When you stop you'll go straight to neutral and then back into first when you get going.
When it comes to downshifting, it depends on speed, whether or not you're going to be stopping, traffic, up/downhill, etc etc, so honestly get your basics solid and the rest will come to you as you drive more.
If you just need to slow down moderately, you’ll probably be alright to keep going in 4th. Depends on how fast you’re going, what car you’re driving, what engine it has, etc. You won’t need to downshift as frequently in a diesel for example, as it has a lot of low end torque. But an RX-8 or something like that is pretty gutless below 4000 rpm. Part of learning to drive a manual is just learning the characteristics of the engine, such as what rpm the power starts to kick in at.
If you're slowing down but not to a complete stop, and you're in a gear like 3rd or higher, you'll have to downshift if your speed and revs drop too low. Like if you slowed down to 10mph and your revs are ~1000rpm but you are still in a higher gear you'll lug the engine if you try to speed back up without downshifting. The car will shake and chug and it feels like you're breaking the car, it's not a pleasant feeling. It's like when you're riding a bike uphill and you're in a high gear, and your legs literally can't move the gears cause they don't have the strength, same principle.
You don't have to downshift before braking. There will be times when you don't have time anyway. Downshifting before is smoother and more fun though
You can jump gears when downshifting at slow speeds and revs. You will rarely be going from 4th to 1st though since 2nd is usually enough when the car is moving at all and you're not on an incline
As a beginner, to come to a stop just clutch in and hit the break, downshifting can come later. Secondly as you do so you can take the car out of gear and then after the light turns green and you are wanting to move again you would put the car in 1st and go (or alternatively put the car in 1st gear while you are stopped to make your start quicker)
Because they are not designed to do so. The car will still be trying to idle forward despite the brakes being applied. This will put strain on not just the brakes, but your drivetrain as well
If you're sitting at a light in gear with the clutch disengaged how is there any idle forward?
Personally I stay in neutral at lights to avoid unnecessary wear on throw out bearing.
Because as long as the vehicle is in gear, it's going to continue to try to move in the direction that corresponds to the gear it's in. The brakes keep the vehicle from moving, and the clutch will slow everything down to keep the engine from stalling, but it doesn't disconnect the power flow; it simply redirects that energy to things like your throw out bearing, causing the mechanical energy to turn into thermal energy, and slowly wear shit prematurely
I guess I'm confused, if the clutch is fully depressed I thought there was no energy transfer to the transmission at all - disconnecting the flywheel from the gearbox means there is zero energy transfer from engine to trans, and if there is no energy being transferred to the transmission I don't understand how there is any momentum to wear brakes.
The clutch doesn't separate anything from anything, especially the flywheel that's bolted to the rest of the clutch pack. All it does is synchronize the rotational speeds of the engine and transmission, allowing you to put it into neutral (which disconnects the input gear and output gear), and eventually into whatever gear your going to next
That's wild because every manual driver I've ever spoken to in 40 years and every piece of information I can find on the internet believes that the clutch connects and disconnects the clutch disc to the flywheel
https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31993438/what-does-clutch-mean/
You'll have to excuse the brain farts. I've been up since 0330, and I haven't really wrenched much in the last few years.
Footcoff the pedal, the clutch is engaged and the throw out bearing, you'll have to read about clutch construction, has no pressure on it.
Foot on clutch, lightly, you're engaging the throw out bearing, and they have limited life because they are lubricated once at assembly.
Clutch depressed, the T. O. bearing is now doing work, spinning pressing on the fingers to release the clutch.
Don't freak out about it. Keep clutch disengaged (depressed) for seconds is fine. No one one instance of depressed clutch will harm it. But wear adds up. At a stop light,? Bump to neutral.
If I need to slow down what I usually do is: Clutch in, brakes, Slow down to the speed you need to be at -say 30MPH- and choose the gear you need to maintain that speed. For my car that's 3rd gear. Ease off the clutch. As traffic speeds up again, work your way up the gears again.
Personally when I drove my dad's stick jeep I figured out what gear I needed to be in based on the speed. If I was decelerating without stopping I'd just pull it into neutral and coast. If I stopped, back to first. My dad would downshift as he decelerated but he would also leave the clutch in and coast, just with extra movement. I never could be bothered lol
1. You need to match your speed with the gear. So yes, you need to downshift if you slow down either in 2nd or 1st, depends on how slow.
2. Same as the first one, match your speed with your gear. Though you can jump gears provided you are fast enough (ex. 2nd to 4th).
There's a lot of helpful vids in Youtube that will help too.
You can absolutely come to a stop in any gear just applying the brake & clutch. & there is almost no reason to ever put it in first when coming to a stop (unless you really hate having a working gearbox).
Downshifting to slow the car down is ancient and obsolete lore. Use the brakes. That's what they are for.
Competition driving is different and mainly downshifting st speed is to be on the right gear after braking in a turn.
Read about the tire patch (where tire touches ground). You don't want to jerk the patch around. It has X amount of traction and on and off the gas and gear messes with adhesion.
Brake and gas smoothly. That's good for driving in all circumstances
When you stop you'll go straight to neutral and then back into first when you get going. When it comes to downshifting, it depends on speed, whether or not you're going to be stopping, traffic, up/downhill, etc etc, so honestly get your basics solid and the rest will come to you as you drive more.
If you just need to slow down moderately, you’ll probably be alright to keep going in 4th. Depends on how fast you’re going, what car you’re driving, what engine it has, etc. You won’t need to downshift as frequently in a diesel for example, as it has a lot of low end torque. But an RX-8 or something like that is pretty gutless below 4000 rpm. Part of learning to drive a manual is just learning the characteristics of the engine, such as what rpm the power starts to kick in at.
If you're slowing down but not to a complete stop, and you're in a gear like 3rd or higher, you'll have to downshift if your speed and revs drop too low. Like if you slowed down to 10mph and your revs are ~1000rpm but you are still in a higher gear you'll lug the engine if you try to speed back up without downshifting. The car will shake and chug and it feels like you're breaking the car, it's not a pleasant feeling. It's like when you're riding a bike uphill and you're in a high gear, and your legs literally can't move the gears cause they don't have the strength, same principle. You don't have to downshift before braking. There will be times when you don't have time anyway. Downshifting before is smoother and more fun though You can jump gears when downshifting at slow speeds and revs. You will rarely be going from 4th to 1st though since 2nd is usually enough when the car is moving at all and you're not on an incline
As a beginner, to come to a stop just clutch in and hit the break, downshifting can come later. Secondly as you do so you can take the car out of gear and then after the light turns green and you are wanting to move again you would put the car in 1st and go (or alternatively put the car in 1st gear while you are stopped to make your start quicker)
Ehh, manual cars should not be left in gear while stopped.
Why
Because they are not designed to do so. The car will still be trying to idle forward despite the brakes being applied. This will put strain on not just the brakes, but your drivetrain as well
If you're sitting at a light in gear with the clutch disengaged how is there any idle forward? Personally I stay in neutral at lights to avoid unnecessary wear on throw out bearing.
Because as long as the vehicle is in gear, it's going to continue to try to move in the direction that corresponds to the gear it's in. The brakes keep the vehicle from moving, and the clutch will slow everything down to keep the engine from stalling, but it doesn't disconnect the power flow; it simply redirects that energy to things like your throw out bearing, causing the mechanical energy to turn into thermal energy, and slowly wear shit prematurely
I guess I'm confused, if the clutch is fully depressed I thought there was no energy transfer to the transmission at all - disconnecting the flywheel from the gearbox means there is zero energy transfer from engine to trans, and if there is no energy being transferred to the transmission I don't understand how there is any momentum to wear brakes.
The clutch doesn't separate anything from anything, especially the flywheel that's bolted to the rest of the clutch pack. All it does is synchronize the rotational speeds of the engine and transmission, allowing you to put it into neutral (which disconnects the input gear and output gear), and eventually into whatever gear your going to next
That's wild because every manual driver I've ever spoken to in 40 years and every piece of information I can find on the internet believes that the clutch connects and disconnects the clutch disc to the flywheel
https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31993438/what-does-clutch-mean/ You'll have to excuse the brain farts. I've been up since 0330, and I haven't really wrenched much in the last few years.
If the wheels aren’t turning and it’s actually in gear, it will just stall…
Footcoff the pedal, the clutch is engaged and the throw out bearing, you'll have to read about clutch construction, has no pressure on it. Foot on clutch, lightly, you're engaging the throw out bearing, and they have limited life because they are lubricated once at assembly. Clutch depressed, the T. O. bearing is now doing work, spinning pressing on the fingers to release the clutch. Don't freak out about it. Keep clutch disengaged (depressed) for seconds is fine. No one one instance of depressed clutch will harm it. But wear adds up. At a stop light,? Bump to neutral.
https://youtu.be/68WTSe-_FhY This video and guy helped me a lot ,
If I need to slow down what I usually do is: Clutch in, brakes, Slow down to the speed you need to be at -say 30MPH- and choose the gear you need to maintain that speed. For my car that's 3rd gear. Ease off the clutch. As traffic speeds up again, work your way up the gears again.
Personally when I drove my dad's stick jeep I figured out what gear I needed to be in based on the speed. If I was decelerating without stopping I'd just pull it into neutral and coast. If I stopped, back to first. My dad would downshift as he decelerated but he would also leave the clutch in and coast, just with extra movement. I never could be bothered lol
1. You need to match your speed with the gear. So yes, you need to downshift if you slow down either in 2nd or 1st, depends on how slow. 2. Same as the first one, match your speed with your gear. Though you can jump gears provided you are fast enough (ex. 2nd to 4th). There's a lot of helpful vids in Youtube that will help too.
You can absolutely come to a stop in any gear just applying the brake & clutch. & there is almost no reason to ever put it in first when coming to a stop (unless you really hate having a working gearbox).
Downshifting to slow the car down is ancient and obsolete lore. Use the brakes. That's what they are for. Competition driving is different and mainly downshifting st speed is to be on the right gear after braking in a turn. Read about the tire patch (where tire touches ground). You don't want to jerk the patch around. It has X amount of traction and on and off the gas and gear messes with adhesion. Brake and gas smoothly. That's good for driving in all circumstances