Nex

So me and my bro are driving around and he starts picking on me for dropping her on neutral before stopping a reds instead of down shifting.
His argument was that your brake pads take less stress and they'll last longer.
The way i see it though is that down shifting would in turn wear out the clutch faster. Am i wrong here or what?

I just prefer to change the pads 3 to 5 times in a car than changing the clutch. Any thoughts?

nate704

absolutely you are right.
downshifting while you are slowing down puts a lot of stress on the clutch, flywheel, and your transmission.
I think it is only necessary when you are racing on the tracks or autoX because you need to maintain your high rpm for better torque and power.

Kantizuni

When I first started driving trucks (big trucks, kenworth tractor-trailors), my driving course instructor told me the same thing, with the same reasons. "You'll save your brakes. I do it all the time in my pickup and I only change my brakes once every two years!"

I told him he was a ****ing idiot. Brake pads are cheap and easy to replace.

REDZMAN

While true that it will be easier to replace your brakes then your clutch, I've downshifted with my 2001 for the entire time I've had it and not had to replace either.

I find that downshifting leaves you in MUCH better control of the car, so you can get up and OUT of there if you need to, or let the clutch out quicker, combined with the brake, and stop in a very short amount of time.

So you and your brother are both partially right.

aaronk19

yea, i've heard the pros and cons about both, but i've downshifted ever since i've had it-no clutch problems yet

UrS0NvS

also knowing when to downshift is the key. not very smart to go from 5th to 4th at 70mph.

most of the time when i have just dropped below 3g's on the tach it's time to downshift. just a feel kinda thing.

BlizagaXx

I always downshift, but I have lifetime warranty brake pads... So whatever. I think control is 300% better with downshifting versus braking.

Nex

spoke with my mechanic today about that. He says that I have a stronger point. Down shifting is only useful if done correctly. It does put more stress than you normally would on the clutch, but not excessively if done correctly. So i guess its a matter of taste and experience.

'treezy

or you could start heel-toe downshifting ("rev matching") and put virtually NO extra wear on the clutch. Plus you get bragging rights (once you;ve mastered it) as the smoothest ride in town!

Heel-toeing is NOT a race maneuver only, it reduces engine wear and tear, keeps you in control (safe), saves your brakes, and makes for a smooth ride! wink1.gif

Smoother = faster (hence, why it's a "race technique")

I'll try and write a full DIY with video on this subject. Be warned, it takes some work to get the pedals set-up right in the tib. First of all the accelerator is waaaay to close to the center console wall there, making any angled foot action impossible. Since the brake pedal is considerably higher than the accelerator, you need to bend the accelerator pedal without counteracting any stops. Then when they're on an even playing field you can just use the ball of your foot on the right most portion of the brake pedal and blip the throttle with your pinky toes!

optimoprime

well going from 5th to 4th at about 70 is how to actually start moving your car, but moving from 5th to 3rd at 70 is how to have some good ol fashion fun.