Question about downshifting gears (avensis)

debtfreein4years

Sorry dont have anyone else to ask about this. Im driving my oh's car whilst he is away and am confused about downshifting the gears. My driving instructer taught me to drive in a dielsel 5 gear clio and im now driving a diesel 6 gear avensis. in the clio i could go from 5th gear to 3rd, 4th to 2nd etc but my oh says doing that in this car will damage it. confused i asked my mum and she said it depends on the car and to just downshift 6 to 5 to 4 etc, but doing that is called engine braking and isnt good for the car accfording to oh so i dont know what to do now.

any suggestions as ive read the instruction book and it doesnt say anything that i could see with regards to changing gears.

thanks

goldspanners

debtfreein4years wrote: »

Sorry dont have anyone else to ask about this. Im driving my oh's car whilst he is away and am confused about downshifting the gears. My driving instructer taught me to drive in a dielsel 5 gear clio and im now driving a diesel 6 gear avensis. in the clio i could go from 5th gear to 3rd, 4th to 2nd etc but my oh says doing that in this car will damage it. confused i asked my mum and she said it depends on the car and to just downshift 6 to 5 to 4 etc, but doing that is called engine braking and isnt good for the car accfording to oh so i dont know what to do now.

any suggestions as ive read the instruction book and it doesnt say anything that i could see with regards to changing gears.

thanks

i think maybe your husband is stuck in the past a bit and is trying to pull the wool over your eyes. if his avensis needs to be shifted down gear in order,then his gearbox is ancient, i'll bet he thinks it needs double clutching aswell.

KeithP

Any of the methods you describe will be ok enough.

Your OH wont even know... unless you crash it of course.:beer:

daily_2

You can skip gears in any car, going down gear by gear wears the clutch, and gives a more uncomfortable ride. You obviously should make sure the gear chosen is appropriate for the speed.

debtfreein4years

thanks, will stick to the way i was taught then. only been driving for 3 weeks and still unsure as you would expect especially with him not being happy with either way of changing to a lower gear.

goldspanners whats double clutching?

Premier_2

Course - mirror - signal - brake - gear - accellerate.


Not
Course - mirror - signal - brake - gear - brake - gear - brake -gear - brake - gear - brake - gear - accelerate.

Premier_2

debtfreein4years wrote: »

...goldspanners whats double clutching?

Something you needed to do on early "crash" gearboxes to allow you to match the engine speed to the transmission speed. The introduction of synchromesh gearing now makes this driving technique a thing of the past.

debtfreein4years

ok thanks premier, that makes no sense to me so im assuming its nothing i need to worrry about. as long as i know how to put diesel in it and have the number of the aa then i think im sorted. i do also know how to open the bonnet and add water when needed. im of the opinion that as long as my mobile is fully charged then i dont have to worry about the workings of the car as i can call dad to resuce me or have the aa do it.

gilbert_and_sullivan

You referred to engine braking in your post, we usually mean by that slowing the car in the middle range gears whilst gently braking.

That was needed in years gone by with the appalling brakes fitted to many cars.
These days car brakes are so good that engine braking like that is no longer needed.
Brake pads and discs are so cheap compared to gearboxes that it really isn't worth engine braking at all.

Dropping gears as you are doing eg 5th to 3rd or 2nd when coming to junction and then pulling away without having to stop completely is fine...it used to be called block changing, goodness knows what they call it now.

As an aside i really don't get these 6 speed boxes, most cars have got plenty of engine torque to be fully capable with 5 or even 4 gears or better still with a proper automatic box and forget the changing altogether.

Good quality car though the avensis.

maninthestreet

debtfreein4years wrote: »

goldspanners whats double clutching?

When changing down the gears, you put your foot on the clutch, then take it out of gear into neutral. Whilst in neutral, you take your foot off the clutch, and blip the accelerator to raise the revs of the engine, then put your foot back on the clutch and select the lower gear. I have an old MG Midget which has no synchromesh on 1st gear, so have to perform this maneouvure - I've discovered that when changing down the gears, if I'm in 3rd and want to go into 1st gear, I can avoid the double declutching process by moving quickly from 3rd to 2nd with the clutch still held down, then moving to 1st gear.

Premier_2

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

...As an aside i really don't get these 6 speed boxes, most cars have got plenty of engine torque to be fully capable with 5 or even 4 gears or better still with a proper automatic box and forget the changing altogether...

As far as I can tell, the larger gearboxes (particularly where manuals are concerned) is primarily for 2 reasons:
1. It allows for a higher top gear which reduces engine noise and more importantly improves fuel consumption/range on a long journey
2. Probably even more important, it's a nice marketing tool. If brand X has a 6 speed box, then a manufacturer Y can't price equally against that if they only offer a 5 speed box. (assuming all else being equal). A bit like rev counters in cars really - no real use but customers like 'em so will pay more. (or rather would expect to pay less if one isn't there)

As far as autos are concerned, then the more gears the better the fuel consumption or performance, with a CVT being the optimum (assuming all else being equal)


Edit: a couple of other reasons have sprung to mind:

Diesels often benefit from more gears due to the narrow torque bands.

On occasions, any type of engine can produce so much torque it could, if not restricted, easily snap a gearbox. By offering more gears, a vehicle designer can restrict engine torque whilst maintaining acceleration performance
(Admittedly this is a bit of a bodge/compromise but it does happen quite regularly until some boy racer type decides he knows best and re-chips his engine only to discover his gearbox breaks)