How do you slow down?

Matt82 · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:36

heel and toe cos im the nuts

RoboCod · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:40

siztenboots said:
Speaks volumes about his experience, get a new instructor

Ive been driving over 7years, sorry I should have been clearer; my (ex)instructor. Driving the way I described above (a la gearing down for corners and driving the corner) definitely works best for me, especially for powering the 2.2 Vtec around the local country roads.

Anyway, everyone has different styles of driving, what's your arguement/point? I said that by driving the way I describe you can have more control over your car, I believe this to be true because through my own experience this has always been the case :confused:

Lopéz said:
Are you telling me people raz up to a bend, brake and press down the clutch and then coast around the corner before finding another gear at the exit? Lolololol!

LOL but the funny thing is I do see a lot of people that do this, they tend to be old people

Lopéz · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:42

Captain Planet said:
Ive been driving over 7years, sorry I should have been clearer; my (ex)instructor. Driving the way I described above (a la gearing down for corners and driving the corner) definitely works best for me, especially for powering the 2.2 Vtec around the local country roads.

Anyway, everyone has different styles of driving, what's your arguement/point? I said that by driving the way I describe you can have more control over your car, I believe this to be true because through my own experience this has always been the case

I wouldn't know how to drive any way other than how you described. Surely coasting round corners on the clutch feels very odd and floaty :/

Von Smallhausen · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:43

Lopéz said:
I wouldn't know how to drive any way other than how you described. Surely coasting round corners on the clutch feels very odd and floaty :/

Agreed, you need that little bit of acceleration to let the car sit better on the road.

RoboCod · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:44

Lopéz said:
I wouldn't know how to drive any way other than how you described. Surely coasting round corners on the clutch feels very odd and floaty :/

Yes this is why I dont understand the arguements in the thread :confused:

atpbx · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:49

Lopéz said:
I wouldn't know how to drive any way other than how you described. Surely coasting round corners on the clutch feels very odd and floaty :/

No the way the police would do it and apparently the "other way" (wrong way) is:
Brake brake brake brake (desired speed) change gear, steer on a trailing throttle, corner, apply throttle.

Where as the right way to drive is:

constant braking while coming down through the box to wipe the speed off in a controlled fashion while being in the correct gear at all times through the braking manouver hit desired speed at entrace to corner cease braking, steer, corner on a trailing throttle to keep the wheels driving hit apex, accelerate away.

Admittedly the right way is the hardest way, its also the way you do it on a bike as it avoids all harsh braking and accelerating manouvers and stops you low siding in corners because you have to much Throttle on and high siding because you've been on the brakes all the way in on a shut throttle stamped down through the box released the clutch and locked the rear wheel.

Lopéz · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:53

atpbx said:
constant braking while coming down through the box to wipe the speed off in a controlled fashion while being in the correct gear at all times through the braking manouver hit desired speed at entrace to corner cease braking, steer, corner on a trailing throttle to keep the wheels driving hit apex, accelerate away.

Perfecto perfecto perfecto. How I've driven all my life.

Dup · 4 Sep 2006 at 19:56

I use the brakes very little when crusing or having a little B road fun.

The reason is I drive a FF car. Braking on corners but wanting to go fast = very understeery unbalanced car while fumbling gears. I tend to let off when I feel is right, brake very gently on the lead up to the corner whilst getting into the correct gear for the corner then power all the way out if it is safe to do so.

I usually coast around in 4th or 5th in town and when a car in front slows I tend to drop a gear rather than keep tapping the brakes for the sake of a jittery old git in front.

It's a combination of engine and full braking that is the correct way. In some situations (IE: correct revs and speed) you can just drop a gear to slow the car but this is usally by the aid of very gentle braking.

Most people I follow on the back roads brake in the middle of a corner and rather dangerously swing onto the wrong side of the road. I have very nearly been roadkill 3/4 times from bigger cars coming the other way, even on the easiest of bends!

West · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:27

I have a system... I decide whether I am going to come to a complete stop or not.. then I will do one of two things..

If I am certain I am going to stop.. I will brake and slow gradually leaving my car in what ever gear it is in.. brake and drop my clutch and then once I have stopped, I will reset to First gear...

If I am not sure im gonna have to stop I will brake and as soon as my Revs have dropped sufficiantly I will drop down to second and carry on... or if then I have to come to a stop drop to first...

Avalon · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:33

On the bike I go down the gears and use engine braking combined with progressive use of the front brake and depending on the conditions varying degree's of rear brake (unless it's a V twin when the engine braking is a lot harsher), in the car I come off the gas and progressivly brake while moiving down the gears (I only do this because I started on the bike though).

As for cornering position/brake/select correct gear if applicable and accelerate through the corner, without having the veichle power on you have less control going round the corner, on the bike it's slow into the corner fast out.

Slightly OT but any other bikers find themselves trying to lean round corners when driving a car ?

TripleT · 4 Sep 2006 at 20:41

Gears.

Most of the time I drive home from work (3-4miles bendy road) without touching the brakes until I reach my door

(purposely really, makes it a little more fun

)

Fr0dders · 4 Sep 2006 at 21:08

Nitro_Junkie said:
instructor up to september last year told me to use engine braking by going through the gears, new instructor when I get back from uni this summer said brake and shift straight into the gear you want, so go figure

school of thought seems to change regularly on this (btoh were turbo diesels btw)

this is what i was taught by my instructor

and he was an ex police instructor ...

i dont think there is a diffinitve answer on this, possibly just 2 schools of thought ?

JollyGreen · 4 Sep 2006 at 21:37

Personally I use my brakes as I just spent £800 odd getting my clutch replaced

Enfield · 4 Sep 2006 at 21:44

I use engine braking myself.

Brakes are for stopping and gears are for going isn't exactly true seeing as you can use your gears for slowing which is what I think we're mainly talking about here.

Mickey_D · 4 Sep 2006 at 21:46

In the Turtle I use engine braking quite a bit as the original brakes on that thing are absolutely horrid and there ARE no upgrades.

In the truck and the Neon it's all about brakes. Mind you, they are both slushy automatics so there's no choice unless you want to eventually blow the hydraulic pump up by downshifting them.......

DragonHunter · 5 Sep 2006 at 06:01

I generally use the brakes to slow but it all depends on the speed. If I'm in 5th, as soon as my speed hits 40 I drop a cog to 4th as the rover25 1.4's quite gutless and 5th just doesn't cut it at that speed. In fact, it doesn't matter what I'm doing, I just always drop to 4th at 40 because the car's not gonna do much in 5th (a fart would accelerate faster). Bring the clutch back in and either keep braking, or start going again.
If I can go round in 3rd I'll hit that cog and hold the throttle all the way round - power on the exit. If I gotta go proper slow, I'll wait and then block to 2nd.

Then again, if the traffic I'm in is gradually slowing down, I'll stir the gearbox through the cogs just so I'm ready to go when the car in front goes and if he decides to stop, I can still tickle the brakes.

robmiller · 5 Sep 2006 at 06:40

Enfield said:
I use engine braking myself.

Brakes are for stopping and gears are for going isn't exactly true seeing as you can use your gears for slowing which is what I think we're mainly talking about here.

It's not a case of can, it's a case of should/shouldn't.

I always got taught the "brakes are cheaper then transmissions" mantra, and so I slow down with my brakes then either put my handbrake on/go into neutral if I'm waiting at traffic lights, or choose the gear I need to move off

volospian · 5 Sep 2006 at 08:54

I think some confusion is arising from the use of the term "coasting". Coasting to me means free wheeling, that is having the engine disengaged from the gearbox and drive (i.e neutral or clutch in). This is generally considered a big no no, as the car is not fully under control.

However, I think some people are taking it to mean simply "no acceleration" or in other words, leaving the car in a gear with the clutch out so that there is "drive" to the wheels, but not putting any pressure on the accelerator pedal.

Personally I don't think either option is a good one. Out of habit I tend to "power" out of a corner.

My general driving technique is how atpbx, Lopez, etc. have described, i.e basically down through the gears under braking, turn in, power out sort of thing.

I do sometimes tend to fully engine brake at higher speeds by switching out of overdrive and sometimes when changing down from 4th to 3rd too, if I'm feeling a bit racy and there's nothing behind me (as engine braking doesn't warn the driver behind that you are braking!), then I brake with both brakes and gears.

I have always done it this way, even in modern cars without OD. I wasn't taught it, It's just what felt right to me but my instructor never minded me doing it and I passed my test doing it.

I probably haven't described it fully, but it sounds like atpbx's post to me.

Mind you, I am one of those people who drive an old car with 60's brake technology and as for brakes vs. clutch costs, I couldn't car less

siztenboots · 5 Sep 2006 at 09:04

Some of the old Saabs had a lever you could pull to freewheel. The other alternative is on again old cars without all the PAS , to cut the engine, ignition off when rolling down hills. Again, old cars without servo brakes , about the worst thing that could happen would be the steering lock ( if they had one ). Makes a nice pop bang when you bump start the engine at the bottom of the hill.

volospian · 5 Sep 2006 at 09:15

siztenboots said:
Some of the old Saabs had a lever you could pull to freewheel. The other alternative is on again old cars without all the PAS , to cut the engine, ignition off when rolling down hills. Again, old cars without servo brakes , about the worst thing that could happen would be the steering lock ( if they had one ). Makes a nice pop bang when you bump start the engine at the bottom of the hill.

Mmm, but just cutting the ignition doesn't disengage the engine. You'd still need to put the clutch in, or change to neutral in order to properly "coast". In which case, why cut the ignition at all?

Anyway, any pop bang from bump starting is inferior to the pop and crackle I get from leaving the car in a low gear down a hill anyway. That's one of the main reasons I change down when braking, to get:

BruUUUUmmm, pop, crackle, pop, BrUUUmmmmm, crackle, crackle, pop, BrUUUUUUmmmm, crackle, crackle, pop, pop, crackle

Lovely