Big Cottonwood Canyon Photoshoot and Near Disaster

[LeonV]

Frankly, that was just plain stupid. If your engine dies pull over as soon as you can, and don't continue hurtling down the road.

[Stanley]

Dig it when your tires are squealing like that on a turn you need the motor for some extra torque to keep control. Find a twisty gravel road with wide shoulders and a clear view for oncoming traffic and you'll have the technique down in no time, if you don't have it already. NFS games are good practice too.

[FastWoman]

He needs not to be in neutral and riding his brakes all the way down! (The same would be true with an auto transmission -- slow down a bit, and DOWNSHIFT!) This isn't flat track driving; it's mountain driving.

[ninjazombiemaster]

I'm a young driver, and a lot of this stuff isn't taught in modern drivers ed classes. They just assume you'll be in a new enough car for stuff to just work all the time. They don't even teach manuals these days.

Don't know where I heard it, but I was always told to keep the car out of gear - because replacing worn brakes is less expensive and easier then replacing a worn clutch. Perhaps that information was incorrect.

[Virto]

As long as the clutch isn't slipping (and badly, at that) there shouldn't be any wear from using engine braking. My daily driving with manual transmission cars always yielded longer brake life than similarly sized automatics.

Even when I took driver's ed...17 or so years ago...they didn't really teach true manual transmission driving or technique. There were "simulators" that could be used to demonstrate a three on the tree, but how likely was anyone to run across on of those in the 90s? I remember them from when I was a kid, but I've never driven one.

Anyway, don't worry about engine braking wearing out your clutch. Obviously you won't want to downshift from 4th to 2nd or anything, you'll risk over-rev if you're going too fast. Just try downshifting from 4th to 3rd or 3rd to 2nd while you're slowing down for stoplights. You'll get used to it and it'll be something you do mindlessly before long.

[SteveJ]

Here is some info for you: Is engine braking harmful? - Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

[LeonV]

I'm a young driver, and a lot of this stuff isn't taught in modern drivers ed classes. They just assume you'll be in a new enough car for stuff to just work all the time. They don't even teach manuals these days.

Don't know where I heard it, but I was always told to keep the car out of gear - because replacing worn brakes is less expensive and easier then replacing a worn clutch. Perhaps that information was incorrect.

Allow me to help a bit then...

You pretty much did everything wrong in that scenario and were lucky that there wasn't a need for any panic stops. As soon as the engine cut, you should've pulled over to a stop as soon as it was safe to do so. Without power assist, your brakes work just fine although it will take a lot more force to get the same amount of stopping power. Use two feet on the pedal if you don't have enough strength using one leg.

Engine braking could've helped as well, had you put it into say 4th or 3rd gear and slowly let off the clutch (as to not lock up the rears). You've been SORELY misinformed about keeping the car out of gear. Keeping it out of gear has ZERO benefits and more than a few drawbacks. Mainly, you'll get worse gas mileage, wear out your brakes quicker, and don't have immediate engine response to get you out of trouble if the accelerator is needed. The ONLY time your clutch wears is when you SLIP it. An engaged clutch does not wear.

I recommend you attend a driving school near you. It would benefit you and those around you greatly.

http://www.tirerack.com/features/motorsports/street_survival.jsp

[FastWoman]

The question of whether to engine-brake or not is open to debate ONLY ON FLAT GROUND. Irrespective of whether you drive stick or auto -- and irrespective of whether you're towing a big camper with a big truck, or whether you're just tooling along in a little sports car -- Model T Ford or late model Lexus -- you MUST, MUST let the engine carry the braking load on long, downhill grades. MUST! You commented that you smelled the clutch burning, but I can assure you that wasn't the clutch. It was your brakes, which were probably glowing a dull red.

The problem with riding brakes down a long grade is that friction causes heat, which can cause any moisture in your brake fluid fluid to boil. If this happens, the steam fills the lines, resulting in complete hydraulic failure -- NO BRAKES AT ALL, except for your emergency brake handle, of course. (Most emergency brakes are inadequate for a situation like that.) There's a YouTube video somewhere in which someone was offroading in an SUV down a mountain. The brakes failed in this manner, and they had a pretty scary free-rolling descent to the bottom, ending in a crash. You could hear everyone in the SUV screaming as though they were going to die. Nobody was hurt, fortunately.

It's unfortunate they didn't teach you this stuff in driver's ed. I second Leon's recommendation for a good course. Hey, no matter how old or experienced you are, there's always something else to learn!

Edited August 21, 2013 by FastWoman

[LeonV]

FWIW, as far as engine braking is concerned, I always leave the car in gear until right before I stop, no matter whether the ground is flat or I'm on an incline. In EFI cars, you take advantage of drop-throttle fuel cut by leaving it gear. This is part of the reason why I can get 37mpg out of my '01 Accord.

[Reverend]

That video was scary! Thank goodness you (and your Z) are okay. You should come to drive licence here...

Driving licence in Finland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[doradox]

With the engine off as long as it was still in gear there would have been vacuum for the power brakes. The engine need not be "running" to make vacuum just turning. Also, maximum engine braking occurs in gear with the key off at full throttle. Many modern vehicles will hold speed on a downhill by cutting fuel and opening the throttle to increase engine braking.

Steve

[LeonV]

With the engine off as long as it was still in gear there would have been vacuum for the power brakes. The engine need not be "running" to make vacuum just turning. Also, maximum engine braking occurs in gear with the key off at full throttle. Many modern vehicles will hold speed on a downhill by cutting fuel and opening the throttle to increase engine braking.

Steve

Opening the throttle would decrease engine braking...