Zewp
Banned
I don't think I even know how to gear down to break. Was never taught to do it and have never had the need to do it because I drive a small car.
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AA article - Gearing down when slowing down
- Thread starter Nuro
- Start date
Was never taught to do it either... Then again, in my opinion the current driving license system just exists to teach individuals how to turn their heads often and help the handbrake industry make moola due to overuse.
Anyway, I assume it involves going down to a lower gear where the RPM is high and the force of the engine would naturally bring about a slowing force as it tries to return to idle rpm? Don't know about the fuel saving though (at least not on my car), I notice a very distinct difference in usage between the car cruising in gear and cruising with the clutch engaged or in neutral, about 6/100 when neutral, 7.5/100 when in gear with my foot far from the gas pedal.
Naks
Honorary Master
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No, it's about going down gears when your RPM is low. Auto transmissions do this on their own
Are you driving an old vehicle, because you should have lower fuel consumption cruising in gear vs in neutral.
Like I said, never taught how to do it so I was guessing. Isn't gearing down at low RPM just standard driving procedure?
But no, not an old car technically, it's a 2012 but a ****ty one which I highly doubt is up to date with any kind of even semi modern tech.
killerbyte
Expert Member
Gearing down requires the same knowledge as gearing up. When you are at a certain speed in say 3rd gear, you can hear that the revs are comfortable at maybe about 3000RPM (in a small petrol car). So when slowing down, you would see that you are doing 60 in 4th at 2000RPM, so you shift to 3rd, the revs spike (but nothing major, probably by a few hundred RPM) but the gear ratio slows the car down, once you hit 30 at 2000RPM you then switch to 2nd. The point is also that if you then need to pull away you are in the right gear and can put your foot down and get out of the situation.
This is just an example, those of us who have done it for years know the sound of the engine and know when to shift down to keep the car in the right gear.
Forgive my explanations if they are technically incorrect, I am no grease monkey (I wish I was) so my technical knowledge when it comes to cars is limited.
RandomDesign
Well-Known Member
We delivered a beautiful Legacy to a customer last year and 3 weeks later it came in on a flat bed with the nose destroyed, so I went to the owner and asked him what happened....................
He immediately said that there was a fault with the car, so obviously I wanted to know what had happened......soooooo this is his story:
Definitely something wrong with the car because it doesn't stop when you need it to....knowing that we have an excellent braking system, I asked him to explain exactly what he did...apparently a car slammed on brakes in front of him, and he "immediately" hit the paddles and changed down to a lower gear and the bloody car didn't stop until it hit the guy in front! :wtf:
He "thought" ( actually not much thinking process was involved ) that because the car had flappy paddles, he didn't need to use the brakes at all if he wanted to slow the car down from speed!!!!!!
R 100 000 later in panel beating bills, he now "understands" that the brake is actually there for a reason!
There is no substitute for stupid!
lol was that his first drive in the car? otherwise how had he been stopping before that?
Fazda
Honorary Master
No - he'd been stopping with his brakes, but "thought" (?) that you used the paddles at speed!!!!!!!!!
