Basic manual question

[Rjor27]

Say im coming to a stop and im going 40, Is it bad for me to just put it in neutral(without using the clutch) and brake to a stop? I dont get any bad noises or anything so i figured it was ok but ive gotten the consensus that most people just hold the clutch in, which seems uneccesary when your not going to be accelerating for awhile.

I also do this on turns occasionaly(go around turns in neutral then switch into gear)

[hockeyman]

It is not good to hold the clutch pedal in at all availible times. For those who do, they will be replacing their clutch real soon. Puts alot of wear/tear on the pressure plate.

[ianwells100]

u should ALWAYS use ur clutch to go in and out of gear (in normal driving).....

u 'should' always gear down to a stop, it is the safest thing to do, as u are always in control of ur car, same goes for corner (although don't pop ur clutch on a corner, u may lose traction, learn when to shift)

so, yes, coasting to a stop is totally fine (some, like my father when he taught me to drive, say you should always be in 'a' gear... but, thats up to u).. but ALWAYS, to be nice to ur car, use ur clutch when changing gears

edit: oh yeah, as it says above, don't ever just sit with ur foot on the clutch, u put lots of unneeded pressure on the springs in ur pressure plates, which may cause them to prematurely malfunction

[98Camaro3.8]

You mean just yanking it out of gear into neutral?

If I don't plan on leaving right away, I'm not gonna waste the throwout bearing just sitting there with the clutch in. I'll shift into neutral and wait.

[Rjor27]

yeah i just mean yanking it out of gear into neutral, so is that bad? Im not switching into a new gear, you have to use the clutch for that

and from what ive researched its better to slow down with the brakes then wear the transmission down with downshifting

[hockeyman]

Originally posted by Rjor27:
from what ive researched its better to slow down with the brakes then wear the transmission down with downshifting

I have had manuals all of my life, put many of miles on each, and I have yet to change or wear out a trans because of downshifting with them.
I have seen people not even use the clutch pedal when coming out of gear. Sh*t, I have even seen some guys shift from 1st to 2nd without using the pedal and tore the synchro's to hell, but they really didn't care because the cars were beaters.
Take care of your trans, and it'll take care of you. If you downshift all the time during hard acceleration then deceleration, then I'd say keep it in neutral and use the brake pads only. For normal daily useage, downshifting (engine braking) is fine.

[Rjor27]

ok so in summary...its bad on the tranny to not use the clutch pedal when coming out of a gear..right?

[hockeyman]

Originally posted by Rjor27:
ok so in summary...its bad on the tranny to not use the clutch pedal when coming out of a gear..right?

Correct. I always use the pedal when going into, shifting and coming out of gears. Just don't hold the pedal down for a long period of time. Use it, then let it go.

[arthansen]

Do not yank it out of gear. You can damage the transmission. However, if you match rpms, the car will slide out of gear with no effort and you do not need the clutch. As long as you match rpms, there will be no ill effects on the transmission.

Down shifting is fun but in todays cars, you are better off using your breaks (except for performance driving around corners). With things like traction control and ABS, you will actually have better control then with downshifting. In addition, the transmission will last longer and breaks are cheap (simple matter of wear and tear).

One step better is a car with active handling. My wifes 2003 Vette has it and it is amazing. It will actually apply the breaks for you (one or more of the four breaks) to turn the car the way you want it to go. For instance, in a hard right hand turn, it would apply the right rear break to "slew" the car to the right.