Manual Transmission - Shifting Gears

[Precious 2]

Nessa,

I guess you should put this question to the guys from the Car Talk show. They love family conflicts when it comes to cars!

[sara..... 371]

i think it depends on the year and the model of the car

sara

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

Nessa,

I guess you should put this question to the guys from the Car Talk show. They love family conflicts when it comes to cars!

I used to listen to that program every Sunday a few years back (on AFN). So much fun!! Thanks for reminding me, I have to see if AFN is still airing it over here.

[Precious 2]

Nessa,

I guess you should put this question to the guys from the Car Talk show. They love family conflicts when it comes to cars!

I used to listen to that program every Sunday a few years back (on AFN). So much fun!! Thanks for reminding me, I have to see if AFN is still airing it over here.

Here in Houston we listen to it every saturday morning in the public radio. Those guys crack me up!

[scandal 951]

i think it depends on the year and the model of the car

sara

Exactly correct.

Older cars that did not have synchromesh would cause severe gear grinding and probably permanent transmission damage by downshifting to 1st while still in motion. My mother had a 1972 MG Midget without synchromesh. I learned the hard way about the need to have the car idling at an absolute STOP before daring to put it into first.

For any cars built after the 60s or early 70s, I think synchromesh has been universally standard on manual transmissions. I try to avoid downshifting at speeds that will cause the engine to race, but otherwise I can/do downshift to 1st , e.g. when approaching a red light, so that I stay in gear and have control over the car, rather than just coasting in neutral.

[Ban Hammer 12,915]

not according to a guy here at the office who's an auto mechanic. lugging an engine is very bad for the engine, and downshifting to 1st can be done as long as the rpm does not go high. also, as the engine idles at 800-1000 rpm, it's best to shift down when the rpm is 1200-1300 or less due to lugging the engine.

Personal experience trumps hearsay!

apparently my personal experience does not count with you, as i've put 110k on that car doing exactly what was described.

back to you!

[Dr. Obvious 49]

i think it depends on the year and the model of the car

sara

Exactly correct.

Older cars that did not have synchromesh would cause severe gear grinding and probably permanent transmission damage by downshifting to 1st while still in motion. My mother had a 1972 MG Midget without synchromesh. I learned the hard way about the need to have the car idling at an absolute STOP before daring to put it into first.

For any cars built after the 60s or early 70s, I think synchromesh has been universally standard on manual transmissions. I try to avoid downshifting at speeds that will cause the engine to race, but otherwise I can/do downshift to 1st , e.g. when approaching a red light, so that I stay in gear and have control over the car, rather than just coasting in neutral.

How do you not have control of the car in neutral?

[scandal 951]

i think it depends on the year and the model of the car

sara

Exactly correct.

Older cars that did not have synchromesh would cause severe gear grinding and probably permanent transmission damage by downshifting to 1st while still in motion. My mother had a 1972 MG Midget without synchromesh. I learned the hard way about the need to have the car idling at an absolute STOP before daring to put it into first.

For any cars built after the 60s or early 70s, I think synchromesh has been universally standard on manual transmissions. I try to avoid downshifting at speeds that will cause the engine to race, but otherwise I can/do downshift to 1st , e.g. when approaching a red light, so that I stay in gear and have control over the car, rather than just coasting in neutral.

How do you not have control of the car in neutral?

Read carefully - I didn't say you have NO control over the car in neutral. Obviously you have control over the steering, and presumably you are braking as you slow to a red light or a turn etc.

However, you have LESS control, merely due to the fact that your wheels are spinning freely disconnected from the drivetrain and engine. The engine provides a natural braking mechanism on the moving vehicle, esp. in low gear while decelerating. For example, the scenario I always think of (defensive drivngi), is the guy behind you who isn't watching the road and rear ends you. If you are in neutral, you are much more liable to carry the momentum of the collision into the car in front of you in a chain reaction crash. If you are in 1st gear, your car will absorb most of the momentum of the collision and either avoid hitting the guy in front, or at least make it a less severe impact. Just basic physics.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I never said that you had no control anymore than you did.

I guess this is a personal preference thing. When you are coming to a stop and are going to be in first gear anyway, you wouldn't be going that fast in neutral or first gear. You generally have to be below a certain speed to use it. My car locks me out at 15mph+...Ground gears, pissed off the engine, and learned my lesson.

[Precious 2]

If you are in 1st gear, your car will absorb most of the momentum of the collision and either avoid hitting the guy in front, or at least make it a less severe impact. Just basic physics.

Hmm interesting, never had though about that one. I drive the Mini sometimes and I use to have the car on 1st gear when I'm at the stop sign, for instance. But at the lights I usually shift to neutral because I don't want to 'wear off' the clutch. I keep my eyes in the rear mirror at ALL TIMES though. You never know what is coming from behind

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I remember a similar question came up on Car Talk once and their answer was that you really shouldn't down shift unless it's absolutely necessary, due to the wear and tear on the transmission. It's a lot cheaper to replace the clutch.

Nessa = 1, Charles = 0

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I remember a similar question came up on Car Talk once and their answer was that you really shouldn't down shift unless it's absolutely necessary, due to the wear and tear on the transmission. It's a lot cheaper to replace the clutch.

Nessa = 1, Charles = 0

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Dear Tom and Ray:

When coming to a stop, my wife uses only the clutch and brakes of her 5-speed Honda Accord and doesn't shift until she has stopped. I was taught to slow a car with a manual transmission by downshifting through the gears and then applying the brakes after shifting into second gear. My wife says that either alternative wears out parts of the car and she would just as soon wear out the brakes and not go through the hassle of downshifting. I maintain that the transmission is designed to take the strain of downshifting and that my method will result in fewer repair costs. Who's right?

Mike

RAY: Well, Mike, on behalf of the Board Of Augmented Transmission-related Payments (BOAT-Payments), I'd like to thank you for increasing the number of clutch replacements this year, and in doing so, helping local mechanics keep current on their discretionary installment loans.

TOM: You're right that the engine and transmission really couldn't care less when you downshift, but what you don't realize is that the clutch really suffers.

RAY: So, Mike, as much as we hate to do this in so public a forum, we're going to have print right here in the newspaper that your wife seems to know more about driving than you do. We realize that your pride and reputation were both on the line when you sent in this question, and that because of our answer, you'll probably be saying a lot more "yes, dears" than you would have liked over the next twenty to thirty years, but that's the risk you take when you go public with something like this, Mike.

TOM: When approaching a red light, the first thing you should do is step on the brakes. When the engine speed drops to near idle (before it starts to buck), step on the clutch. Then put the car in Neutral and let the clutch out. If you keep your foot on the clutch pedal while coasting or waiting for the light to change, you're wearing out an important part of the clutch called the clutch release bearing.

TOM: When it's time to move again, push in the clutch, put the car in first gear, and drive away. If you're not sure when to do this, just wait for guy behind you to start blowing the horn.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Arc...January/02.html

[almaty 19]

i learned something today

[Precious 2]

Dear Tom and Ray:

When coming to a stop, my wife uses only the clutch and brakes of her 5-speed Honda Accord and doesn't shift until she has stopped. I was taught to slow a car with a manual transmission by downshifting through the gears and then applying the brakes after shifting into second gear. My wife says that either alternative wears out parts of the car and she would just as soon wear out the brakes and not go through the hassle of downshifting. I maintain that the transmission is designed to take the strain of downshifting and that my method will result in fewer repair costs. Who's right?

Mike

RAY: Well, Mike, on behalf of the Board Of Augmented Transmission-related Payments (BOAT-Payments), I'd like to thank you for increasing the number of clutch replacements this year, and in doing so, helping local mechanics keep current on their discretionary installment loans.

TOM: You're right that the engine and transmission really couldn't care less when you downshift, but what you don't realize is that the clutch really suffers.

RAY: So, Mike, as much as we hate to do this in so public a forum, we're going to have print right here in the newspaper that your wife seems to know more about driving than you do. We realize that your pride and reputation were both on the line when you sent in this question, and that because of our answer, you'll probably be saying a lot more "yes, dears" than you would have liked over the next twenty to thirty years, but that's the risk you take when you go public with something like this, Mike.

TOM: When approaching a red light, the first thing you should do is step on the brakes. When the engine speed drops to near idle (before it starts to buck), step on the clutch. Then put the car in Neutral and let the clutch out. If you keep your foot on the clutch pedal while coasting or waiting for the light to change, you're wearing out an important part of the clutch called the clutch release bearing.

TOM: When it's time to move again, push in the clutch, put the car in first gear, and drive away. If you're not sure when to do this, just wait for guy behind you to start blowing the horn.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Arc...January/02.html

:rofl: