The Plausible Effects of Downshifting You Should Know About

When you desire to control your speed when driving, downshifting is one art you need to excel at. It is a process that is better known as engine braking, i.e., slowing down the car when moving at a speed. Many people have a perception that the process of downshifting leads to damage of the engine. Is it true? Let’s find out below.

What Is Downshifting?

Without downshifting you would be moving at a constant speed throughout your drive. It is the upshifting and the downshifting process that help in make driving enthralling and fun. Talking about downshifting, it is a process that involves slowing down the car by lowering down the gear to a heavier one. If conducted effectively, downshifting is a practice that leads to smooth operation of the car.

Downshifting to slow down is a common practice in manual transmission vehicles where the control is completely in your hands. For instance, you are running your car in the 4th gear, and suddenly you realize that you need to slower down a bit, and you move to the 3rd gear. The process you follow to get on the 3rd gear is what downshifting is all about.

How To Downshift In A Manual Transmission Vehicle

The following are the right steps that aid in downshifting a car and must always be kept in mind for reducing the corresponding wear and tear.

1. Know Your Controls

When you look at your car controls at your feet, there are three elements aligned in a line. The leftmost is the clutch, and then there is brake in the middle, and then come the accelerator. The most important of all the elements is the clutch that comes in handy when downshifting.

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• What Happens While Using Breaks and Clutch at the Same Time? Know Here
• The Bad Symptoms of Transmission Control Module

2. The Process

Shifting gears as the car desires is the only possible way to a swift journey. And, downshifting while driving down the mountains or slopes is highly beneficial to control the acceleration of any vehicle. In this process, all a person does is oppose the car speed by shifting to heavier gears. It’s not like putting all the pressure on the engine and the clutch, but shifting the gears from low to high or vice-versa, on time, is a statistical blip and nothing else. One can always rely on the maintenance tips provided by the experts. Let’s find out whether engine braking is good or bad for your car.

Is Downshifting Bad For Your Car?

When stuck with the question, “Is downshifting bad,” you’ll have people taking both in favor and against the topic. In reality, it is just a misconception that engine braking is bad for your car’s engine. People think that the process is liable of damaging the drivetrain, when in real it does not.

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When done in the right manner, downshifting has a lot of benefits in store. It gives a driver the much-needed control when one wishes to slow down. The process is also helpful when one wishes to mitigate the effects of jack-knifing that comes as a result of applying mechanical brakes. As an add-on, engine braking aids in maintaining the life of brakes when driving down a hilly slope by preventing it from overheating.

Wrapping Up

This is all about downshifting that you should know about. Now that someone says that downshifting is bad, you would know better. Always follow the mentioned practice, when smoother driving is what you seek.