Manual transmission Fan Club and BS thread (All Generations Welcome)

I've got that thump quite a few times going from 4th to 5th and 5th to 6th. I just chalked it up to being new at daily driving a stick, although in my experience giving it a little gas eliminates it.

 

I do 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th.
Downshift with lifting of clutch to help save brakes 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st. But hey that's just me. No clunky here.

 

Brake pads are cheaper the a clutch to service use them. Your not driving a big rig. I downshift and use brakes to, but i dont use engine braking as a method to slow down my truck down a hill or as an everyday driving habit just when the situation calls for it. I find it odd to see people use the engine brake to stop their vehicles down to save brakes pads in an everyday scenario.
My 2 cents.

 

I'm guilty of this, been trying to "brake" myself of the habit though. I got into it when learning stick as a kid and always downshifted more than braking for years after learning, I don't remember if someone told me back then that it was better or what...but it's a hard habit to stop lol. With all the grief my clutch has caused me on this truck, you'd think I'd be more willing to give it a rest.

 

I think part of it had to do with me driving a manual trans FWD coupe for several years, the shifting on that thing was like a hot knife through butter no matter what my RPMs were, so downshifting just felt...good. But I can't say the same for my '04 Taco, downshifting it can be a chore sometimes which is usually a good reminder for me to just pop it in neutral and use the brakes.

 

I totally understand I got told the same when i learned M/T driving the first time, its when I got my brother in law woth me in my car one day, he's was a rig driver for 23 years, he told me why the hell you driving like that ! And told me to change my habits hehe. He hates also like me people who jerk off the shifter every time they get to stop and the shifter isn't engaged like something is jammed and need to loosen it up. Lol

 

Yeah it's funny how we manual driver's have our likes and dislikes about other manual driver's techniques, lol. Good buddy of mine drives stick and he's constantly dropping the clutch too fast so the whole car jerks between shifts, and he's been driving stick for years. Just the way he does it, but it takes all my strength to bite my tongue when I'm in the car with him lol.

 

Not good some day he's gonna find his drive shaft laying on the ground. Just my 2 cents

 

I down shift as normal then knock it to neutral and brake to a stop. Simple been doing that for years.

 

I engine brake all the time, and if downshifts are done right (rev match) the clutch shouldn't wear out noticeably faster. There is a difference between engine braking and "clutch braking" - in the latter, the clutch is released without using the throttle (or enough throttle) to match engine RPM, and thus the difference is made up by slipping (clutch wear) until everything is turning the right speed. Rev match = throttle is backed off after full engagement, then you're engine braking. I wouldn't say the primary reason is to save brakes, but that is a side effect.
To me, it's mostly about control over the vehicle and being in the appropriate gear in all situations. I DON'T coast in traffic if it can be avoided. Too many times I've seen other drivers get all panicky and lug the engine because they jammed their transmission into the wrong gear when a traffic situation changes unexpectedly. The only time I'm in neutral is when stopped for a light - because sitting there with the clutch in the whole time just fucks over your TOB faster. That said, I'm always back in first/clutch in a few seconds before go time so that I'm ready.

Just my opinion, and I've never driven a "big rig".

Edit: And putting all this into a post reminds me of another reason why I enjoy driving stick - you have to engage in the process and pay attention.

 

Yep.
The problem with some ppl is they knock it into neutral much sooner than they should and coast.

 

He's either lazy/doesn't care or has never been taught properly. Honestly, unless you're racing it's just "better" to be as smooth as possible. Easier on hardware and your passengers!

 

The manual in the Tacoma is so much fun to drive. I've pretty much alternated manuals and autos in my driving life. I have owned 20 cars and trucks.

88 Grand Prix A
92 Paseo M
91 Q45a A
99 Miata M
92 Legend coupe A
98 CL 3.0 A
84 Accord hatch M
02 S2000 M
96 Civic hatch A
97 Accord A
08 GTI A(DSG)
10 XC60 T5 A
10 Jetta Sportwagen TDI M
11 Prius A
94 Ranger M
13 Focus ST M
16 Outback A
08 Element A
16 Renegade 1.4T M
17 Tacoma M

Best I've owned by transmission:
A: GTI (but it was DSG!)

M: S2000

honorable mention:
A: XC60 (turbo V6!)
M: Tacoma, and Miata, I keep flip flopping.

 

You've obviously been around the block driving manuals!

I'm curious, and to add to the discussion above - do you rev match and engine brake? Any wisdom to add to the conversation would be welcome but of course not mandatory lol.

 

I always engine brake. Down to the last MPH. I usually only rev match when racing or going into first from a roll coming up on slow traffic. Usually I'll slide into second, but sometimes I need the get up and go and go into first.

I drive a shot ton of miles but I have not kept many cars straight though 150k miles. Never busted a clutch or bearig or what not. Only clutch I've ever replaced was the 84 Accord but I knew that going in when I bought it.

 

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it

 

I have knob envy.

 

Always rev-match.

 

totally agree, engine braking is really inefficient on multiple levels in a road car or small truck. but like you say there are times when it's even necessary being an off road vehicle. i do a small bit of engine braking at times at low speed in traffic, but the clutch is a indeed a wear item and will need to be replaced, so i don't avoid the wear neurotically, because when i replace the clutch it'll be aftermarket. so that's actually sometimes to look forward to.

 

I engine brake until I get slow enough to use 1st gear, and if coming to a stop I just use the brakes at that point.

Done this for years with two Toyota trucks, and two Ford trucks. Never an issue of excessive wear on the clutches.
Clutches wear out much faster when a person just holds the clutch and brake pedals in at lights and stop signs, rather than just popping it into neutral and hold the brake.
By riding the clutch, the spring fingers will begin to relax over time and cause the clutch to slip prematurely and wear it out.

As noted a few times in other threads, or even this one, that my 1997 Gen 1 Taco is still going strong with the factory clutch with 218k miles on it.
This includes completely smoking it on a soft sand dune within a month of ownership.