshift everytime i slow down a good bit or stop and i have 28k on original brakes and still have atleast 6-10k more miles on them. oh, and my tranny, clutch feel the same as the day i bought it.

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST

 

I can see that. You can say I sort of heal toe when I stop. Clutch in, brake gas and shift, release clutch to slow down. Gasing it makes it easier to shift. I use it a lot. Key is to know how much brake to use so you're not way high in the rpms when slowing down.

 

Wow, this is one hell of a heated debate for asking what you personally do to stop at a red light/stop sign.

I personally use both. Sometimes I need to slow down faster, sometimes I can glide. Sometimes, I'd rather use the brakes, and sometimes I like to hear the engine whine.

Everyone was taught something different it seems, so arguing over all of this seems pretty useless. So long as you can stop at the red, I don't care if you use your bare feet.

"Can't we all just get along?"

 

 

I kinda use a downshift/braking combo. Depends on speed and what's in front of me. I listen to the engine for d/s points just like I listen to it for u/s points. But, that's me.

 

Plus, we r talking abt SKILLS here..not speed..

Here is one place for you to really show some of that white *** of yours off..let those guys know how fast/slick your bad boy is...
http://germancarfans.zeroforum.com/zeroforum?id=194

Usually great car comes with great drivers..
Is that really true or you are juz another one of the exceptions??

 

it really depends on how fast I'm going in the first place. Use the engine with the brakes to slow quickly and just clutch out neutral braking for just cruising speeds.... PEACE