Again I drive G reg import with auto.

 

So if the position of the auto gear stick whilst stopped was not interesting enough ... what about slowing down?

 

As I come off the motorway onto the slip road I have developed the habit of disengaging the (so called) overdrive, to help the process of slowing. I now find myself shifting down to 2nd when I get down to say 2,500 rpm. Should I go further and shift to first - again when the rpm has reduced to a safe level or is this completely wrong and I should be using the brakes?

 

Again points are scored for being informative, point deducted for bad language.

 

Simon

Is this a windup???

 

 

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

That's fine and the auto box will only drop to the lower gear when the speed has reduced to the allowed range.

 

BUT brake pads are cheaper than a new box!

 

Im sure i ehard somewhere the other day engine braking wears the gearbox quicker, besides the engine braking effect will be reduced by the torque convertor. Why not just put in in N and use the brakes?

 

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Originally posted by Clarkey:

Why not just put in in N and use the brakes?

 

DON'T do that!

 

Listen the auto gearbox concept and design is that you don't/shouldn't have to intervene with normal driving operation FFS!

 

Read the manual you got with the car and it explains exceptions to the rule like towing and pulling heavy loads up hill etc.

 

Just use your brakes! If you can't resist fiddling with the box and dropping gears etc. you should've bought a manual.

 

There is a reason why they named them AUTOMATIC gearboxes. ROFL

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 26-09-2002).]

Timmy - No not a wind up as such.

 

If something stupid happens in front of you and you have to stop PDQ then I want to understand the risks of using the engine to slow down as well as using the brakes.

 

I couched the question in a different way to stimlate debate around the subject rather that getting a straight yes no answer.

 

Simon

well, engine brakign will only be really effective when the torque convertor is locked, which for a lot of the time it isnt, if something silly happens in front then just stamp on that huge brake pedal

 

and timmy, why not put it into N when coming to a stop?

 

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Quote:

 

"Read the manual you got with the car"

 

My G reg import did not come with a manual - maybe that why I am asking questions?!

S

 

You implied Clarkey San that slowing down from speed just bang it into neutral and just use the brakes. OK to pop the gearbox into N when stationary or when going down through the gears you have to pass through N but not very healthy disengaging drive at speed and then re-engaging!

 

Try it and see how long the box lasts.

 

 

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

Clarky, if your engine stalls whilst in N - you'll no longer be generating vacuum for the brake assist - you probably won't notice until the last minute - and'll end up in the back of whatever is in front of you!

 

Remember even if the engines stalled - being in gear will (a) be slowing you down through the engine, and (b) be generating a vacuum.

Originally posted by drjsgw:

Timmy - No not a wind up as such.

 

If something stupid happens in front of you and you have to stop PDQ

 

Ever heard of maintaining braking distance at ALL times?

 

I crashed into the back of someone once for that very reason...right on the ar$e of a Rover 214i on the A5 one night many years ago on my way home. He had clear road in front and when he saw(on the other side of the road) a recovery truck pulling a car out of a layby he decided to slam on his anchors and I went straight into the back of him.

 

Braking distance is what it's all about matey.

 

Oh and having decent brakes on aswell...stock 300 brakes are shat!

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 26-09-2002).]

Originally posted by Timmy_Turbo:

Braking distance is what it's all about matey.

 

 

Agreed .... but do they still include an emergency stop in the driving test? If so why?

S

What the manual basically says is that under normal driving conditions use D, rapid overtaking etc. O/D off.

 

Towing or going up steep incline use 2 or 1.

 

That's pretty much it apart from the additional power button you import guys have.

 

Like when AndyP suggested to me at Trax that the tiptronic 'Change at Will' system would be great on an auto so you can change gear when you want...why would you want to???

 

Go buy a manual instead! LMFAO

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

 

[This message has been edited by Timmy_Turbo (edited 26-09-2002).]

Originally posted by drjsgw:

Agreed .... but do they still include an emergency stop in the driving test? If so why?

S

 

So do you fcuk about with the gears in a manual when you do the emergency stop? NO!

 

What's the last thing you do?

 

Stop and at the moment the car stops you dump the clutch placing the car in neutral. If you fcuk about with the gears before the car comes to a stop you fail!

 

What a stupid question anyway...if you don't know how to drive e.g. move the car forward/backwards/stop/start etc. you shouldn't hold a license. ROFL

 

 

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

An emergency stop is one thing - driving within your own reaction time is a different matter - you'll just have a front row seat of a nice accident

 

I see some people driving so close up others arses that if they had to break, the person behind's foot wouldn't have even touched the brake pedal before impact - idiots.

well in ten years ov drivin autos ive always used the gears to help brake the car in dodgy situations,doing 70 on an m road and havin someone slam their brakes on,well we all no how shit the zeds brakes are and sometimes that little extra brakin of knockin ya gears down does help sometimes.

 

but in saying that an auto is an auto for a reason,buy a manual if ya feel the need for changing gears

The point about the emergency stop was to emphasise the fact that, not only should we leave enough space to stop in, (as pointed out), but also we need to know how to stop within that distance as quickly as possible.

 

I am fully aware how to stop a manual gearbox car quickly and I understand why the clutch is not depressed until the last moment. But an automatic gear box is quite different.

 

I am new to driving an automatic and I have no owners manual so I sought guidance, (not abuse), from the Forum.

 

I shall ask other questions of the Forum in the future - some of which may seem stupid - but I am not so stupid to think that I cannot improve my driving.

 

Simon

 

Ah the wonders of manual Ownership

http://www.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission.htm

makes for some good reading/understanding of how they operate.

 

Its an auto for a reason.

Originally posted by drjsgw:

I am fully aware how to stop a manual gearbox car quickly and I understand why the clutch is not depressed until the last moment. But an automatic gear box is quite different.

 

Simon,

 

putting the auto into N during an emergency stop would be the same as depressing the clutch during the same stop in a manual, imho

 

so leaving it in gear would be more sensible ?

 

engine braking was used (taught) much more in the past when vehicle brakes were absolutely diabolical and not servo assisted or abs assisted in any way... heck.. i used to have a car with drum brakes all round FFS

 

and you think stock 300 brakes are scary

 

i dont think engine braking is taught in lessons anymore, as it is not required, and it does put more stress on the components...

300z and Craig - Thanks for the info / well made point - my faith in this forum is restored.

 

Thanks

 

Simon

Craig. Brakes on older cars, unassisted, 4 x drums, cars from the '60s...

 

My uncle told me that an unofficial 'test' you could do on your car after working on brakes was to place a housebrick on it's end in the passenger footwell.

 

Now drive down the road and STAMP on the brakes!! If the brick fell over (LMAO ) the brakes were deemed good enough to take the car on the public highway!!

 

And you think Z brakes are bad...........

 

Robert.

 

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I only use the brakes so I can accelerate all over again.

 

http://bagpuss.swan.ac.uk/dunk300zx/ For awesome car & bike mpegs.

One other point - the stock brakes aren't so 'special' on the 300 TRUE. HOWEVER, I think you'll find them a damn site better than 95% of the cars on the roads these days. IE The chances are, your brakes are still better than the car infront Other option is to never have anything in front - overtake the fvckers LMFAO

 

CheerZ,

 

Andy

Originally posted by andyduff:

Other option is to never have anything in front - overtake the fvckers LMFAO

 

CheerZ,

 

Andy

 

ROFLMFAO

 

Too right!

 

 

 

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"Life sucks. Get a F**king helmet, okay?"

Denis Leary

It is quite an interesting subject this and drjsgw (for christs sake get a name I can remember, please;-) ) what you ask is neither dumb or wrong headed.

 

An auto'box can be driven as you say, however '1' really shouldn't be needed for any r'about as this will promote serious powerslides, '2' is as low as you ever need go, I too on occasion do similar things like dropping thru the gears when I have a CLEAR r'about, but only in the dry and if I can see the exit and the line to be taken otherwise frankly it's wasteful of fuel and in bad weather may land you in a ditch.

 

In bad weather (snow) you should start in '2' with the power switch in, this disables the lowest ratio ('1') and you slip gently from rest in a higher gear, reducing the torque at the tyre contact point and so moving off smoothly and safely.

 

Now when using the 'gears' to decelerate you can put a lot of strain on the primary pump, the Nissan auto'box in your cars is not the strongest toy in the shop and is prone to failure of the primary pump, you can tell this by sitting her in 'N' engaging 'D' it should happen in less than 1.5secs but more than 0.7sec from selecting, your primary pump is starting to fail if your car does not do this, this little diversion was to point out that you can do ANYTHING with the car you want and for the most part she'll oblige, but there is always a price to pay for such 'enthusiasm'.

 

Forgotten who said it but the statement was a perfect summation, brake pads are a hell of a lot cheaper than gear boxes.

 

I now await Senna to come back on me on this thread telling me I'm mad/dangerous/schizophrenic/psychotic/whatever;-) He loves me really.

Thanks Devil, I shall take your advice and use the brake and get another name for the forum! I just now need to find out how to change drjsgw into Zimon.

 

Simon