...do you downshift through the gears when coming to a stop? Or do you just put it in nuetral and brake until you stop. Say if your coming to a stop sign and your currently in 5th gear?

Also, anyone know any good websites with MT techniques shown like heel-toe and rev-matching (same thing in theory).

 

When I drive a manual I normaly down shift to help slow down, normaly its not a major down shift that jumps the revs a lot, normal just like 200-400rpm. The only time I do the no down shift is when I need to stop fast or stop when I dont expect I need to. Sorry I dont know about any web sites for the info you want though.

 

I do the same.... if I see a red light at a distance, I'll downshift instead of hitting the brakes. I usually give a little rev while still depressing the clutch so the RPMs match before I engage the clutch again. It's all about looking as far forward as you can, not directly in from of your grill like most people do.

 

Its important to be IN gear MOST of the time when moving. I dont mean to hurry up when shifting but there are several reasons.. one being the law. In many places when crossing railroad tracks for example. Another is very steep downgrades.
When coasting in neutral with the clutch pedal depressed .. well , thats called riding the clutch and you put extra uneeded wear on the throw(clutch release) bearing.

If you coast in neutral with your foot off the clutch pedal .... then you cant 're-act' as fast to get it back in gear and then speed up or slow down..or whatever. ( and you do save brakes pads by using the engine's compression to slow down)
Gearing down , way down will help greatly to stop faster...but its harder on the drive components..then again , this is a Toyota.. well built tough cars! So have fun.


' Push Hard on the gas! Then Harder on the brakes!

 

I usually practice heel-to-toe shifting when I downshift. I do it a lot right now because I am still breaking the car in, so it needs plenty of acceleration and deceleration in gear after warming up. It depends on how close you are to the light or another vehicle. When close or I need to make a quick stop, I shift to neutral and brake

 

Now Im gonna feel stupid..I put mine in Neutral when I am slowing down..then into 1st once I stop..Is that bad?! Oopssiiii!! :?

 

very bad. . .but now you know, and knowing is half the battle, G I. . .

 

90% of the time when coming up to a red light or stop sign, i put it in neutral. no, there is nothing wrong with this. i downshift when i'm coming up on an under-the-freeway u-turn or something, or just when i feel like it. either way is fine, just remember that if you do put it in neutral, it takes more time to put it back in gear if you need to.

 

i've also heard its bad to ride the clutch while stopped on a hill...

 

Some people like to keep themselves in the same spot on a hill by riding the clutch/throttle. This is bad. Just brake, and when it comes time to go, quickly get off the brake and on the gas.

 

While we're on the topic of manual cars, how far do you have to press the clutch in before it reaches the point where it becomes detrimental to "ride the clutch". I know on my first car i used to rest my left foot on the clutch at all times. Not enough pressure to be able to shift from gear to gear, but the weight of my foot definitley sat there pushing the clutch in just a bit.

 

First off: if you do not ride the clutch, shifting to neutral to coast to a stop is not bad.
It will save gas mileage. However, if you just hold the clutch down while coming to a stop, that is not desirable.

I downshift sometimes, but typically coast in neutral to a stop. I'd rather replace 20 dollar brake pads then having my engine do my slowing down for me.

Secondly, it is not the best thing to feather the clutch on an incline to avoid roll. If the incline is so steep that you honestly cant go from brake to gas without roll, use the handbrake.

 

I agree, I usually just coast to a stop. true, you can't get into gear as fast, so use your judgement.. if you're going to stop in a straight line, coasting and braking is fine. if you're going into a merge lane or turning, and have to slow down first, downshift so you can recover when you get into the lane. of course, this will take practice

IMO, until I can get downshifting down pat, I'd much rather wear down brake pads than wear out the engine.

Gotta remember to use the handbrake I just ran into that situation this morning, but feathered the clutch. thanks for the reminder.

 

I was always taught that if you aren't using the clutch pedal, don't touch it.... besides, that's what the dummy pedal is for

 

Why does shifting to neutral save you gas milage? If I downshift to third at 40 MPH, and the RPM's are now at about 3500 in third as the car slows me down, I am not pushing the gas at all, thus using no more fuel than if I was idling in neutral, it's the momentum of the car that is turning the engine, the front wheels are supplying the "fuel"...

 

and about having the car in neutral, in addition to it taking longer to get rolling again from having to get it back in gear.... you also take the chance with the stick not going into gear which takes even longer or having to force the stick into gear which is very bad for the clutch

 

Here's a good question for y'all,
when waiting to turn onto a busy street, while you are waiting for a hole do you A) leave it in gear and clutch in, so you can jump on that hole quickly? or B) leave it in neutral and shift quickly?

If it's a real busy street, I find that I leave it in gear, but it sucks cuz you never know how long you're going to wait until there is a hole.

 

when i come to a stop i usually stay in the gear i was in until the engine gets down to about 2000 or 1500 rpm.

when in on a busy street i leave the car in gear with the clutch in

 

This is how I drove my manual Probe GT for 10 years and 150k miles and it's still going strong on the original clutch and transmission.

*shrug*

I really don't see myself changing my driving style with the TC and adding a bunch of additional shifting with every stop.

 

I used to engine break on a usual basis...but I figured that brake pads are a dime a dozen... I engine brake while using the brakes, sometimes, though...