Re: Curves and manual transmissions

[John Barrer <forcejb@YAHOO.COM>]

--- Michael Edmiston <edmiston@BLUFFTON.EDU> wrote:
SNIP

> However, one has to be careful doing this on
> slippery roads with
> front-wheel-drive cars.  Downshifting on slippery
> roads can cause a
> skid.  If this occurs with rear-wheel drive you
> probably still have some
> steering control with the front tires.  If this
> happens with front-wheel
> drive you have lost steering until you recover from
> the skid.  If you
> have time and a good touch on the accelerator you
> can match the wheel
> rotation to the road speed and come out of the skid
> fairly well.  If you
> have no time, or if you do the wrong thing,
> downshifting can get you
> into some pretty serious trouble (on slippery
> roads).
>
> When my son was learning to drive on slippery winter
> roads with a
> manual-transmission front-wheel-drive car, I
> suggested that he not
> downshift because I believe in those circumstances
> you lose more control
> than you gain.
Michael makes excellent points regarding FWD vs. RWD
vehicles. The classic instruction with RWD if you've
entered a curve too fast and start to skid (usually
with the rear breaking loose) is to back off the gas
w/o braking and steer gradually into the skid until
you regain control. Doing this in a FWD car invites
disaster. You're usually better off applying more
throttle pressure so the (front) driving wheels have a
better chance of pulling the vehicle through the
curve.

I believe it is also VERY true that downshifting on a
slippery road is a great way to initiate a skid. I'd
argue that, with the exception of long downgrades,
there is little reason to downshift in normal driving.
Use the brakes to slow down, not the clutch. You can
do 2-3 brake jobs in most cars for the price of one
clutch job. There's a reason automatic transmissions
(like in my 4 cyl Honda) don't do very much
downshifting in normal driving; it's called
transmission life (and also fuel economy).

John Barrere