On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:42:37 +0100, Mark Foster
Mark, I suspect I read the rest of it before you were born.
All right, let me quote a sentence from my newest copy of Roadcraft.
"The system must be used flexibly in response to actual road conditions; do not follow the sequence rigidly if it is inappropriate to the circumstances"
Gear Changing 5478Yes indeed - manual cars are cheaper than autos - and 1.3's are cheaper than 2.0 litres...
The use of engine braking is not contrary to the system of car control. It is one method of adjusting speed. It is even recommended in the current edition of Roadcraft for going downhill.
Be clear - I agree that the method taught to learners that a gear is for a particular speed range, that you should change mindlessly through the gears both up and down, is wrong and positively pernicious.
Gear Changing 5476Then you really should know better. Leaving it context does not detract from it. Right, I have no problem with that. In 99% of circumstances it *IS* appropriate. You cannot choose to put...
However, rigidly following the separation of braking and gear-changing can, I think, be just as blinkered and wrong. I don't have a modern car with an effortless gearchange and smart brakes working evenly on all four wheels. There are situations where I think I am more likely to destabilise the car by braking than by changing down and using engine braking. I do not believe that by doing that when I judge it to be appropriate I am invalidating the system of car control.
I think that mindlessly following any nostrum, which is what you seem to advocating, is something that is wrong, and is contrary to the principles of Roadcraft. --
Ian
