of
My initial response was not to reply to your post, as any disagreement I have with your views appears to be met with ridicule, but as I disagree with so many of the points you've made, I'll risk it.
But I don't changing down before I know what gear I need to accelerate. What I actually wrote was 'where I know the speed at which I can comfortably negotiate it.' Meaning the bend or roundabout, which was the example I gave.
It breaks the
Why unecessarily? How can you say the way I do it is unecessary, if a change of gear is required anyway. The only difference is where the gearchange takes place.
risks snatching the clutch release, is
As is any gearchange that uses the synchros in the gearbox to engage gears smoothly. I do know that that is what they are designed to do, but it is more mechanically sympathetic to match engine speeds to the gear you wish to engage. That is a fact.
and gives no measurable
In your opinion. I've yet to hear a logical reason to support that view.
It is, by definition, less safe.
By definition? How did you work that one out? I'm slowing down for say a roundabout, in the correct gear to negotiate the roundabout. In what way am I in less control, or driving less safely than another driver who is braking on the approach to the roundabout? I still have all the options the other driver has. I can still brake or change gear if that becomes necessary. I don't follow the logic of your buttertion at all.
could the It's
I've yet to see any evidence that it makes any difference to the life of a gearbox, and changing down gears by using the clutch and gearbox synchros causes more wear on a clutch and gearbox synchros, than matching engine revs to the gear-road speed. As I said in my OP, I tend only to change down in this way, when I know what gear I need to be in, as I approach the bend, roundabout, whatever.
Those comments are completely untrue. If you can point me to any hard evidence, rather than opinions, of undue wear caused by engine braking I'd be very surprised. As I wrote in my reply to Uno Hoo. Every time you take your foot off the accelerator, the engine is braking. It is designed to do that. That feature could easily be removed, as it was I believe, on some Rover models in the 40's, and, IIRC by some Saabs, that also had over-run gearboxes.
Manufacturers spend time and effort in designing good brakes, because no matter how well an engine can slow a vehicle down, It can never do so as quickly as good brakes, but that doesn't mean that the braking it does provide can't, or should not be used. Quite frankly, it is nonsense to suggest that good engine braking could or ever would, reduce any R & D into good braking systems.
A mantra that in a very general way might be true, but one that shows little understanding of the mechanics of a car, or driving in a practical sense.
up I
For the simple reason, that it's not appropriate everywhere. I thaught I had made that perfectly clear in my post. Mike.
