At the very least, your engine is idling when you apply your brakes also. If anything you're "idling" higher because your rpms are gradually going down while you're in gear, but your engine will still be at a higher rpm then any idling rpm.

"your engine is now idling, which require gas"? When your engine is running it ALWAYS requires gas.

 

I rev to redline and always downshift...

 

Rev match downshifting and brake.

For you guys who keep saying, "you don't use gas when...". If the engine is turning over, it is using gas period. Whether you're braking, in neutral, in gear, whatever. When the engine turns over, it is firing therefore using gas. The only time it doesn't use gas is when it's off.

 

There's something called the DFCO (deceleration fuel cut-off) that basically stops fuel delivery when the car is decelerating above a certain RPM (when in gear and not pressing the gas pedal of course)...

Here's a quick source of info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_transmission

Or use google to find other sources of info related to DFCO

 

+1 for the morons that don't realize how it works.

 

Here's a more indepth explanation about it, especially the 2nd paragraph:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/51...scription.html

Hope everyone now understands that it does use less/no fuel when you decel in gear as opposed to going to neutral.

 

sooo its bad to use ur ebreak to stop...then rev up n drop the clutch in 1st to go??

 

no thats proper form

 

That's the way they taught us to do it 50 years ago when everybody drove a stick. I don't see why it should be done differently now. And so it goes........

 

I personally like to downshift until i'm at around 5K or so, then sharply turn left (or right depending on the street), then hit the hand break, this swings the momentum forward, i then let go of the break and stab the gas again (its important to keep high RPM. I then "drift" in a circule around the car next to me, I usually end up with a phone number. Like my friend Dom used to say, winning is winning...

 

I stand corrected (actually sit corrected). Wouldn't think the fuel savings would be drastic by any means.

 

I usually coast in gear then put it in neutral and use the brakes... I usually only downshift to accellerate... or if I'm heading into a turn that i plan to accellerate out of.

 

If I'm coming to a short stop, I use the brakes with the clutch out. When I'm on a long stretch that comes up to a light I'll progressively drop gears until I'm in 3rd and then just brake in. Just using a transmission doesn't generate improper wear.

Generally when city driving however I stay in a gear lower than where I'd like to be so I can react better should something unexpected happen.

 

Wasn't expecting this many responses...Awesome! keep 'em coming

 

Depends on what I am doing.

usually when I just come to a stop light ,it is neutral and brakes.

if I'm going around a lot of turns and I feel like doing some 'spirited' driving, I usually keep the car in the appropriate gear allowing it to accellerate and decelerate accordingly around the turns.

In more 'emergency' situations, or I feel the desire for some additional braking power, I will sometimes use maybe 4th and 3rd to help slow the car down, but usually nothing lower than that.

 

sweet, sweet justification

 

+1 I just hang from the door and let lower half drag in emergencies!

 

I have been driving cars for over 50 years now, everything from 3 on the tree, to automatics and my current 6 speed manual with a few 4 speeds and big v-8s thrown in. I have always down shifted when approaching a stop and I have never worn out a clutch or broke a transmission. You just have to be aware of your speed and not try to jam the transmission into an inappropriate gear. With the more modern transmissions and syncro-mesh there is no need for rev matching either as you can snick the transmission into lower gears quite smoothly and with no gear grinding. Just as I roll to a stop I'm selecting first gear and I'm good to go and I have just barely touched the brakes and have not abused the clutch or transmission.

Oh yeah.... I downshift my motorcycle too to decelerate.