Should you change down the gears when braking in a manual car?

Your videos have been super helpful. Thanks, mate.

Excellent advice. Thank you- such a great help.

No need to overthink it, downshift & brake when you want to slow down, brake-only when you want to stop completely. Check your car manual for the maximum speeds of your gears, for my model of car, 3rd gear can handle a maximum of about 70mph, useful for entry and exit of motorways when you need that extra acceleration (or deceleration) from you gears.

I realize I've lived in America for too long now, watching this video is hard on my eyes.

Going down each gear is not very economical nor environmentally friendly, which is something that is stressed a lot here in Sweden. The main method that is taught here is: let go of the gas pedal ahead of time and start motor braking. Use the brake pedal to get down further in speed if needed, shift down to the target gear before you reach the crossing or roundabout and slowly let go of the clutch to motor brake even more. That way you are ready to go when you reach the target and you reduce the risk of stopping your engine in the middle of a turn (which can be dangerous in some situations).

I don’t see the point in teaching students to go through the gears whilst braking. IMO they should separate out the phases in the system.
You mention that you like to go through the gears so as to be in a gear and ready for anything.. To that I’d say that you need to better evaluate the hazard. True, information may change on approach, but generally you should evaluate the hazard, and make a driving plan to negotiate it in a systematic way.
1. Get the vehicle into the correct position.
2. Get to the correct speed. This can be done by acceleration sense, i.e where the vehicle naturally slows down when you’re off the drive, or in some instances by dropping a gear.
3. Get into the correct gear to negotiate the hazard. At this point you should be at the correct speed and it’s simply a matter of selecting the correct gear to help you with the next phase:
4. Now that your speed is correct, and you’re in the correct gear, you can negotiate the hazard and use acceleration to get past it.

If you’re changing down the gears thinking that you need to be ready for something to happen, then you’re not driving systematically.

IMO opinion students should be taught to drive systematically from the outset. If they decide to do some further training, they will more than likely be taught from Roadcraft, which teaches IPSGA. So if there are 2 schools of thought, and both are acceptable for the DVSA, why would any instructor teach them a non-systematic way of driving?

Much more wear and tear .

No holding the clutch in cause excessive heat in your clutch it is actually not as hard on your clutch to down shift while braking as long as you are not to high in the rpms I do agree for the most part but you never want to hold your clutch down for long periods of time even sitting still just throw it in neutral and let off the clutch then use your brakes and then press clutch in select gear after you come to stop or ready to go again

No point.All it does is add alot of extra wear and tear on the clutch and gears.Just go down to about 1100 RPM in top gear,then go into neutral,then rely on the brakes from there.Its a no brainer....brakes are alot less expensive that clutches and trannys.

Is there a significant difference between coasting to a stop by pushing the clutch down in gear vs putting it into neutral?

I was a motorcycle rider before I passed my UK car driving test in 1989. I therefore found it natural to change down through the gears and rev match. I just gives you more control. Coasting to a stop with the clutch in at high speed with brakes only freaks me out. It just feels like there is no control. There are times when I do it in car in an emergency or when I have a brain melt and I have to stop quickly.

Lol just slow down everything you can in the current gear, then when youre going too slow just shift to neutral. Simple

I use both methods but i defenitely prefer the stay in high gear until 1000 rpm, press the clutch and break method. It reduces wear on the gearbox and it’s more relaxed. I also had two dual clutch automatics, i really hated it that they keep shifting down right away causing a sort of lurch while slowing down.

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The gear pattern is in the H type pattern to allow moven't from any gear to another.
The gears are there to produce compression, the reason they exist.
Brakes exist to kill energy.
The purposes are different.
Changing down gears, in a fixed pattern, defeats the reason for the gearbox.
Changing down 'in case you can go' leads to too many hesitant (potentially dangerous manouvres).
Use the gear you can see you can use, no other.

I hate downshifting gear by gear in congested places. It’s dangerous to constantly be focused on that while observing every hazard at all directions which is why in my case I will buy an automatic.

I was taught from day one in 1960 if you are going to have to stop just use brakes, it’s easier and cheaper to repair brakes than it is to repair a clutch. I think that is more relevant today with transverse engines and all disc brakes which are even simpler to change pads.

Haha i just commented a question on your older engine breaking video only to see you answered it well here. Thank you for the great vid!

why wasn't he rev matching when going down the gears in the beginning of the video?

I downshift and let the cltuch out gear by gear on a motorbike but not in a car

i would rather put the wear and tear on the brakes, over the engine / transmission. brakes are cheaper to fix / replace.

I have one question can we use the easier method during a driving test ❓

I double clutch everything, and I feel like it’s become a bad habit. I heal-toe for a lot of my turning as well. If not rev matching and heal-toeing to prepare for a turn. What do normal people do if they want to carry decent momentum during a turn?

My method is to hold the clutch in and change gears until I'm ready to set off but I also speed match my gears giving me the option to set off. Especially in traffic I'll hold and match the car in front go into 2nd or 3rd and if they don't stop fully I can go again but if they stop break and then go into first before I stop. So it's kind of both together without going into gear. Sometimes I engine break but that's usually with no traffic and decent speeds

a 32 year old American over here learning how to drive manual from Brits because despite the bravado of our car culture, the stats say we prefer automatics haha.

I do both it just depends on whatever direction the wind is blowing. Heck sometimes I skip gears going up if ive been using the clutch a lot.

is bad to put it in neutral when braking at low speeds? for example coming to a complete stop at a red light when and going under 12-15mph

I'm pretty new to manual and have noticed myself doing method 1 in regular driving, and method 2 in higher danger, like highway driving when people are suddenly stopping in front of me

Thank you, Richard! Your info is always thorough and clears up misconceptions in a very understandable way.

19 year old new Manuel driver here. I am watching these videos now as I am learning how not to stall and just drive around. I will eventually learn downshifting but start small and you will learn everything you needa know.

I let whatever gear it is in coast down to slightly above idle and then clutch into neutral. Much rather have more wear on the brakes, they are a lot cheaper to replace.

Ohh a teenie again. He try to learn how to shift down! How cute 😂👊👊👊

my driving instructor told me it was just wrong and dangerous to go at high speed without the engine connected to the wheels, so i got used pretty fast to downshift whenever i want to break and stop the car at 2nd gear.
(P.S. of course if you have to break as fast as possible because of sudden traffic, a person crossing the roads or a traffic lights turning red, you can exceptionally press the clutch and brake all the way through)

Ive been driving manual all my life. I never downshift to slowdown, just neutral and stop with the brakes. I know what at what speeds i can shift to if need be. Id rather change brake pads than a clutch any day.

I'd rather wear out the brakes than the clutch

if you're going 6 mph into 1st gear, blipping isn't required. however learning to heal/toe and double clutch will save your sychros.

Having started on a motorcycle I’ve always naturally done this while slowing down. Slowing without changing down just feels cumbersome and awkward

I brake in neutral.

how abt putting it in neutral then breaking?

Personally I just put my foot on the brake, shift into neutral and then if I need to accelerate again I'll clutch in, shift into whatever gear I need to be in depending on my speed, blip the throttle then come off the clutch. Shifting down every gear back to second or whatever when coming to a stop sounds like a lot of work lol.

Power message and teaching

You guys are so funny with those videos :D Down shifting on a manual is what you learn at the driving school in day 1 in europe :D

Before watching this, I'm on my second instructor, and he recommended to me not to do this as every time I tried this, it was not smooth, or something else - this was because I was not used to his car. However, in my own vehicle or even now after being used to his car more, I still do this.

so what is cheaper:
changing the breaks or changing the clutch?
oh right the breaks are much cheaper.

Use your gears to slow down why wear your brake pads down unnecessarily, or even better read the road ahead and you hardly have to use your brakes at all

Why not throw the car in neutral when braking? Then put it in lower gear when you don't full stop?

Downshifting when breaking is a must if you have an older car. Cant just rely on them breaks. Specially if they are not disc breaks

Brakes are cheaper than a clutch

Lasciate perdere il manuale...e continuate con l'automatico che non siete capaci a usarlo.....