Downshifting?

[Eric W S]

His mechanic posed a valid, but somewhat nit picky question. You're wearing material off a surface one way or another. If you choose not to downshift, you'll wear your brakes a little faster. If you choose to double clutch, you'll wear out the clutch a little faster (because you're releasing/re-engaging more often than you would if you chose to brake instead).

I disagree. Wear is a weak argument at best. I have never had to replace a clutch due to engine braking and if it were a wear issue you would not see semi trucks engine braking all the day is long on every us interstate.

[thixon]

I disagree. Wear is a weak argument at best. I have never had to replace a clutch due to engine braking and if it were a wear issue you would not see semi trucks engine braking all the day is long on every us interstate.

Eric,

Do I really need to explain this to you?

Think before you post.

[yorker]

If you down shift properly wear on the clutch is negligible. Finding people who can shift properly however is difficult.

[disco2hse]

Mark Knopfler fan eh?
Are we, as a collection of Rover fans, Brothers in Arms?

One of the best things to come out of Scotland, that and single malt

[Sputnicker]

I have to agree with Eric W on this one. There is only wear on the clutch lining when one fails to match engine and input shaft RPM while downshifting. With the right technique there is no wear.

[LR Max]

Downshifting from 4th to 3rd is all I ever do.

Usually do that around 30 mph (my rover has 235/85/16 tires). Below that, I use brakes.

I use to downshift all the time. Then I heard an old guy said, "Downshift...brakes. They both do the same thing. Just decided if you want to wear out brakes or transmission".

That statement had an effect on me...

[disco2hse]

Just decided if you want to wear out brakes or transmission".

That statement had an effect on me...

Seriously if you're that concerned about wearing out the transmission the vehicle should never be out of the driveway. Forwards or backwards, up or down, left or right, you're going to wear the transmission That's what regular maintenance intervals are for.

Sounds to me more like an excuse for lazy driving from the old fella. It takes effort to learn how to shift gears probably in a crash gearbox and not everyone gets it right. It's easier to just push the brake peddle to stop but I tell you what, you only need the brakes to fail once for a fatality to occur and if you're already in neutral you ain't gonna get it back into gear before you hit something!

Old fellas can be just as wrong as youngin's.

[JimCT]

Correct gear

It would seem prudent to be in the proper gear for a given speed even if you are not using engine breaking. That way if you have to get out of the way of something you are in the proper gear, and if brakes fail you are in the proper gear.

[thixon]

Seriously guys? Seriously? That's it. I'm out. This board is lame. Moderator, please terminate my membership.

[disco2hse]

Seriously guys? Seriously? That's it. I'm out. This board is lame. Moderator, please terminate my membership.

meh. It's unfortunate if you choose to spit the dummy because people don't agree with you. But that's life.

[yorker]

Old fellas can be just as wrong as youngin's.

All the old timer professional drivers I have known downshifted- most grew up with no syncro trannies too. Some more or less shifted without using the clutch at all-Those guys were usually WWII vets and they spent a lot of time driving CCKWs or something similar like a Spicer/Road-Ranger non-syncro gearbox and could rev match perfectly.

Really this is a dumb thing to argue about- I guess if I ran a fleet of vehicles and didn't know the capabilities of the drivers I might suggest they not downshift for fear that they'd f- up the clutch, but really if done right it isn't going to bother anything because they are rotating at the same rpm and no real wear occurs. If someone suggests you not downshift they simply are assuming you can't shift worth a damn. Maybe you can or maybe you can't but that choice is really up to you- it is your truck, you judge your own abilities.

[disco2hse]

All the old timer professional drivers I have known downshifted

Me too.

If someone suggests you not downshift they simply are assuming you can't shift worth a damn.

Good point. Hadn't considered that.

[Mercedesrover]

Three pages on downshifting? Really?

Is this a collection of 12-year old girls? Where did you all grow up?

This should be instinctual. You watched your uncle downshifting the hay truck when you were 7. He told you to go fetch it when you were 10 and you made damn sure you didn't screw it up.

If you're an adult and you're asking a bunch of strangers on an internet board how to shift a standard-transmission vehicle, you've lived a sad and sheltered life.

[73series88]

slow down
my wife actually asked if we could put an automatic in the rover when i was putting it together, she's scared to drive it. and she can drive stick.
aaron

[ducttape]

If you down shift properly wear on the clutch is negligible. Finding people who can shift properly however is difficult.

Which brings me to my point...

I don't get the double clutch thing. yes, I know how to do it. I know why to do it. I don't get the in, out, in, out again.

I clutch in, shift to neutral, play with the gas and then shift to the next gear. THEN let the clutch out, when I am already in the gear.

Every time I try to double clutch I get the same results. Sometimes it is smooth, sometimes not. It's not I function of the motion of pushing twice I find, but moving the knob at the right time.

Am I correct? Surely, as long as the tranny and engine are moving together, I could double and triple and quadruple clutch if I wanted, to no advantage.