Downshift or brake in neutral

Do one wrong - strip gears, must replace clutch

Do other wrong - replace break pads marginally earlier

Depends on context, but either work

 

I personally go to neutral and use brakes. Once in a while I will downshift, but no all the time. You should also learn how to replace your own brakes, it's really not hard at all and it save a lot of money in the long run!!! Actually, learn brakes, learn how to change your oil and any other smaller maintenance jobs on your vehicle.

 

I like to downshift, HOWEVER, I recommend brake in neutral to most drivers.

In most cars you can replace the brake pads and rotors 2 or 3 times before it equals the cost of a new clutch.

 

Pretty much this. No major advantage to compression braking unless you are driving in a spirited fashionne. To make your car last longer, change the oil and filter regularly and perform other scheduled maintnance items. Take care of small problems before they become bigger problems.

 

downshifting is a classy way to slow down. i miss driving a manual transmission. i took either approach...downshifting or braking in neutral. when zipping around like a maniac, you have to downshift going into turns, etc.

 

Man, I miss having a manual shift. I would always coast until I knew the next step. Light change or other cars for instance....change in momentum or abrupt stops. I liked being able to go to second or whatever needed based on my momentum on the "fly".

I never had to replace a clutch and never was afraid to use it. Always throw it in to second on the downshift into a turn so when you are coming out of it you can pop it and take off!

 

I always downshift all the way down to second gear, never to first though because there's no point.

It's better because you are always in gear and have more control. You don't want to dump the clutch and make the revs jump real high, because of course that's putting strain on the motor.

Automatic transmissions downshift when you brake, they don't go into neutral.

To me it's more natural. I usually downshift around 2000 RPMs that way the rev jump isn't too big from gear to gear. If you wait until 1500 RPMs then the revs will barely jump in the next lower gear so it's not really an issue.

You're not wearing the clutch downshifting unless you are doing it completely wrong. The thing you would stress is the motor components, such as the crank bearings and connecting rods, because you are putting excessive resistance on the motor.

With modern engines downshifting properly is not going to do any damage. And it definitely reduces the wear on brake pads, although as others have said it's a lot easier to change brake pads than it is engine components.

But like I said earlier, automatics downshift constantly, they are never just hanging around in neutral, and it feels really uncomfortable to me to be floating down the road in neutral.

I drive my car like it's a race car though so you should take that into consideration. Also my engine components are overbuilt.

 

See I would never admit I coast around turns in neutral, that's just bad driving. You should be in gear always and you should never keep the clutch pressed to the floor either. You can but that's also a bad practice and causes wear on the pilot bearing.

Ya'll do your thing though.

 

I drive a 1988 4runner that's manual, I always downshift into second gear and then clutch in and brake to stop. I have found its the best way.

 

It's not all that important to do your own oil changes. It's usually just as easy to have somebody else do it. When you buy four to six quarts of oil plus filter, roll around on the ground, get dirty and then have to dispose of the old oil it's hardly worth it to do it yourself when you can get it done for $20 or less. Never a bad idea to form a good relationship with an honest and reliable auto technician.

 

Just put her in neutral when you stop, no reason to clutch in. I can drive my car without using the clutch because I'm a boss but ya'll shouldn't even try it.

 

Leave it in gear when you park. Serves as back up to your parking brake.

 

Use the brakes for slowing down. Trailer truck drivers are coached to downshift at the top of steep grades to use the engine's inertia, in tandem with brakes, to maintain a safe speed on the way down. Truck transmissions are designed to handle this work. Your sentra's is not. You can still downshift safely by double clutching and blipping the throttle to smooth the transition into the lower gear. This is fun, but unnecessary. Your brakes are the right tool for the job.

If you are interested in driving your manual transmission vehicle like a hero, start by learning about "racing line," then look into heel-and-toe technique to keep the car in the optimal power band. Here is Senna murdering it in an nsx and a pair of perfectly shined loafers:

[video=youtube;96ekbvjyr0g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96ekbvjyr0g[/video]

 

Bro stop acting like a pro and trying to scare people. You can downshift in your sentra and you don't need to double clutch and blip the throttle, that's not practical when you are downshifting through the gears quickly to come to a stop.

You should brake in gear until your revs get below 2000 RPM, then quickly shift to the next gear, maybe let up off the brake momentarily.

It's a dance, and not everyone is a good dancer. If you want to learn then don't be scared. If you want to be an amateur then coast in neutral and brake.

 

I don't actually look at my tach most of the time either so I feel you, you are just synced in with your vehicle and I suspect you are a solid driver.

Carry on, Good Sir.