Downshifting?

[beamR X]

Anyone here with a stock 318is motor can answer yes, we downshift constantly, because the motor STRUGGLES if you don't.

Haha, low rpms, a/c blowing, and a hill are three things 318iS's don't do at the same time.

Understandable. That's different. You do down shift to a lowr gear to get more acceleration... Of course you will do that, espetially with a 1.8:p
The original question was about "using engine as a break" kinda thing...

[M42Technik]

Anyone here with a stock 318is motor can answer yes, we downshift constantly, because the motor STRUGGLES if you don't.

Haha, low rpms, a/c blowing, and a hill are three things 318iS's don't do at the same time.

[808BMW]

A lot of automatics here have a problem with warping rotors. I've replaced the rotors on my cousins 04 tacoma twice. Their 02 suzuki has been 2 or 3 times. Like I said earlier, I just replaced my first set of pads in 4 years.

I bet they wish they could downshift.

[beamR X]

I
Unless you are running straight-cut gears, your tranny and dif (pretty much the entire drivetrain) are designed to transmit torque in one direction. Just my $.02 :D

Ha, ha!
I think you and Nando are the only people who caugth on to my R&P hill and toe statement. Most I think, thougth I was talking about pedals...

I cannot believe how many guys slow the car down by downshifting... :crazy:Whatever...

[808BMW]

Clutchless rev matches to me sound like they have to do some kind of damage to the driveline.

Only if you grind it. Watch a big rig driver, the good ones only use the clutch coming from a complete stop.

[EWAustin]

I always downshift, but it's always rev-matched (clutch in, neutral, clutch out, blip throttle, clutch in, next gear, clutch out)

And sometimes I throw some braking in there too. Gotta love the heel-toe action...

[CleanAzzE30z]

All I know is that for a few weeks I stopped downshifting and I saved a noticeable amount of gas.

Mariano

[DarkWing6]

I do it as much as possible. I'm still practicing, and still getting it down, but I'm getting better.

qft

EDIT - Talking about myself as well.

[markseven]

No

A.
The increaset compresion does not help the engine, but that's small potatoes.

B.
The clutch generally likes engaging in one direction. When you downshift, it works against it's normal direction.

C.
All motor mounts, tranny mounts are designed to effectively handle torque in one direction. Again, downshifting fucks them up.

D. Differential gear R&P toe and hill contact is reversed when downshifting.... blah, blah, blah...


Need I go on?

I use the brakes to slow/stop the car, although evasive action may require engine braking. I Downshift and r3v match to accelerate out of corners.

I don't understand why anyone would r3v match a down shift while coming to a stop - doesn't that defeat the purpose? :)

Unless you are running straight-cut gears, your tranny and dif (pretty much the entire drivetrain) are designed to transmit torque in one direction. Just my $.02 :D

[Stu]

Each time you don't match revs properly on a downshift, the straps on the pressure plate take the load, and stretch. Vice versa for too much revs for the selected gear. If it happens enough with a lot of loading, the straps can snap.

[e30 gangsta]

I heel toe almost every gear. If not ill rev match always. Clutchless rev matches to me sound like they have to do some kind of damage to the driveline.

[Beej '86 325es]

I found it interesting when I was in Europe how they slow down. Much more cars over there are sticks, and I noticed after driving 2000 km on vacation that they hit the brakes MUCH less than the typical American, because they just let the engine slow them down.

[Simon S]

am I to understand correctly that it is considered ‘healthy’ on valvetrain for it to undergo ‘back-pressure’(?) caused from deceleration due to cut-off amounts of throttle? [at periodic intervals]

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[trashcop 80s 80s]

5th to neutral. Sit there in neutral, light goes green, put it in first, go.

[Simon S]

I always do rev matched downshifts, no exceptions.

quite. once smoothy in gear, one can 'engine brake' w/out resulting/causing undue wear on clutch via throttle control - hence extending brake component wear/life.

downshifter

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