I did a quick (very quick) search and didn't come up w/ much, but I was wondering if downshifting to slow down is a good or bad idea. Obviously it helps the brakes out, but is it harmful at all to the gearbox, transmission, clutch, etc?
Deuce B said:I don't know the correct answer, but I've always figured I'd rather buy new brake pads before a new clutch. I use the brakes.
That's more choosing the correct gear to maintain speed rather than to slow down as in the original question.Tom239 said:Engine braking is good practice on long downhills.
There are a couple roads in my neighborhood that gain
3500' of elevation in 8 miles. You won't like what happens
to your brakes if you don't use the engine to dissipate
some energy on the descent.
Tom239 said:There are a couple roads in my neighborhood that gain
3500' of elevation in 8 miles. You won't like what happens
to your brakes if you don't use the engine to dissipate
some energy on the descent.
You might prefer not to coast in neutral down this road in my neighborhood:W said:I wouldn't hesitate to coast in neutral, really. It's not like you're riding the brakes down a hill. 8 miles or whatever down 3500 feet is nothing like 5 minutes on the track.
FormulaRX said:it will kill the clutch and tranny if you don't know what you're doing. If you make sure to rev match/ heel-toe brake and can ensure smooth gear engagement while downshifting, you'll be ok but if you're downshifting to brake and the car's jolting cuz you allow your RPMs to drop too low for the next lower gear, something's gonna give if you continue at this, and it won't be the brakes.
NSXVURGIN said:Not to get off subject , but if you really want to try to FRY your clutch, just try to back your NSX up car ramps....mmmmmmmmmm smells good
My dictionary defines Schubabschaltung as overrun cutoff. Given the definition, does it mean that the fuel is cutoff in those situations?NSX-Racer said:...something we call "Schubabschaltung" in german...
Yes, Mark, thanks for the translation. You have nearly zero fuel consumption in this case - in contrary to engine idle at neutral which needs some fuel.MarkB said:My dictionary defines Schubabschaltung as overrun cutoff. Given the definition, does it mean that the fuel is cutoff in those situations?