All of these threads have justification, I for one, took a certain side of it that makes more sense, and you took another side, there's your justification. BeyondLoaded said I never downshift and have 90000 on the clock and have no probs.... there, theres justification. More justification, which is cheaper, brakes or trans/clutch. Downshifting is not going to break it, but it puts more wear and stress on items not designed to handle it ALL THE TIME. Brakes were invented to slow and stop a car, not the engine and clutch... unless you have a model T under that contour body
. All I am getting at is the fact that it takes skill to beable to downshift when stopping, and do it effectivly in a way were excess wear is not going to persist. The only reason why I told the guy to not downshift while stopping is for that basic reason. ONe slip up of coming to a stop (say at 30 mph) shift into first, boom- car redlines and you've burned, or worn out a clutch. A noob at driving a manual needs to know basic driving before attempting to master double clutching, tow and heeling, and what not. I don't consider advice about anything that has some justification like above to be the "worse advice ever".
Here is a quote from a how to Informative from Ford on how to drive a manual transmission.
Stop it! - How to safely stopBefore you get to the part about moving, you need to get just a bit of experience stopping, otherwise your friend in the passenger seat will start clawing at the dash and screaming like crazy as you try to negotiate a hard left to avoid the one other car still parked in the lot.
At least for now, we're going to go for the simple stop. It doesn't matter what gear you are in, you can always use the brake pedal the way you are used to by pushing in the clutch first. Practice. With the car turned off and the parking brake set, rest your right foot on the gas like you be in normal driving, and put your left foot wherever you normally feel comfortable. Practice the panic stop - left foot quickly pushes the clutch to the floor and the right foot moves to the brake and presses it. You don't have to slam the clutch, put do it quickly. Practice. Again. It has to become somewhat natural. Later we will talk about using the clutch as you slow down, but for starters, always push the clutch in before touching the brake. Like it says.. LATER, we will learn.. meaning, after you know what you are doing.
And, here is some info from "How stuff works.com"
Tom: When we tell people not to downshift, we're talking about downshifting on normal roads during everyday driving. I'm sure your friend in the Corvette -- before he heard our advice -- used to downshift into second as he approached every red light. Why? Because he thought he was "saving the brakes." But more importantly, because it sounded cool and he was trying to get girls to turn their heads and notice him.
Ray: But at some point, he probably heard us explain that he was ruining his clutch by downshifting so often. And two or three clutches later, he started to believe us.
Tom: On the other hand, there is one situation in which you absolutely DO want to downshift and save the brakes. And that's when you're going down a long, steep hill. If, for example, you're coming down a mountain road and you constantly use the brakes, you're liable to overheat them. And if they overheat, the brake fluid can boil. And if that happens, you'll find yourself at the bottom of the mountain much more quickly than you would have expected!
Ray: So on a long, steep hill, you SHOULD put your manual OR automatic transmission in a gear low enough to keep you at a safe, comfortable speed. If the hill is so steep that you're still speeding up and having to ride the brakes, drop it a gear lower and try again.
So, lets just kiss each others asses and end it.
put on the seats? It's hard to tell from the picture. 