Do you brake while in neutral at a stop light? Say, you're stopped at a light on perfectly level asphalt. With the gear in Neutral you don't need to have your foot on the brake...but do you brake anyway? I do, was wondering what everyone else does!

 

parking brake but not my real brakes

 

I put my foot on the brake.......never know if someone might rear-end me, and if I'm not on the brakes I'm more apt to hit the car in front of me or worse, I could go flying into the intersection....not good.

 

I've developed a habit of keeping it on the brake, just sometimes your not at perfectly level grades, and ou might start rolling back without realizing it. It's a good safety habit and really doesn't hurt anything.

 

Sometime it is nice to readjust your foot, but I am with Mizeree, you should make it a habbit it have your foot on the brake on level surface.

 

I either put it in neutral and put my foot on the brake... or when I am lazy put the parking brake on =)
Christina

 

if there is a couple of cars stopped behind me ill take my foot off

 

always. there are times when you wont be holding the brake and not even notice it rolling back.

 

As a matter of habit, I keep my foot on the brake pedal. Sometimes, though, if I have just been working the brakes hard, then I will stay off of them if I can, to let them cool off.

 

always. Last thing I need is for some idiot to rear end me and push me into the car infront of me/into the intersection.

 

I notice that you are giving the at the end of your sentence....does that mean yer purposely holding your foot on the brake so other people will think your automagic?...and when they hit u up to try to race.....u end up smoking them and they hear a loud bark in 2nd....then they will go

 

nah not normally. if im already stopped and there is someone behind me i love being able to take my foot completely off on a completely level surface. because in my mind i bet the guy behind me is thinking "wtf why arent his brake lights on. oh hes got a manual maxima, he rules." something to that effect yeah.

what about coming to a stop? do yall gear down every gear continuously and let the engine brakeing slow you down the most; or do you just have it in neutral and coast to a stop with everything on the brakes?

 

Usually I have my foot on the brake after a couple cars stop behind me. I don't feel like being launched into a busy intersection when some idiot rear ends me.

As for stopping, I just let the engine brake in whatever gear I'm in, usually in 3rd, if it's not stopping fast enough I add some brakes, when it slows down to 1500rpm, I pop it in neutral and let the brakes do the work.

 

I pop it into neutral and apply the brakes....

anybody who says downshifting to save the life of the pads is .....becuz your STILL using your brakes when you come to a stop....I know its not strictly your engine.....so good luck replacing your engine/transmission.....AND your brakes......while i'm over here just wearing out my brakes....cuz i'm popping that **** into neutral WAY before the stop....

 

umm, downshifting does save the life of your brakes. yes you sitll have to apply the brakes, but not as much as if you just go into neutral. and why would downshifting hurt the engine or tranny if done correctly?

 

I'd rather replace brake pads how easy is that compared to a clutch? my .02. but yeah if im slowing down and im gonna need to be in gear for a quick acceleration, then ill just downshift, otherwise if the light is still red, ill brake in neutral. and leave it in neutral til traffic resumes

 

if you can revmatch properly the wear on your clutch will be very minimal, same as normal up shifting.

 

I like people to know that i have a stick Max b/c it's so rare. They see the 00-01 tails and think it's the 3.0 - then the 3.5 comes alive.

 

max - usually ill downshift by 1 gear to slow down, and ill just let the tach wind down in that gear as i hit the brakes, and 9 times out of 10 i hold the brake at a stop

blazer - at a stop, one foot on the brake and one on the gas

 

The way our rotors warp I wouldve thought more of you would take your foot off the brake.

 

I take my foot off the break. At a stop light on a level surface I usually dont have my foot on the break but have my foot overing over it. Other times I just keep clutch in, 1st gear and wait for green.

 

 

think of it this way...when u downshift...whether regular downshifting...or rev matching....your RPMs will SHOOT UP....to maybe about 4.5k or so....would u like to be revving your engine at 4.5k every intersection u stop at? or would u just pop it into neutral and let it drop back down to idle? I would like to conserve gasoline and wear&tear on my engine/tranny by popping it into neutral if u ask me.....yes rev matching will save the life of the clutch/tranny becuz it is already at the proper speed...but your engine will get worn out quicker...

 

i put it in nuetral.... then brake all the way down... when im stopped.. im usually on the brake..


i only use ebrake when i park

 

I generally only engine brake when going from 5th or 4th gear (aka coming off the highway I'll shift to 3rd to engine brake but that's about it).

 

Slowing down, I usually gear down depending on the situation. But that's another thread.

When stopped at the light, again depends on the situation. I'm usually on the brake, but if she won't roll, and there's already cars behind me sometimes I'm off the pedal. But, with the sheity roads here, there's minimal places I can do that and not roll.

 

 

I like to let the pedal go for a bit and then apply again..in hopes that will help brakes cool faster and thus, to save my rotors from warping.

 

You don't know how to downshift.

 

I usually sit there with the clutch down, and my foot on the gas. I guess I want to be ready when the light turns green.

 

im with prodigy...i like not having my brake lights on. it tends to confuse people.b

 

you guys stop for lights?

 

I do a lot of engine braking... allows for that quick take off if the light turns green again. My brembo slots tend to wear through brake pads pretty fast. But they also bring me to a quick stop.

 

Being on the brakes at a stoplight is second nature to me I rarely take notice of a car in front of me being a manual or not by judging if their brake lights are on.

 

The reality of that situation is that your foot will come off of the brake pedal during the impact from the rear and your car will move forward anyway. I know this to be true from personal experiences (unless it's a slight tap, in which case your car won't roll far anyway).

 

I will usually let off the brakes at a flat intersection just to kinda get the guy behind me thinking. (I will step on them, however, if I am really close behind someone.) I notice when people let off their brakes and their lights are gone. I gotta let 'em know that I have to coordination to shift!

 

I'll tell you something that was funny as hell when I heard it. My wife was telling me at her driver's ed class, they told her if you're driving a manual, to sit at the light with the car in gear and your foot on the brake.

In case some one does hit you, and you let off the clutch, the car will stall keeping it from rolling to far.

Which when it comes to my car... if you dump the clutch in 1st, and you don't have your foot on the brake... your just going to squeel the tires and take off... right into the middle of the intersection.

 

No, if you take your foot of the clutch your car will shudder and stall, you only go squealing into the intersection if you take your foot of the clutch, and then step on the gas.

 

Actually it will squeel the tires and start taking off... How do I know?

Cause I've done it before. Called a gravity series clutch and a high idle.

Normally a car would just shudder and stall. That was the logic behind the original statement.

 

My Maxima will start from a dead stop and pull up a hill in First with no throttle input, like it's an automatic.