Think Again

Zero Hard.

 

Just don’t do a mechanical over rev. Do the downshift into the next lower gear only, to ensure you keep the refs down. O;ce you get good at it you can do multiple gear downshifts...if the revs are low enough.

i use engine breaking all the time, and always have on manual transmission vehicles...and even on my car with paddle shifters.

When street racing my Datsun 240z years ago, I did an accidental mechanical over rev...and it survived. But, I don’t advocate doing that. Not all motors can take that,

Edit: Oh yeah. It’s best to slip the clutch out after down shifting. Don’t just down shift and let the clutch fly. That can temporary key slide the rear tire, and/or throw a valve through the gas tank.

 

(mod edit)

 

Deleted

 

When I was a kid learning how to drive on a manual transmission, my dad taught me to double clutch and down shift. He said that using the engine to slow you down saved the brakes. My response was that I could change the brakes a lot easier than I could change a clutch.

It's still cool to double clutch and down shift.

 

Isn't that in the owners manual? (Oh no, he didn't)

 

All depends onwhat oil you are using.

 

Whut?

 

3 year old thread, resurrected by a troll...

 

Double clutching does more to minimize wear on the synchronizers in the transmission than to save wear on the clutch RPM matching minimizes wear on the clutch but that takes lots of practice and the clutch wears each time until the skill is well established. Any time the clutch plates slip against each other they are wearing regardless if it is an up-shift or down-shift. Years ago I decided that the clutch was primarily to "go" and the brakes were primarily to stop. Brakes are far cheaper and easier to change than clutches. Planning a stop far in advance so you can COAST to a lower speed saves gas AND brakes.

Using a lower gear when going down a long hill is still recommended more to prevent brake over heating and loss of brake function. Many enjoy down-shifting for engine braking as they slow but it saves little if anything in the overall cost of operation. If you blip the throttle to rpm match with EACH down shift, that slightly increases fuel consumption likely cancelling out what you might save on brakes. Motorcycles don't have neutral between EACH gear so double clutching isn't even available. The dog that engages each gear gets slammed pretty hard when down-shifting just as it does when up-shifting adding wear to the transmission as well as the clutch. If you enjoy doing it, that is your choice, but it isn't free.