Why are you taught to use Gears to slow down?

[beesonthewhatnow]

So, from what I can gather from this thread, people really aren't taught how to drive properly anymore, just how to pass the bloody test

Using the gears along with the brakes to slow down gives you more control, simple as that.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

when was that not the case bee's

you only learn to drive after you've passed your test as far as i can see...

 

[free spirit]

by free wheeling do you mean coasting in gear and not 'free wheeling' ie no engauged gear...

because otherwise i cannot think of a more dangerous manner to attempt to control a vechiel than if you were blindfolded...

nah, I mean free wheeling as in clutch down, gradually slowing down on the approach to junctions / lower speed limit areas etc.

Only when there's nothing behind or in front of me, and the junctions obvious for a long way in front.

Obviously I engage gears again (in the appropriate gear) once I'm getting upto the actual junction or whatever, and use breaks and gears to slow down / stop completely, it's just that rather than accelerating like normal til the point I need to break at then breaking hard I'm just easing off earlier and coasting in for a bit using my momentum.

Don't see how it's any more dangerous than people just using their break, and if there's anyone behind me I'll use the breaks so my break lights come on to let them know I'm slowing down.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

because coasting on the clutch prevents you from engine braking and is also a very very very bad habit to get into it means you aren't in control of the vechile and won't be able to manuveur out of danger in the event of an emergancy (not to mention that it will cause significant clutch wear and could cause the cluth to burn out or start slippping)

 

[free spirit]

because coasting on the clutch prevents you from engine braking and is also a very very very bad habit to get into it means you aren't in control of the vechile and won't be able to manuveur out of danger in the event of an emergancy (not to mention that it will cause significant clutch wear and could cause the cluth to burn out or start slippping)

eh - coasting with the clutch down, not in neutral, and only really on roads where there's fuck all for ages in front or behind... been doing a lot of 3-5am driving on the same roads.

probably is a bad habit, but can't see how it's doing the clutch any harm or particularly dangerous. Don't see the point in using petrol when gravity will do the work that's all.

not sure how I'd not be able to move out of danger if need be, all I need to do is engage the clutch, which I'd probably need to do anyway to shift gears if there was a problem.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

it's called riding the clutch it's really not adviseable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_the_clutch

this isn't the same as using good clutch control. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clutch_control

if you are ding the former then it's adviseable to stop.

 

[gentlegreen]

An alternative approach for dealing with tailgaters :-

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fq1EjBT9kwM

 

[Bob_the_lost]

Riding the clutch is when you're partially engaged, not depressed completely which is what free spirit is describing. I never got the arguement that being in gear helps your control of the car, not if you're using current driving practice (ie stay in the highest (unsuitable) gear until you have to move to a lower one) in some ways it's got to be worse, accelerate out of danger while in fourth or fifth and moving slowly? HAH!

 

[internetstalker]

I would have thought there were two bad points to this.

1, Gears/Engines must be more expensive to replace then brakes, surely you would be better served going through ten sets of brakes rather then one engine or gear box.

2, Surely using the engine to brake would cause the car to use more petrol as the revs increase, if your engine is turning over at 3,000 revs in 3rd gear, idlying in third gear, and you shift to 2nd gear and your revs jump to 5,000, surely that would mean the engine was sucking in more petrol, since every revolution of the engine requires some petrol to be drawn into it, of course without your foot on the accelerator this will be the lowest possible, but it would still draw some petrol and the more revs the more petrol it would draw.

If you just broke and then changed down gears, you could keep your revs at 3,000 the entire time and thus use less petrol.

Am I wrong in my way of thinking, am I missing some piece of logic that explains why you are taught to use the gears to slow down, or is this all some great conspiracy by driving instructors to have a great laugh at our expense....I think we should be told!

I was never taught to do this

I do do it however

and what about automatics??

 

[gentlegreen]

On the way home I was reminded of how things are changing - a BMW advert for its "brake energy regeneration" - which apparently means it only operates the alternator during braking.
This, and all the complex hybrid and auto-engine kill technologies will surely make the average car more like a 747 than a Spitfire.

And given the incompetence of so many motorists, probably it's a good thing.

 

[I'm Simes]

So, from what I can gather from this thread, people really aren't taught how to drive properly anymore, just how to pass the bloody test

Using the gears along with the brakes to slow down gives you more control, simple as that.

Exactly and if you heel and toe it's even better - makes the weight transfer from rear to front so much smoother.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Exactly and if you heel and toe it's even better - makes the weight transfer from rear to front so much smoother.

It's quite hard to heel and toe with a lot of cars nowadays as the pedals never seem to be positioned quite right...

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

It's quite hard to heel and toe with a lot of cars nowadays as the pedals never seem to be positioned quite right...

i kno wit's atad boy racer ish however peddle extentions...

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

Riding the clutch is when you're partially engaged, not depressed completely which is what free spirit is describing. I never got the arguement that being in gear helps your control of the car, not if you're using current driving practice (ie stay in the highest (unsuitable) gear until you have to move to a lower one) in some ways it's got to be worse, accelerate out of danger while in fourth or fifth and moving slowly? HAH!

approaching a jucntion you should be in 3rd anyways...

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

Riding the clutch is when you're partially engaged, not depressed completely which is what free spirit is describing. I never got the arguement that being in gear helps your control of the car, not if you're using current driving practice (ie stay in the highest (unsuitable) gear until you have to move to a lower one) in some ways it's got to be worse, accelerate out of danger while in fourth or fifth and moving slowly? HAH!

you'll fail your test for coasting towards a junction too...

 

[moomoo]

Exactly and if you heel and toe it's even better - makes the weight transfer from rear to front so much smoother.

What's heel and toe?

You're right bees, to my eternal shame I can drive a car to get from A to B but I haven't got the foggiest idea of why I'm doing what I'm doing.

 

[GarfieldLeChat]

heel toe is a method of pressing the brake and reving the engine to spin it at a higher revolution to minimise the 'bump' when you change down gear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heel-and-toe

 

[moomoo]

heel toe is a method of pressing the brake and reving the engine to spin it at a higher revolution to minimise the 'bump' when you change down gear.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heel-and-toe

Thanks Garf.

 

[stretchy18]

edited

 

[stretchy18]

..

 

[stretchy18]

Any road coppers out there who could explain further

 

[Bob_the_lost]

approaching a jucntion you should be in 3rd anyways...

Fine, i get fuck all acceleration from my 1.4 in 3rd under 20mph even with the foot to the floor, if i were to try and put my foot down to avoid a collision moving at 10mph it won't make the blindest bit of difference to my car's velocity. The argument doesn't make sense. even if the highway code does say it.

 

[Chz]

Fine, i get fuck all acceleration from my 1.4 in 3rd under 20mph even with the foot to the floor, if i were to try and put my foot down to avoid a collision moving at 10mph it won't make the blindest bit of difference to my car's velocity. The argument doesn't make sense. even if the highway code does say it.

The official line these days is that you only engine brake on long hills, and roundabouts and junctions should be approached in 2nd. Slowing to a normal stop is done with the brakes, in whatever gear you were in. Slip the clutch in just before stopping and put it into 1st.

 

[Bob_the_lost]

The official line these days is that you only engine brake on long hills, and roundabouts and junctions should be approached in 2nd. Slowing to a normal stop is done with the brakes, in whatever gear you were in. Slip the clutch in just before stopping and put it into 1st.

Ok, example: Coming off a major A road to a junction, A road is national speed limit, junction is traffic light controlled onto a 30. I am 95% sure that the proper procedure would be to coast (in gear) towards the junction braking as you go. In this case by being in gear (5th) i gain no more control over the car than i would have gotten freewheeling.