[Cheeze00018]

Is there anything that is wrong with downshifting? Does it wear down the tranny quicker or what? Its a manual incase you were wondering. Also, does it use gas when you downshift?? These are stupid questions but I was just thinking about them while driving the other day.

 

[lowblk02s10]

yea don't do it. just stop in 5th gear on and don't push in the clutch b/c u will wear that out to. so basically just come to a stop in 5th gear w/ no clutch and ur good. u won't mess up the tranny or the clutch.

 

[97 4.3s-10]

nah you can downshift if you need some extra acceleration to pass or whatever. an automatic transmission will do it automatically (doh) if you push the gas past a certain point. Its gonna prolly put a nominal amount of wear on the clutch...nothing id worry about too much. just dont downshift from 5th to 2nd or 4th to 1st. I accidentally went from 5th to 1st one time doing like 60...that was different.
Assuming your on the highway your gonna get the best gas milage in 5th because its turning less rpm. usually its not a good idea to let your RPMs drop to 1,200 or so.
Anyway, if you wanna downshift without putting much wear on anything learn about double clutching.

 

[meeh350]

if you do it right its ok.... no it doesn't use gas on a FI engine.... computer sees TPS is near zero so fuel feed is limited to what is needed to idle

doing it right means matching RPMs so your wearing out the clutch faster...... should be smooth and not jerky like an upshift

 

[tcg23]

I don't mean to make this a 'how to drive a stick' thread, but I have a question.
I just read about double clutching, pretty bad since I've been driving a standard close to two years.
I downshift in my S10, no to the extent that I did in my honda..
Anyway, when I downshift I am doing it to slow down, to save brakes.
Would I still want to double clutch when downshifting to slow down?
Thanks for the tips..
-TheComputerGuy23

 

[meeh350]

I double clutch old worn out trannies and CDL truck with unsyncronized trannies..... not newer properly working trannies..... i dont see the need

i do however match my rpms when downshifting aggressivly.... ussually a quick blip of the throttle while the clutch is in and let the clutch out.... get good at it and a passenger will think your only hitting the brakes aside from the engine reving

 

[dariusld]

Anyway, when I downshift I am doing it to slow down, to save brakes.

The experts(whoever they are) say that brakes are cheaper than engines. So you shouldn't be downshifting for the purpose of slowing down.

 

[hardlydangerous]

It's harder on an engine when down shifting to stop.

On most FI engines when decelerating and the TPS is at closed position the fuel is almost completely cut. On some cars it is cut completely.
So if you down shift hard and the engine is revving at 2500 rpm and there is no fuel, the engine is still drawing in air and it can cause a lean condition. Once in a while this will not hurt it but if you drive like that constantly it will prematurely wear your engine out.

This is why we hear the engine poping and backfiring while decelerating.

 

[BlazerLT]

Cheaper to replace brake pads than a transmission.

 

[tcg23]

ahh,
When I was learning how to drive a manual, I was taught to downshift to slow down.
In my honda it worked well and didn't 'seem' to wear out the engine or tranny.
Well that car now has over 200,000 miles on it, I've replaced the tranny and I am about the replace the engine for the second time.
So I understand now, good thing I learned on my civic and NOT my xtreme.
Once I replace the engine (I have a parts car) I am going to sell both civics.
Thanks for the tips!
-TheComputerGuy23

 

[BlazerFRS]

Hold on a second---Are you kidding me?

I have ALWAYS been taught to downshift to slow down, and have always done it every time I slow down on every vehical I have ever driven.

My current car (91 Blazer 4.3) has been downshifted to slow down since my dad got it in 94 with 25,000 mi. It now has 135xxx mi on the original clutch and engine....

I have had NO major problems with the engine (just starter and alernator replaced, along with regular mainenance) and ZERO trouble with the transmission or clutch.

In fact the clutch still drives like new....


Are you folks talking about downshifting when slipping the clutch or just slaming it up? When I downshift it's smooth and slow... no "jerking" as mentioned above.

Also..Double clutching to downshift? The only time I would do that is in my friend's 79 chey C10 w/o modern syncros.

So I'm confused.....can anyone point me to an article that says downshifting is bad? The whole idea seems so alien to me...

 

[suicidal]

stupid quuestion.....imma go ahead and ask because i know a lot of us prolly have the same question....... what exactly is double clutching?

 

[BlazerLT]

guys, don't downshift to slow down. All you are doing is wearing your transmission out faster and adding extra clutch wear when you can just apply the brakes.

Only downshift when you are towing a load.

Brake pads are dirt cheap, why not use them instead of an expensive clutch or transmission.

It doesn't matter what they have told you to do, do the smart thing and save yourself some money in the long run.

 

[BlazerFRS]

As I said, I have had no trouble at all after years of downshifting to slow down, nor has anyone else I have known.

To me, downshifting is much more comfortable than just braking-it is one of the reasons I like standard transmissions sooooo much better than automatics.

I always downshift gently tho...I brake it down to an extent before I try to downshift as well. But any way you slice it, I have to say downshifting is an increased stress on the engine/tranny. However, done properly, I think the engine and tranny can take it without detriment, espcially on a truck like ours.

It just comes down to driving style I suppose, but I see no danger in downshifting at all.

 

[meeh350]

a manual transmission can take it as stated above, if you dont hammer on it... so will the engine...... i drive trucks of all sizes from cab overs, freightshakers, to f550s and driven enough s10 manuals.... downshifting is alright when done properly, in fact its no different then downshifting on a hill

 

[xmsn2003]

How to double clutch: http://www.driversedge.com/dblcltch.htm
I only do it for passing. Takes a little practice, but if you do it right, the truck doesn't lurch when you downshift to get it up to the powerband you need.

Just cruising through town, I don't downshift to brake completely, but if I'm in a situation when I need the extra RPM's (2.2 squirrel banger) I will downshift and brake just to keep the truck in the RPM range if I need to accelerate. I do this in city traffic or just running my favorite twisty road. Beside, if you take a corner aggresively, you need to downshift and brake before going in.

No offence, but if your afraid to downshift...they make something called an automatic.

Just my .02

 

[MINTSICK]

BlazerLT are you kidding me? Tell me how downshifting can ruin a clutch and transmission, downshifting is meant to be done to slow the vehicle down. There is a difference between downshifting and just being stupid, like going from 4th to 1st or something ridiculous like that, but if we use your "no downshifting" principle while in motion, what the hell happens when the speed of traffic slows to the point of needing to change gears but not necessarily using brakes, or what happens if you need to make a pass at like 40mph, are you just going to leave it in 5th and hope to make it before colliding with the oncoming vehicle? Bottom line, downshifting when done properly is not harmful to your transmission or clutch. The clutch is a wearable part anyways, so yeah after 100,000 or so it may need replacing (depending on how well you can operate a manual trans), but the transmission will never be damaged from downshifting. 137,000 miles on the original clutch in my 92 2.8 5spd, downshifted since day one of having that truck. Like someone had already said, if you match the rpm's and don't make the downshift feel like your throwing it in reverse at 50mph, you are doing it correctly and not harming a thing. Also, double clutching is really never needed in an s10 or really anything without modern synchro's for that matter, if you match the rpm's or can let the clutch out smoothly yet effectively you don't ever need it.

 

[PEKO]

Well its common sense that evertime you shift up or down you are wearing the clutch. So the more times you shift, the quicker the clutch will wear out. I constantly downshift my truck. Coming off a highway or to a light ill always downshift gear by gear into second. And i just dont push the clutch in and down shift and then let the clutch out. I very quickly put it in neutral, rev it up to match the rpm and then push the clutch in and put it in the lower gear. Wether that is double clutching or whatever, thats what i do. Its alot smoother shit and doesnt have the jerk when you downshift and then release the clutch.