Does downshifting do anything? I've seen/heard people that downshift all the time but I never do it. I usually just go from whatever gear I'm in to neutral and roll up to the stop light.

I figured when you downshift your rpms shoot up so that gives you worse gas mileage. Plus your using your clutch twice as much.

Any benefit (car health, gas mileage wise) to downshifting? Do you guys do it?

 

how could you drive without downshifting? what if you need to slow down from 50mph to 30mph, thats a whole gear if you leave it in 4th instead of 3rd it will sputter when speeding up again, also what if you need to go faster? like when entering the freeway from the street and your in a high gear for gas mileage.... so simple answer YES i do downshift

 

I'm guessing he just means downshifting when coming to a stop.

 

I downshift when traffic slows down a little; down into second gear when going around a corner; sometimes from 5th to 4th down a hill to slow me down if I'm not going too fast to over-rev the engine; usually when I'm coming to a stop I ride the clutch all the way in, but I should probably go into neutral more to save wear & tear on the car; once in a while I downshift through every gear just for fun. I think it's an honest question. I hope that helps.

 

When coming to a stop, I usually drop into neutral or ride the clutch like Texas said. However, there are times where it's a good idea to downshift when stopping. If you know your brakes are bad, this can be a helpful way of slowing down with less wear on the brakes. Same when going downhill.

As Carnage said, downshifting is a definite necessity while actually driving. Perfect example is when you come to a school zone and the traffic suddenly goes from 55mph to 25mph... That's way too low for 4th gear, lol. Same for speeding up to enter a freeway or pass someone. Downshifting can either slow you down or speed you up, depending on how you rev it :0)

 

That's best for the clutch. Downshifting just to use the engine as a brake to slow the car down wears the clutch out sooner. And your brakes are a hell of a lot easier to replace than a clutch is.

 

Haha sorry I shoulda clarified.. I meant while coming to a stop. Yeah I ride the clutch sometimes to a red as well.

Haha yeah, I downshift through turns and on ramps as well.. I really **** the bed on the wording for this question haha.

So basically.. nothing beneficial to downshifting when coming to a stop? Thanks

 

the only time its benifical is when you need to stop real fast ie deer

 

You mean IE rip clutch out and still hit the deer?

Me thinks brake pedal would work better in that situation.

People mainly downshift to show off or to ease wear on brakes. But I'd rather replace brakes than the clutch any day

 

I agree about brakes being easier to replace than the clutch, but if the brakes go out then downshifting becomes a necessity. It's a good idea to practice every once in a while, just so you don't end up in a brakeless situation and think "OMFG, how do I stop my car!?"