When I'm driving?

Question

When I'm driving and begin to slow down for example I'm in 5th and i press in the clutch and change to 2nd and coast with the clutch still depressed I am told this is dangerous as I'm not in full control of the car and if I had done it during my test I would have failed. I can't see how this is so-maybe someone could explain why it is a bad habit. It seems fine to me.

Answer 1

First of all why would you go from 5th to 2nd and hold the clutch. You are wearing out the clutch very quickly this way. The only time you should down shift like that is encase a car stops short in front of you and you drop it from 5th to 2ndlet go of the clutch and hit the breaks. If you are about to stop and just want the car to coast hit the clutch put it in neutral and let go of it pressing the breaks slowly. Some people here say that you should always down shift because you will save your breaks. Would you rather pay for new brake pads or new clutch. Down shifting puts stress on the engine it wears out the clutch quicker and you waste more fuel because you are reving the engine higher when you down shift. You should down shift only when necessary like icy roads emergency stops or of your breaks fail. This is just my opinion.

Answer 2

Basically you are not driving the car along the road

It is neither being pulled by the engine nor slowed by the brakes. Consequently you will find it more difficult to control as it is just rolling along the road under its own momentum and the effects of gravity ( hence why you would fail your driving test - you are not driving, only steering).

You are not far off the correct technique - apply the brake to slow the car then do your gear change just as you are approaching your new speed.

Answer 3

It could be dangerous if you suddenly needed to accelerate for some unforseen reason.  Your car would be in too low a gear and you could blow your engine if you let the clutch out.  

In a standard you should always use downshifting as part of your braking method.  It will reduce the wear on your brakes and keep your drive wheels in a control situation.  It is especially useful on ice as well.  By downshifting you reduce the risk of locking up your wheels.

Answer 4

It's dangerous because "coasting" is considered to be not in control. You have removed a safe means of engine-braking and also prevented yourself from accelerating quickly if trouble comes your way.

You have a potential problem with your method in that if your left foot slipped the engine would suddenly be subject to decelerating forces which would almost certainly cause the car to slow down rapidly or even stall and stop suddenly. This would be without the benefit of giving following vehicles your brake lights. Rear end shunt will happen. (Don't say "he should have kept his distance", nobody leaves enough distance to account for sudden stops without brake light warnings).

The other issue is that you are using the clutch in a way for which it was not designed. This is certainly considerably accelerating wear on the clutch plate and thrust bearing. I would definately not buy a used car from you.

Answer 5

It's great for saving petrol! (unfortunately, mines an auto, so can't do it!)

Answer 6

If you are in 5th, you could start breaking progressively, then clutch in to change to second, then clutch straight back up and if you have been braking well enough you should be slow enough for the car to cope with 2nd so there would be no need to coast.

When you coast, no gears are engaged and the steering doesnt respond as well as it should. If you are going down hill you will pick up speed too fast, and if you had to break in an emergency, the breaks would not be as responsive.

Best to keep it in gear where possible!

Answer 7

yeah it is a bit dangerous mate the reason why it is that when your car is in agear its the gears what keeps control of the car and when you said that you are in 5th and you put the cluch in and put the gear in to 2nd well if your foot happend to slip you car would  happen to bounce forward and proberly stall and you might hit a car in front  why dont you just try and come down in your gears its easyer and if you need to get away abit quicker you will be in the right gear . the way to do this is from 5th and you are comeing up to a set of lights in front drop down to 4th then 3rd ,2nd and by the time you got to 2nd the lights have changed and you are away doing this saves you money on your brake pads  just have a go doing that

Answer 8

The Highway Code answers this fully. "Coasting", as it is called, removes the control balance that the engine provides to the wheels and if, for example, you needed to do a violent manoeuvre whilst coasting you could lose control of it a lot more easily and even turn the car over.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk

Answer 9

can't you accept that it's just wrong? you would have failed your test, thats the way it is, and you think you know better than the people who taught you. You were only taught to pass a test, in 20 years time (if you survive that long) you may have learnt to drive but some how I doubt it - you already know more than everybody else I don't see anybody being able to change your mind - PRATT

Answer 10

I don't see how it can be dangerous. you still have access to the brakes!

Answer 11

When you drive a manual transmission you travel up through the gears from 1st to 5th or 6th, one gear at a time, and you build up the speed of your car this way.......you wont build up speed efficiently by skipping any gears, right? Your engine will "lug" and you will actually lose power that way.

When you are slowing down in a manual speed vehicle, just coming off the accelerator will slow you down faster than in an automatic transmission vehicle.

If you have a "tachometer", or "rpm gauge", you can use this to shift down through the gears, which will allow you to remain in control of your vehicle.

First, you come off the accelerator, and when your rpm's are around 1,000 you shift down to the next lowest gear. You then continue this down through the gears and you won't get sudden jerking of your vehicle because it's slowing down too fast due to skipping a gear at too high an rpm. Also, it won't slip on you on winter roads or gravel. When you are almost stopped, you can depress the clutch and put it either in first gear, or in neutral to relax your clutch foot at a longer stop. If you are in neutral, remain on the brake so you don't roll (of course!), and put it into 1st gear when you are about to move forward again in traffic. Alternatively, you could brake down to a manageable speed and then shift down more than one gear (say, 5 to 2 for example), if your speed allows it. Some people prefer to brake and then shift down from 5 to, say 2.....others prefer to use the rpm gauge and shift down through each gear and use the braking power of the transmission to gradually slow the car down.

Whenever you depress your clutch, you are disengaging the transmission from the drive wheel, so you are basically in neutral whenever you are on that clutch. This means you aren't in control of your vehicle, especially if you need to make a sudden manoeuver.  For example, if you depress your clutch on hills or corners, you actually will go faster because there is no resistance from the transmission. You are "freewheeling".

Whenever we use a piece of equipment, we need to understand how it works to some extent so that we can operate it safely and skillfully.

I hope this helps.

Answer 12

When you have the clutch depressed there is no connection between the engine and the wheels, this upsets the balance of the car and, as someone quite rightly explained above, can be very dangerous. Clutch down with the car moving should always be kept to a minimum.

However, it is also bad practice to use the gears to help slow the car down. This is a long outdated method with doesn't apply to modern cars which have extremely efficient brakes which are a lot cheaper to replace than a worn gearbox.

The correct method for slowing is to keep the clutch 'up' until you have reached the speed requiring a lower gear. Depress the clutch, make the gear change (to whichever gear is needed) and raise the clutch again.

If you are slowing to a stop at, say a junction or roundabout, simply remain in 5th, or whatever gear you are in, with the clutch up until you have slowed right down, just before you stop, depress the clutch and select 1st ready to move off when it's clear.

Hope that helps. For what it's worth, your mistake is a common one!

Answer 13

very dangerous, as you're not in full control

Answer 14

Well that last answer was a little nasty for no reason. The driving instructor was mostly correct you are probably better off to brake the car ,but only until you learn to downshift properly. You should not coast as all off the answers to that effect are correct, you are not in complete control. To downshift is fine and economical if it is from the highest gear to the next gear down...IE: 5Th to 4Th to 3rd etc.

     Your transmission and engine have an operating range when the shifting is the most efficient, it's rise and fall if you will, for up shifting and downshifting, it is gaged by your R.P.M.

for example if you are in first and you take your R.P.M. to say 2500 and you have a 700 R,P.M. fall your next gear would mesh at 1800 R.P.M. and vice versa. So downshifting is fine if done correctly. I am a truck driver and have been for the last 20 years and we use it all the time, it makes use of your engine and brakes at the same time to reduce the wear on both systems. I hope this helps.

Answer 15

because basically, as my driving instructor told me, "the examiner for your driving test, for that time, is GOD. do anytihng he doesnt like, and hel fail you."

and apparently they dont like it when you coast

Answer 16

Safe driving tips. Practice these tips

Steer smoothly at all times.

Accelerate smoothly. Don't race the engine or make it stall.

Stop the vehicle gently. Start braking well ahead of where you must stop to avoid sudden “jerks.” Know where to stop.

Be aware of crosswalks. If your view is blocked at a crosswalk, move forward carefully and look both ways at the intersection..

Be sure your vehicle is in the correct gear. Don't grind the gears. Don't coast to a stop because you are not in complete control of the vehicle and or the situation that could occur.

Always obey the posted speed limits. If needed, reduce your speed to adjust for existing weather, road, and other traffic conditions. Remember to turn on your lights if you need to use your windshield wipers in poor weather conditions.

Follow at a safe distance. Use the three-second rule. Increase your following distance in bad weather or poor visibility.

Know what the traffic signals mean and obey them at all times.

Always use the proper lane. Turn from the correct lane into the correct lane.

Signal for all lane changes and turns.

Always look for potential hazards (scan). Check your mirrors frequently. Always look over the proper shoulder before making lane changes or pulling away from the curb.

Drive defensively. Anticipate another driver’s errors.