Then 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 your own spin on it just because it suits your argument. It MUST be taken in context as as intended.
Using a lower gear to control the speed, i.e. to prevent the car running away. That is not the same as changing down during braking. You do NOT break the drivetrain unecessarily when control is most needed.
Gear Changing 5477I've driven 3 autos in my time, a 1.4 Corsa, 1.6 Focus, and 2.0 Lancer (in USA). The Lancer was a total dog, the Focus was okay, but strangely the...
OK. No problem with that.
If anyone sis follow it rigidly then they would be blinkered and wrong. Nobody is advocating that, but for all normal circumstances it is entirely appropriate.
Neither do I. You must drive according to the conditions at the time. The car that you are driving forms part of those conditions and you if you feel that the car is more stable by using the gearbox rather than antiquated, iffy brakes then that is what you must do.
The whole point is that 'the system' (as a whole) is flexible and is applicable to ALL driving. The skill is in applying it correctly.
I am not advocating a mindless application. I have said many times here that the first rule of advanced driving is that there are no rules. There is only a set of guidelines and your own intelligence in applying them. For 99% of situations it is a perfect fit and it's a real no-brainer to do.
The whole point of this thread is that we are talking about normal braking in a normal car and whether it is more appropriate to change down during braking with all the buttociated downside or to brake according to roadcraft with no downside at all.
-- Mark Foster, Brighton, Suslove, UK PGP Fingerprint: 3342 C02C 7BE8 3FE4 AAC5 8BB2 03B7 9263 DDF2 04C1 -------------------------------------------------- "There are no such useless words as, 'I didn't have a chance.'" Driving, HMSO
