To ALL downshifting GURUs
06-29-2005 | 11:50 PM
#26
Originally Posted by ASH8
Of course"SMART ****" pro drivers downshift and use brakes in racing, but they change trannys/ engines lile a pair of socks!.
My advice is only that to you YOUNG Bucks who are having tranny problems and warranty issues. Think what you want and respect your elders...lol
God you Yanks are so bloody up youselves.
BTW I had my 48th birthday last thursday.
And I dont tell everyone everything in profiles either.
And to the other Yank, Mazda have been in Australia longer that the USA, I started in 1974.
My advice is only that to you YOUNG Bucks who are having tranny problems and warranty issues. Think what you want and respect your elders...lol
God you Yanks are so bloody up youselves.
BTW I had my 48th birthday last thursday.
And I dont tell everyone everything in profiles either.
And to the other Yank, Mazda have been in Australia longer that the USA, I started in 1974.
bloody yanks is a dead give away. have another pint and go home to your surry home.
btw happy bday. got mine on sat and am 3 years behind you.
so you retired from mazda to teach people to use the brakes more????
you are a lobbiest for the brake industry?????
done
06-29-2005 | 11:56 PM
#29
Thread Starter
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,869
Likes: 327
From: Australia
ON YA SWOOPE......lol
You crack me up smart ****!!!
My avitar may be UK , but I an in OZ...
G day mate another shrimp and its 2.26 pm on Thursday here in OZ
You yanks are alway a day behind us!!!;;
You crack me up smart ****!!!
My avitar may be UK , but I an in OZ...
G day mate another shrimp and its 2.26 pm on Thursday here in OZ
You yanks are alway a day behind us!!!;;
06-30-2005 | 12:06 AM
#34
Originally Posted by ASH8
ON YA SWOOPE......lol
You crack me up smart ****!!!
My avitar may be UK , but I an in OZ...
G day mate another shrimp and its 2.26 pm on Thursday here in OZ
You yanks are alway a day behind us!!!;;
You crack me up smart ****!!!
My avitar may be UK , but I an in OZ...
G day mate another shrimp and its 2.26 pm on Thursday here in OZ
You yanks are alway a day behind us!!!;;
dont you have something better to do. or are you just trying to explain our owners manual to us.
just you are a ****** for bringing up downshifting with that avatar. the defence rests.
beers
06-30-2005 | 09:20 AM
#40
Lubricious
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,425
Likes: 4
From: SF Bay Area, California
Originally Posted by ASH8
I will give any Rx-8 owner $1000.00 if they can show me that MAZDA suggests in their workshop manuals or owners manuals that downshifting (engine braking) is recommended apart from emergencies.
I am refering to owners who downshift in normal driving on level roads and go from 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 to 2 gears to SLOW their cars to a stop, without using their brakes until the very end or at traffic lights.
Lol, you need to talk to the people who go on about it being "illegal" to coast! :D
As far as personal experience, I do a fair amount of downshifting and engine braking. I've driven maybe half a million miles on manual trans cars and never had a transmission failure. My last 2 cars before the RX-8 both had around 150,000 miles on them and went to new owners, not the junk heap.
Last edited by Nubo; 06-30-2005 at 09:24 AM.
06-30-2005 | 09:39 AM
#41
I am Goober Wafflelips
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
When I had my MX3, i downshifted all the time. i rarely used the brakes to stop. i let it go to the point where the car was almost stalling when approaching a red light, then i would just pop the clutch in to save the stall...
almost 200K kms on that car without a single problem on the tranny...
almost 200K kms on that car without a single problem on the tranny...
06-30-2005 | 10:23 AM
#42
脾臓が痛みました
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 2
From: Land of Peaches, Pecans, and Peanuts
Originally Posted by Sigma
I'm looking through the Owner's Manual for where Mazda says that downshifting is "abuse". I've got to tell you that it's not in here.
In fact, not only does the Owner's Manual not tell someone not to downshift, but the Manual provides TIPS on when NOT to downshift. Sounds like tacit approval that downshifting is alright to me, as long as you don't do it how they say not to. It does say that sudden engine-braking, i.e. a bad downshift caused by improper rev-matching that jerks the drivetrain (just as I stated), is bad, particularly in adverse weather conditions.
In fact, not only does the Owner's Manual not tell someone not to downshift, but the Manual provides TIPS on when NOT to downshift. Sounds like tacit approval that downshifting is alright to me, as long as you don't do it how they say not to. It does say that sudden engine-braking, i.e. a bad downshift caused by improper rev-matching that jerks the drivetrain (just as I stated), is bad, particularly in adverse weather conditions.
here is what the manual says about down shifting
sudden engine-braking:
shifting down while driving on wet, snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving at high speeds causes sudden engine braking, which is dangerous. the sudden change in tire speed could cause the tires to skid. this could lead to loss of vehicle control and an accident. do no use sudden engine braking on slippery road surfaces or at high speeds.
shifting down while driving on wet, snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving at high speeds causes sudden engine braking, which is dangerous. the sudden change in tire speed could cause the tires to skid. this could lead to loss of vehicle control and an accident. do no use sudden engine braking on slippery road surfaces or at high speeds.
downshifting
when you must slow down in heavy traffic or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the engine starts to overwork. this reduces the chance of stalling and give better acceleration when you need more speed.
on a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life
when you must slow down in heavy traffic or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the engine starts to overwork. this reduces the chance of stalling and give better acceleration when you need more speed.
on a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life
if there is a behavior that could potentially cause damange to the car they explicitly state it
example
make sure the vehicle comes to a complete stop before shifting to R. shifting to R while the vehicle is still moving may damage the transmission
no place in the manual does it even hint that downshifting is potentially harmful to the car, other than possible traction loss. in fact, it even suggests it!
06-30-2005 | 11:33 AM
#43
Glitchy Rotary Madness
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 470
Likes: 0
All this thread does is cast Mazda in a negative light.
If this Ash creep is indeed an Ex-Mazda Warranty Officer (Oh GAWD what a flowery title!) then it really slaps a coat of black on Mazda's image.
The poor schmuck thinks a properly done downshift is bad for your car.
Which means, the poor schmuck doesn't know how to drive a manual box properly.
Is this why Mazda NA can be such a pain in the **** to deal with? Incompetent company officials?
Get lost. You don't belong here, you don't deserve a fine car like a Mazda, and most of all, you *really* give Mazda NA a bad,. bad name, claiming you're an ex-warranty officer.
You don't even know how to *drive*, man.
If you did, you'd know there's two ways to properly downshift a car for maximum effect with no undue wear at all. But you don't know that, do you. You think downshifting is clutch in, gear down, clutch out. There's more to it. But I won't tell you. Go learn on your own.
Baka.
If this Ash creep is indeed an Ex-Mazda Warranty Officer (Oh GAWD what a flowery title!) then it really slaps a coat of black on Mazda's image.
The poor schmuck thinks a properly done downshift is bad for your car.
Which means, the poor schmuck doesn't know how to drive a manual box properly.
Is this why Mazda NA can be such a pain in the **** to deal with? Incompetent company officials?
Get lost. You don't belong here, you don't deserve a fine car like a Mazda, and most of all, you *really* give Mazda NA a bad,. bad name, claiming you're an ex-warranty officer.
You don't even know how to *drive*, man.
If you did, you'd know there's two ways to properly downshift a car for maximum effect with no undue wear at all. But you don't know that, do you. You think downshifting is clutch in, gear down, clutch out. There's more to it. But I won't tell you. Go learn on your own.
Baka.
06-30-2005 | 12:31 PM
#46
Work in Progress
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Orange, CA
Originally Posted by JeRKy 8 Owner
You wrote your first post all wrong. Anyway with manual cars I always use the engine to slow down and so have most people I know...and never have had any problems.
As far as I'm concerned your post is bullshit to me. BUT ...if one or two years pass and I end up having problems with my RX-8's transmission because of "my bad habit" of engine braking, you'll be the first person to get a nice hicky on his *** cheek from a heterosexual male (mwa).
As far as I'm concerned your post is bullshit to me. BUT ...if one or two years pass and I end up having problems with my RX-8's transmission because of "my bad habit" of engine braking, you'll be the first person to get a nice hicky on his *** cheek from a heterosexual male (mwa).
Just as you know MR Jerky
...I will leave a nice hicky on his next *** cheek from a next heterosexual male :D
D
06-30-2005 | 02:19 PM
#48
THREAD KILLER
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,342
Likes: 0
From: San Jose, California
Downshifting isn't bad, but when I need to slow down or stop I use the brakes. When taking a turn, I only downshift just to keep my engine at a higher more powerful RPM range, not to slow down.
I never understand why people think heel-toeing in a race means slowing down with the engine. The brakes transfer weight up front for steering and slows down the car so it doesn't understeer. The downshifting part, to my understanding, is just so you keep your rev to the right RPM. As speed goes down, so will your engine RPM unless you drop a gear or two. That way when you throttle-steer or exit a corner, you have more power to boot.
I never understand why people think heel-toeing in a race means slowing down with the engine. The brakes transfer weight up front for steering and slows down the car so it doesn't understeer. The downshifting part, to my understanding, is just so you keep your rev to the right RPM. As speed goes down, so will your engine RPM unless you drop a gear or two. That way when you throttle-steer or exit a corner, you have more power to boot.
06-30-2005 | 03:36 PM
#50
脾臓が痛みました
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,527
Likes: 2
From: Land of Peaches, Pecans, and Peanuts
oh, i just remember seeing somethign about downshifting and damage, but i can't find it in the manual. it said don't downshift into 1st gear above 20mph, or damage to the clutch could occur.
also supports all the claims that if it was something that was actually harmful to the car, it would be printed in the manual :p
also supports all the claims that if it was something that was actually harmful to the car, it would be printed in the manual :p