Fab gear

[pompei]

Been reading the IAM thread. What's all this stuff about not using the gears to change speed, especially slowing towards bends, junctions etc? When I learned to drive in the 70s (taught by my dad) control of road speed was a combination of gears and brakes. I understand that brakes are better now than the 4 drums often found on 60s and 70s cars and that changing down will cause more wear than not changing down but is that it?

 

Can anyone explain why one should not use the engine to control speed, if that is what the current philosophy is?

 

Ta.

[Timewaster]

According to the TWAT who did our driving assesments for work (Put on your best adenoidal voice for this) "Brakes are cheaper to replace than clutches".

[ashmicro]

Taken to an exteme admittedly, but brakes fade quicker than clutches. What a fartknocker. Sounds like some throbber who just has an idea in his head and won't be budged from his opinion.

[garethj]

Perhaps because if you change down you've got the car coasting for a few 10ths of seconds while you let the clutch out slowly? These things matter, apparently. Or if you let the clutch out too soon you put negative torque through the rear wheels of your Austin Cambridge, risking a skid.

 

Fuck knows, and it'll be a cold day in hell before I get driving information off you twats here, the Autoshite book of safe driving would compensate for declutching too fast by letting the choke out a bit more

[barrett]

Fuck knows, and it'll be a cold day in hell before I get driving information off you twats here, the Autoshite book of safe driving would compensate for declutching too fast by letting the choke out a bit more

 

I feel like this would be a good time for somebody to post the pic of you - in suit & tie - drifting the G26 round a roundabout, but alas I don't have the link

[Albert Ross]

Also, sitting in a queue of traffic, waiting for a light to change used to mean Neutral, handbrake, feet off. Now it's clutch down, in 1st, ready to go, with right foot on brake pedal. Yeah, wonderful news, especially on a wet evening, and you get blinded by 63 watts of Bosch LED lights.... Still, my headlamps point through back windows.... fair's fair.

[garethj]

I feel like this would be a good time for somebody to post the pic of you - in suit & tie - drifting the G26 round a roundabout, but alas I don't have the link

One hand off the steering wheel too, I'm a bad person

 

However I did manage to do that most days on the way to work and never had a problem, that car was so easy to throw around a child of 10 could do it. Providing they had the arm muscles to cope with the lack of power steering, natch

[Spiny Norman]

What's all this stuff about not using the gears to change speed, especially slowing towards bends, junctions etc?

 

My 2p-worth is that's an often mis-quoted or misunderstood bit of advice.

 

You're right, current thinking is that 'brake pads are cheaper to replace than gearboxes' but that's not to say there are situations where covering the change in road speed with a gearchange isn't appropriate, particularly in adverse conditions or on a rural road, personally I really don't see the point on doing it on approach to a junction I know I'm going to be stopping at anyway, but that's just me.

What isn't considered good driving practise these days is using the gears to slow the car down with engine braking instead of using the brakes, which is the way it often seems to be put across.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Brakes to stop, gears to go. Does mean there are situations where a driver will sit on the brakes for a quarter mile while going down hill but on the whole it works.

[Partridge]

I learnt to drive a lot more recently than most on here I think (I’m of the "Focus", apposed to “Escort" generation), so I was taught block changes etc. Recently I decided that all that eco-safe gear change bollocks could go to hell in a handcart and I’d drive like my Dad.

I slow down quicker, don’t have to break as much (so probably use less fuel) and I just drive smoother.

My friend who has just passed her test plans to do the same after putting her Metro in first gear at 30 mph by mistake when doing a block change...

[RobT]

Also, sitting in a queue of traffic, waiting for a light to change used to mean Neutral, handbrake, feet off. Now it's clutch down, in 1st, ready to go, with right foot on brake pedal. Yeah, wonderful news, especially on a wet evening, and you get blinded by 63 watts of Bosch LED lights.... Still, my headlamps point through back windows.... fair's fair.

 

I still do that, albeit not at every set of lights. Takes the stress off the auto 'box and if I get the occasional toot for not launching off immediately, sod 'em

[beko1987]

I killed the brakes in the Puma by not using them. I only really drive to work and back, and do it regularly without touching the brakes at all, just going down a gear or two here and there to slow down, and rolling up to a stop if needed, with a dab of brakes to put the lights on. I've been followed before by a colleague, who has told me that my brake light doesnt work. When I told her that I didn't use the brakes at all she looked at me like I'd explained the finer points of quantum-bumholeing to her.

 

I prefer it as it shows I have anticipated the conditions, seen what's up ahead and planned for it.

 

Unlike a collague of mine, who I got a lift from the other day for the first time. Up the arse of everything in front, late hard braking then acceleration again, only looking at the car infront etc. His BMW brakes for him he says, so he hasn't got to. I swapped over with him (it's a company car, so I'm legal to drive it), and tried it my way and the stupid eco gear change thing went nuts when I dropped to 4th at 50 to slow down for something, so I can see why he does it.

 

I was taught block changes in my test (2010) and it was great in the 1.8 festa I did my test in, however if I try it in the ZX it looses all power, so I have to go back down to the gear I was in before to boot it back up to speed.

[garethj]

I learnt to drive a lot more recently than most on here I think (I’m of the "Focus", apposed to “Escort" generation), so I was taught block changes etc.

I was taught that when I was 17 in 1988. As one of the instructor's cars only had 4 gears you had fewer to choose from

[Wilko220]

Also, sitting in a queue of traffic, waiting for a light to change used to mean Neutral, handbrake, feet off. Now it's clutch down, in 1st, ready to go, with right foot on brake pedal. Yeah, wonderful news, especially on a wet evening, and you get blinded by 63 watts of Bosch LED lights.... Still, my headlamps point through back windows.... fair's fair.

 

My pet hate. Anyone standing on the brakes whilst stationary in front of me at night gets the full beams in return until they learn.

[Bren]

Even police are taught not to use the gears to slow down - "brake/gear overlaps" (pressing the brakes while changing down) are a no - no except for say, turning left at a junction which then descends steeply - you would need the additional engine braking to regulate your speed.

[406V6]

Drive an auto box and stop the arguing ! I change gears when Mr PSA has a quick word with Mr ZF and they agree the box needs to swap a cog.

[Mash]

There seems to be a lot of hoo ha about economical driving in the news these days and this not using the gears to slow down is a hot topic. I don't and never have been ready on the brakes, I was always taught to use throttle control and keep a good distance. If the car slows to the point where the revs don't match the gear - change down. However, I have never changed down through all the gears one by one to slow deliberately. Coming up to a roundabout you brake and get into the right gear, second or third, to be ready to accelerate off again.

 

I reckon this is the smoothest and most efficient way to drive. Engine braking is great but modern cars don't have a lot of it so you have to brake more instead of slowing by lifting off. The Focus we have at work jut frickin carries on when you lift off the throttle so you have to reign it in on the anchors anyway.

 

I always sit in neutral at lights and use handbrake unless I know I'm moving off in a few seconds and then I'll ride the clutch instead of planting my foot on the brake.

 

Worked for nearly 20 years so I'm not about to change!

[dollywobbler]

Drive an auto box and stop the arguing ! I change gears when Mr PSA has a quick word with Mr ZF and they agree the box needs to swap a cog.

 

Let technology choose? No chance! I even swap cogs in an automatic myself (not all the time, just on occasion - usually when you're hoofing it and don't actually want it to suddenly jump into a taller gear and lose all that momentum).

 

Good point about modern cars and engine braking Mash. Taller gearing doesn't help there. You find yourself braking downhill where you don't have to in an older car.

[walk]

Also, sitting in a queue of traffic, waiting for a light to change used to mean Neutral, handbrake, feet off. Now it's clutch down, in 1st, ready to go, with right foot on brake pedal. Yeah, wonderful news, especially on a wet evening, and you get blinded by 63 watts of Bosch LED lights.... Still, my headlamps point through back windows.... fair's fair.

 

My pet hate. Anyone standing on the brakes whilst stationary in front of me at night gets the full beams in return until they learn.

 

A couple of years ago we were all invited (told) by work to attend a driving course at Donington Park. The morning was fine messing around on the skid pan, ABS and non ABS braking etc.... However the afternoon involved being accompanied by an ex plod "professional driver" for a couple of hours on the open road. I must admit he knew his stuff and aspects of it were useful - but the guy refused to budge on two specific points.

 

- He insisted that I SHOULD ALWAYS have my foot on the brake pedal when stationary, even though the handbrake was on - when I pointed out that this obviously blinds the driver behind and pissed him/her off his standard reply was "...but it means they can always see you"

 

- He marked me down for not leaving enough of a gap BEHIND my car when I stopped at a junction. I mentioned that this was really outside my control and should I decide to move forward the guy behind would follow he said this would not happen. To prove the point I did move about 3ft and yes the bloke behind me did the same. Mr Ex Plod was at a loss what to say at this point - he just ticked an "unsatisfactory" box on his notepad and told me to drive on.

 

Still at least the day only cost the company £580 + VAT (and over the course of 9 months 400 of us attended). I'm in the wrong job!

[Partridge]

I learnt to drive a lot more recently than most on here I think (I’m of the "Focus", apposed to “Escort" generation), so I was taught block changes etc.

I was taught that when I was 17 in 1988. As one of the instructor's cars only had 4 gears you had fewer to choose from

 

Well I’m pretty sure a three speed auto box could fox me, anyhow

[forddeliveryboy]

Still at least the day only cost the company £580 + VAT (and over the course of 9 months 400 of us attended). I'm in the wrong job!

 

Little wonder the UK's such an expensive place to live, with employees frequently on expensive courses - this must be ust the tip of a huge iceberg - and a shame there isn't just good quality management and decent employment to bring the best out of those who actually graft.

[walk]

Modern brakes with all the ABS/ESP/TSC/ASR software incoroprated into their systems almost seem to be over-specced for the car they're stopping nowadays - whatever happened to good old brake fade? I drive a VW with a DSG gearbox as my everyday driver and the anchors are brilliant. Unless the gearbox is in 'S' mode it relies on the brakes to do 90% of the stopping and won't select each lower gear until the revs in the current gear drop to about 1500rpm. Yep nowadays it's all about the fuel economy!