Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General Downshifting...

Originally posted by contour_phoenix_when:

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hmmm
if I were driving in a very hilly area with lots of rolling hills with lots of curves should I down shift neutral when off the gass and slowing down shifting into gear only when giving the car some gas.

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No. You don't really want or need to be in neutral when driving on highways/byways/etc. Save putting it into neutral for when you're coming to a complete stop.

In very hilly areas you would normally want to be in one gear lower than your normal cruising gear, for the speed you are going during most of your driving. With one gear lower you are getting a bit more engine braking than normal when you lift off the throttle for a mild turn. If you want or need to decelerate at a rate anything more than that you should use your brakes and leaving it in gear.

If you are downshifting to exit a turn in a lower gear then you approached it in then, brake and have your downshift completed and your clutch pedal released just before you enter the turn while continuing to apply the brakes, remember to match your revs as you release the clutch.

As I've said before it's all a matter of degree. If the area is very hilly and the speeds are low then you could be in 4th, maybe even 3rd in some areas. Being from NY, you'd have to be quite abit upstate or south in the Blue Ridge area on secondary roads where the speeds are quite low to really use 3rd gear (carrying a load or very spirited driving could also warrant 3rd in some situations).

Take a weekend run across Hwy 90 toward Albany sometime. It's a nice road and there are some great side road excursions that have some nice rolling areas.

Regards, Alan