whats this i read about using the e-brake on a hill, can i do that to keep from falling backwards? and then shut it off again when i get moving

how ruff is downshifting (to slow down the car) on the clutch etc... or should i just use brakes

i used both at the same time yesterday and stopped pretty fast, it was cool

 

You can either leave it in gear or use the e-brake when parking, but I would recommend doing both. How have you parked it otherwise?

Manual transmission were built to be able to "brake down the engine" when shifting into lower gears and actually adds significant life to your brakes...but this is a technique that takes a little bit of time to learn as you will need to synch the clutch and gas in order to do this smoothly.

But, dude...

Did you just get your liscence or is this your first manual transmission?

 

DOH! Go to a driving school and ruin their trannys/clutches, save the max for a later day!

 

I think he's referring to using the ebrake to keep from rolling backward when you're trying to start from a dead stop on an incline... like at a red light.

I've seen some newbie manual drivers do this, and I've seen some experienced drivers use the ebrake to hold their cars still at extremely long stops, like railroad crossings. I personally never did it when I drove a manual Jeep. As long as you remember to release the ebrake as you start moving, you should be ok. After you get the hang of driving a manual, I have a feeling that you'll stop using the ebrake on inclines.

If I misunderstood your question and you were talking about PARKING on an incline, then you should by all means use your ebrake. You should also leave it in gear while it is parked. Usually when my Jeep was parked with the nose pointing down, I would leave it in reverse. If it was parked with the nose pointing up, I would leave it in a forward gear.

 

leave it in neutral when parking downhill - make sure you are the first car and that the wheels are str8 too - and watch your max go bye bye! j/k hopefully common sense would tell ya to use your e-brake when parking downhill or uphill - yeah man like Bustarims said man " did you just get your license or is this your first manny?"

 

i think he talking about this as well...

my father tought me to do this when he tought me to drive stick. when i was good enough at stick i stopped doing it(next day).

you just start to release the e-brake when you feel the car start to pull from the stop and blammo... no backing into someones Mercedes!

 

I don't park my car in reverse anymore. The car moves. But it doesn't move in 1st gear. I think the logic with leaving the gear in 1st when pointing up and reverse when pointing down is because if the car does happen to move, it can't start... or can it start turning the opposite direction. Maybe not. Timing would be all off.

 

I think you are correct. You gave a nice logical response. However if hes not practiced in driving a stardard transmission, I would rather see him develop the correct skills rather than a half a$$ed way to just get by!

 

You can use the e-brake on a hill if you're worried that you may not get the clutch out in time and the idiot behind you pulled onto your rear bumper at a light but you're probably not going to want to do it all the time as you'll need to master the incline take-off sooner or later. Plus, once you master it, you'll never be afraid of it again, even if the idiot behind you on your rear bumper is driving an S600.

And you can use your tranny / engine as a brake. Not the best thing in the world on them but you can do it. It won't hurt (much) to do it so long as you do it right and aren't trying to ease the clutch out the help slow the car.

But, let me give you this piece of advice as far as engine braking:
Engine / transmission = several thousand dollar rebuild
Brakes (calipers, pads, rotors, lines, master cylinder, everything!) = several thousand dollars less than one engine / transmission rebuild.

Think about that the next time you slam the car into 2nd (or even 3rd) from 6th at 55 mph and I think you may agree that hitting the brakes is a much more economical alternative! lol Not that you are doing it but every time I do something like that, that's what crosses my mind!

Good luck and have fun learning. Just keep it safe and try to stay between the ditches.

 

it is not some half a** way to get by! it is a good method till he gets the hang of the stick. it comes in really handy when you are learning and some jack-a** stops 2-inches behind you on a hill. as you said he needs to develop the skills to do it right, this can help till he does.

 

oh sorry for the confusion, i wasn't asking about parking, i was asking about the "s600 stopped up my rear end and im on a steep incline at a red light"

i've been on some decent inclines so far, and i've been able to get going without smashing anyone, so i feel pretty confident, but i just wanted to know in case of emergency situations

as for being a newb... i'm doing pretty good driving stick, i catch on fast
someone showed me how to slow down by doing a downshift and easing up on the clutch slowly - sounds like that is a bit more wear than necessary so i'll stick with the brakes

 

Yep, "easing up on the clutch" will kill it pretty quick. I REALLY don't recommend it. Do you notice a funny smell when you do it? If you do, you're probably smelling the dreaded "burning clutch" smell that I know some of us have experienced in the past. Its a smell that you'll always know once you smell it but I hope you never do.

If you are just learning to take off on an incline, I recommend going into a quite neighborhood (preferably of someone you know) with a nice straight hill and practicing (the steeper the better). There you can do it as many times as you want and you don't have to be at a "light" to do it plus no S600s on your bumper!

Again, good luck. BTW, Maxima clutch release points, at least the 5.5th Gens, are a little higher than most straights I've driven. It does take some time to get used to it vs. other cars so don't feel bad. Heck, I stalled mine out today because I didn't give her enough juice and I've been driving a stick for 12 years now.

 

The key is to feel the biting point... when ya engage the parking brake on an incline and release the clutch, you should be able to feel the clutch "biting" or engaging. At that point, the nose of the car will rise slightly and you can release the parking brake while holding the clutch and giving it some gas. I think even before ya try this, get a feel for the biting point from regular starts as opposed to doing the mindless clutch-up-gas-down thing.

Btw, I engine brake all the time (never smelt any burning on the Max), but I'm good at rev matching...

 

I don't think downshifting and engine breaking would burn clutches. Wear the clutch, yes, but not burn. I've burned mine starting up once in a blue moon.

 

Depends on what gear you downshift to...if you're going 60 in 5th and you downshift into 2nd you might start burning up the clutch. The engine's gonna go from 2500 to 6000+. Thats a huge speed difference to close so if you let out too quick you'll definitely start burning up the clutch.

 

i engine brake but i also am good a rev matching, but i only down shift up to 4k

e-brake starts are an easy way not to roll into someone but after a month you should move onto "heel-toe starts" or half foot on the brake pedal and the other on the gas..... i practice heel-toe rev-matching down shifts daily......

 

hmmmmmmmmmm i have an auto want to trade? i bet i can drive it better. and there arent many stop signs on hills in jackson. pm me to trade.

 

Use what the engine/tranny and brakes were designed for...

Brakes = stopping the car
Engine/Tranny = making the car move...

using the engine/tranny to downshift and to slow your car down to save your brakes...is a stupid idea in my opinion....i mean come on....if you downshift to engine brake to save the life of your pads/rotors....your gonna end up wearing your ENGINE/TRANNY/BRAKES anyway....cuz your still using the brakes to slow you down no matter what.....so next time...think twice about downshifting thru every gear to come to a red light

Personally...if i see a red light up ahead...i pop it into neutral and let it coast then hit the brakes....my engine/tranny is saved from high revs...less wear on the drivetrain which equals to longer life of the engine/tranny....and so what if my brake pads wear out? They cost like $40 bucks...and installation is a breeze...can be done with hand tools....anybody who engine brakes during daily driving to help reduce the wear/tear on their pads is not educated IMHO....just think about it...the brakes were design to stop the car....and the engine/tranny is to make the car go forward...so use it like it was originally designed for! Don't try to cut corners n ****

 

I do the same thing so far as popping it into neutral and coasting then braking when I need to with the standard brakes and rarely engine brake. I generally save my engine braking for those stops when you have to stop quickly (and emergency type situations) which is very rare to begin with if you pay attention and don't ride someone's rear bumper but is needed at times no matter how careful you are.

So far as easing the clutch out to slow down burning / weaing the clutch... It will do both dependant upon how you define each. The clutch will wear whenever its used but the wear is consistant with how its used. It will make smoke (or at least stink to high heaven) when its nearing the end of its life (ie slipping) and when you ease it out if you do it long enough and going from a high enough RPM (since basically you're asking the clutch to slip sort of). Anyway, it will happen given enough time since the clutch is not designed to do what you're asking it to do... well, not like you're asking it to do it if you want to get technical.

Sorry for the long, drawn out explaination.

 

this is what i've been doing


thanks for the advice guys, i think i'm pretty much on the same page

 

the only time i "engine brake" is when i am throwing the car through turns.... i am a big fan of my 9-3 vector paddle shifters

the paddle shifters are ALMOST as fun as a stick... just not quite the same though...

 

I will value your opinion, but if someone has the know how to drive stick at all then they have the ability to go to a empty parking lot with incline enter/exit late @ night and learn the proper way to start on a hill. I'm not suggesting he go out and heel/toe in a max, but relying on the e-brake is just lazy!
AND, downshifting in moderation is fine for the engine/trans and reduces brake wear! End of story!

 

"In moderation" is the key. I agree that it is fine dependant upon your driving style and how you are doing it. No arguements from me.

And I agree with you. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk. That's why I suggested he go to a quite neighborhood with a good hill and practice. Yes, he may look silly and stall out in front of people but so long as he learns it, it will be worth it. Plus, its a skill that will last a lifetime (and possibly save your rear bumper!).

 

When driving my 'Yota pickup, I'd downshift all the time. Thinking back, it's really not that useful for coming to a complete stop quickly, because my natural thought process was:
1) Oh crap!
2) Brakesss!!
3) Oh yeah, shove it in second gear

When it IS useful is when you need to drop 10mph coming into a curve (then ya' gun it!)

 

hehe , i agree 100%

 

LOL!

I literally was laughing at that step-by-step routine. I guess its just instinct or something since I generally grab the shifter when I press the brake. If I use more force I think my left foot works with my right hand and makes me shift into the lowest gear I can jam it into (in emergencies) and just into neutral when I'm slowing down to stop.

And I had actually forgotten about the curvey road downshift! Blasphemy on my part! I used to love doing that (and still do when I get the chance). But its not that bad on your car once you get the hang of it.

I guess I was just saying from past (bad) experience and watching others (screw up). Once you learn the technique you won't be doing much damage to your car at all but you have to learn sometime. Then there is the Catch 22... how do you learn if you never do it? But I would still wait until I had mastered taking off and not stalling in all conditions (save snow / ice) before I started playing Ralley car or engine braking with any regularity! lol

Hope my little nuggets of insight have helped you some.

 

I don't coast in neutral because if the light turns green while you're still coasting in neutral, what gear do you use to get back on the gas. If you manage to find or choose the right gear, do you feather the gas to match the rpm to the correct vehicle speed so you don't jerk the car? And that's not good either. And when you coast in neutral do you keep your foot on the clutch (meanwhile wearing out your throwout bearing). I coast in gear, in the highest gear without bogging the engine and in a gear that if I decide to get back on the gas it will be low enough of a gear to get me going again.

 

Basically, after a while you will learn the speed vs. the correct gear.

Let's say you're traveling 25 when the light goes green to give an example. I'd press the clutch in, put the car into 3rd, and press the gas. This is when I'm in slow moving traffic. Trust me, 3rd in 25 = no jerking! lol

Also, let's say you're traveling 25 when the light goes green and the traffic is heavy and aggressive. I'd put the car into 2nd, let the clutch out normally and my foot would do the rest. You just know where your foot needs to be, I guess. It just takes time.

And no, I keep my foot either on the foot rest or above the pedal making no contact, depends on the situation. I also will coast in gear and shift when / if needed. It really depends! lol

 

Ah, just thought I'd clarify that my little 3 step program took less than a second to think through.

And if you're not going to downshift when slowing down, just put it in 3rd and come to a stop. Stick the clutch in when you're running about 1k rpms. My pet peeve is people who coast with the clutch in! If you're gonna coast put it in neutral and get off the clutch, is my thinking.

 

Agree 100%. Never coast with your clutch in if you can help it at all. I generally wait until the last second if I'm in gear when I'm slowing / stopping to push in the clutch and / knock it out of gear... by last second I mean like 700 RPM! lol Doesn't hurt anything since that's where the car will be idling at the stop anyway. The 3.0 may idle a bit higher, though. Not sure.

But definately never "ride your clutch" like that. A very good point to a new stick driver zourtney.

 

I do not coast with the clutch in...I grab the shifter and move it into neutral and release the clutch....if the light goes green all of a sudden and i'm traveling at like 40mph....easy...I rev match into 4th gear (2200rpms in my 6spd) and off I go with LOTS of tq since my 4th gear is very powerful....almost no wear and tear on the tranny becuz I rev match.....for those of you who don't rev match, yes coasting might be a bad idea....but its up to you...I learned how to rev match and double clutch my car for a reason...is to save life on the clutch/tranny...and to help me downshift better to exit a corner in the correct gear

 

Please explain to me how this is not good.....I don't see how rev-matching/double clutching is not good for the car....to me its way better to manually rev match the engine, than to jam the shifter in gear into high RPMS....and let the clutch/tranny/synchronizers work alot harder....I mean its up to you...i'm not sayin the way your driving is wrong....but I rev match/double clutch to save the life of my clutch/tranny.....and no revving the engine up to match the transmission is NOT bad for the engine....I don't see how its bad....the engine was DESIGNED to be revved....

 

For all the newbs: using the parking brake to help you start on a hill is fine when you are first learning to drive a stick. But, like everything else you must out grow that little crutch.

The average car (which the max is) is not designed for consistent downshifting to slow the car down. As many people have said, it will prematurely wear on too many expensive parts. Hard and consistent downshifting is for road racers that rebuild their cars after every race. They downshift so much because the braking system may not last the entire race if they relied upon it alone. If you want to beat on your car, then by all means, downshift before every stoplight.