Sciond

when I see I am stopping I put the car nuetral and brake to a stop and keep it in nuetral these 2 items will save your clutch...almost 50,000 on mine

Lizard1

You guys are all nuts. You can use the clutch to engine brake a million times and the wear is incrimental at best.

Seriously, if you are approaching a stop light and are throwing the car into neautral well before you completely stop, you're wearing out brake pads before you're preventing wear on your clutch.

I have only owned three vehicles with an automatic and I drive 48k miles a year on average. I use the engine for braking and let's just say, I've never replaced a clutch at all.

Putting it in Neutral at a stop light is a waste...

This whole input shaft and being lubricated is a joke. The oil doesn't fall right off and dry up after holding the clutch in for a few minutes. It stays plenty lubricated to work fine. For the input shaft to wear prematurely would require severe wear and tear. You'll seriously replace the clutch before you'll have issues with the input shaft...

Ugh...

azepolyn

hm ... my practice is ... i actually drop it into neutral when Im decelerating coming up to a stop light and even when I'm exiting the hgihway on a straight away. The only time I decelerate in gear on the highway is coming around a clover or hairpin. If I come up to a green light, shift to 3rd or 2nd according to speed and drive right through.

Now going up hill ... f* that. I'm typically too concerned I might kill the engine to even try. I'll either go around, or slow down and keep rolling in hopes it turns green by the time I get up there lol

edit: and to clarify ... I don't go into neutral to save wear or tear on anything. I'm just lazy

Neothin

i keep it in neutral b/c it doesnt take any effort

jDub_68

I completely agree with lizard1. When @ a complete stop, it makes no mechanical difference if your in "N w/clutch out" or "1st w/clutch in".

BTW- There is no need for most of us to "performance drive" but rolling a quarter mile in neutral while approaching a traffic signal is plain amatuerish.

* The gas savings are negligable, (stop-n-go traffic for long periods of time notwithstanding)

* If you suddenly had the need to accelerate, (or the more appropriate term, take back control over your vehicle) which gear are you gonna throw it in? More then half the time you will probably make the wrong choice & over-rev or bog.

* While joe-auto-transmission is applying the brakes through a corner, Mr. manual has downshifted and is actually accelerating through it all the while maintaining MORE control.

People should learn how to drive a manual tranny correctly & this includes downshifting.

Jhhnn

Thank you, jDub 68. I'm always downshifting as as I approach a stop, finally going into 1st as I do so...

If anything, it takes less gas than coasting in neutral, since the EFI cuts the fuel flow entirely when your foot is off the accelerator and rpms are above idle... not to mention that you're more in control...

Lizard1

YES!!! Finally! A person who mut have more than 5 years driving experience!! THANK YOU! I was getting worried that there weren't any people who really know how to drive a stick...

Lizard1

Dude, you don't know how to drive a stick properly. Going into Neutral at an exit ramp and coasting to a stop is boarderline dangerous.

You don't understand what I am saying about using the engine as a brake, either. Down shifting for inclines, corners, stops, etc. are what you NEED to be doing when driving a stick.

From the sounds of many on here, you all should have bought autos. Especially the whole "I'm too lazy" crap.

Here's a good question - when you guys are coming off an interstate and doing 70-75mph and come up to a clover leaf, what do you do? Do you down shift? Do you just apply brakes early and get down to a slow speed for the entrance and drop it into 3rd gear and basically coast around the clover? Do you approach the clover at speed, down shift a couple of gears and use the clutch to slow you down with little use of brakes and continue through the clover?

I'd be interested in the responses... I think I'd want to NOT be behind most of you coming from a 70 mph freeway onto a clover leaf, but we'll see...

jDub_68

Got my learners permit in'86. I was driving an early 70's VW bug at the time. Those where the days, Feet on all three pedals simultaniously to keep from stalling, bump starting in reverse by yourself, starting it in gear while parked in the garage, thus destroying my parents washer & dryer.

Yeah, I'd consider myself experienced.

Jan06xB

I was just pointing out a fine point of what is happening in the tranny not that it will reduce wear however the big factor in coasting is to save gas because if you had a ScanGauge like I have you would see that the engine uses 0.1gph at low idle and 0.3-0.4gph while decelerating at higher RPMs even with your foot off the gas! Also my last car had the brakes rust up from LACK of use because I down shifted and it did cause more wear on the clutch - 90k and no more adjustment left - and more oil consumption in the engine. I do like the idea of a little engine braking but I save that for 5th gear which is good down to 20mph if I have a enough speed and not enough room or a hill long and steep enough I would use a lower gear.

So how do you think I get 40 to 50 mpg in my xB?

Jan06xB

Actually it does save considerable gas and I can coast for over a mile on some of the roads I travel without going below the speed limit so burning 0.1gph vs 0.5gph gets me 5x the miles per gallon during those coasting stretches.

GreenLantern

I always put it in neutral



oh, and I drive waaay to fast to even think I'm getting some kind of fuel enconomy outta my box.....

Sciond

rookies still....

Geez I woulld gladly trade cheap break dollars for expensive engine and clutch wear dollars
when costing to a stup in nutral you can always double clutch and go into the proper gear but why would sit at light at a light with your foot on the clutch???

do also you ride your brake in case you may have to stop

now going down a steep inlcine and can see downshifting and using your engine to brake ..like truckers do but this would be on a rare occasion

GreenLantern

joffficer

jDub_68, You too! I've had about 10 VW's... bugs and busses. If you didn't know (or learn fast) how to drive stick, you were screwed! Four wheel drum brakes taught me the importance of downshifting.... 48hsp in a van taught me how to shift on a hill!

I doubt sitting at a light with the clutch in will harm anything. It just gives you a tired leg, and makes you more anxious to get going. My Xb's clutch is very light compared to trucks, and performance cars I've owned. I still sit in Nuetral, though.

Jan06xB

We don't have highway speeds that high around here so I wouldn't be entering an exit ramp at that speed plus if you ever have the fortune to run into a car stopped in the ramp or an oil slick or patch of sand you will learn real quick how fast your car doesn't stop. But if I want to hot rod around I drop it down 2 gears and I have the speedo marked off for the max rpm in each gear too.

Lizard1

You just don't get it, do you?

Lizard1

You guys don't have any interstates? You're the type of guy I always come up on that is going 35 mph off a 70 mph freeway who is afriad they're going to get flicked clean off the freeway...

Jan06xB

Most of the highways in RI are 55 mph - it's a small state and in Newport the maximum speed is the 30mph on ramp to the bridge - the rest of the city is 25mph. The highest speed on the island is 45mph and that is 10 miles from here. We have highways over grown with trees, wet leaves and construction workers so you can't go flying into blind turns safely.

Lizard1

So, every cloverleaf is a blind curve? Ever look through a curve or corner - they aren't blind...

Those 30 mph signs are cautionary "suggested" speeds. It's kinda like any other state (RI has an Interstate, as well...) with an Interstate. The clover suggested speed is 25 mph. However, it is when you decide to shut it down that causes issue.

If you see the sign, believe that you only need to go 25 mph and decide to pile on the braking (While in Neautral apparently) is what is a safety issue.

If the ramp is 25 mph, on a dry day at decent temps, you can easily go down to 55 or 45 and gradually slow while downshifting to help with a semi rapid decrease in speed. Merge safely and teh flow of traffic is not hindered.

What am i doing arguing over basic driving skills? I'm outta here!