Best way to slow down.

[Wilson]

Is it better to go down through the gears when slowing down, or does it not matter?

 

[mattyd72]

Have you driven before??

Is this a question for your test?

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[chad]

I'm ready to be corrected on this but in ye olden days people used to go down through the gears to help braking as the brakes were not brilliant and doing this gave a degree of engine braking. The downside is that it wears the clutch out a lot quicker.

 

[Wilson]

Thanks for the sensible answer, not the sarcastic one.

The reason I ask is that the in the how to keep your VW alive book it says to work your way down the gears.

If it is old-fashioned advice from when the brakes weren't as good then surely the advice still stands when driving an EB today. (it's not as if the braking system has evolved into a 2013 one in the meantime).

But yeah, I thought to myself when out in it this morning that it must be knackering the clutch.

 

[mattd1984]

Is that not how people brake in modern cars also? Maybe its just me?

 

[Tristan71]

It's not so much the brakes more to do with the cooling with an aircooled vw if you use the gear your getting free cooling from the rise in engine rpm !!

 

[KevH]

The reason I ask is that the in the how to keep your VW alive book it says to work your way down the gears.

If John Muir says use your gears to slow down, I'd go with that advice personally . That is how I was taught to drive too, though that was thirty years ago

 

[mattyd72]

Thanks for the sensible answer, not the sarcastic one.

You're welcome.

Keep asking silly questions :lol:


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[K@rlos]

Thanks for the sensible answer, not the sarcastic one.

You're welcome.

Keep asking silly questions :lol:


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There is no such thing as a silly question...

 

[Myvanway]

I always come down the gears and less on brakes... each to there own.

 

[mattyd72]

Thanks for the sensible answer, not the sarcastic one.

You're welcome.

Keep asking silly questions :lol:


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There is no such thing as a silly question...

Its like saying shall i use my lights when it gets dark.

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[mattyd72]

Its the way people are taught to drive.
Why should it be any different in a vw??

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[surfgir1]

Its the way people are taught to drive.
Why should it be any different in a vw??

I'm not sure I want to get into this, but it wasn't the way I was taught to drive (around 1997) - I was explicitly taught by my instructors to brake and box down the gears rather than using the gears to slow down.

It was only when I learned to tow that I was taught to use the gears to slow down. I too read it in the aforementioned book and have adopted it as my style with the van now, but more from a point of view of saving petrol than worrying about my brakes :lol:

 

[RichardAlexander]

I thought your not supposed to use the engine and gear box as a brake, as you risk over reviing the engine, I was always taught a combination of braking to slow and into gear around the correct speed, I mean sticking the engine into 3rd at 50 is going to not going to do the gearbox or engine any good, John Muir also says not to over rev the engine. the old brakes do mean longer stopping distance but just keep your distance.

 

[hipshaker]

i use the gears/engine to slow in everything i drive .... i get hugely irritated by fools in front who seem to jump on their brakes every few seconds.

 

[Wilson]

What's this about using lights in the dark you say?

And what about the large circular hand-rest in front of the driver's seat. What's that for?

(thanks for the other comments though).

 

[K@rlos]

I use engine braking but that comes from driving HGV's, when driving a fully loaded freighter going down the box really does help. However, you must be clever with it though. Doing 60mph and shifting down to 3rd really isn't going to do the engine a lot of good :lol: but as you slow up going down the gears will assist in stopping. If your new to vw's learn what revs the engine does in each gear and change down accordingly.

As said it helps with pulling up and won't do any damage if down correctly

 

[K@rlos]

Its like saying shall i use my lights when it gets dark

Hilarious....

 

[vwvanman0]

Lift off the gas then change down as the van slows,use the gears to hold it on long downhills,with the brakes to stop the engine reving too high.

Believe the car test now is brakes to slow down,not gears,and even on the HGV test you don't do the go up and down the gears as we did in my day,its brakes and fuel efficiency now.

As ya van is old tech use the old way and gears to save the brakes.

 

[Geeze]

Our old buses have old brakes, so follow the old fashioned advice to slow down on the engine, especially if you have drums all round. When I was 17, I had a 30hp beetle on crossplies and was always taught to save the brakes for emergencies!

These days people are taught to use the brakes and not the engine. Though the way some newer drivers don't just depend on the brakes but also the abs is a bit scary :shock: