Coasting to a stop vs down shifting to a stop in manual transmissions

And when engine breaking above 2000 rpm or so the ECUs will initiate Coasting Fuel Shut off which tells the FIs to run at idle duty to keep the engine from dying out. But it makes a big difference compared to neutral coasting just above idle rpm in fuel mileage.
 
At city speeds I'll usually down-shift into second and approach a stop at moderate speed, then I brake and come to a stop. I know a guy who will accelerate from a stop at a good clip, then he gets quickly off tht gas and costs all the way to the next light. He times it so he pretty much doesn't have to use the brakes. It drives me nuts.
This technique is used in super mileage completions at universities. Get the engine accelerating close to its peak torque band and then coast.
 
If traffic is light and the light is already red (or yellow), I might downshift into 3rd or 4th or whatever, but on other occasions the light turns red suddenly and the best I can do is brake and then depress the clutch as my speed drops. So it depends on the situation. Like some of the others, I'd rather replace brake pads and rotors than clutches.
 
Coasting in gear and coasting in neutral are equally aggravating if the vehicle is approaching a stop at an excruciatingly slow speed. I'd rather wear the clutch minimally and downshift into 2nd gear than coast in 3rd gear at 10mph. I have never had to replace a clutch at under 250k miles and that's always been with a good amount of city driving. Coasting in neutral, other than for a couple seconds after disengaging the clutch right before coming to a stop, no thanks.
 
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This technique is used in super mileage completions at universities. Get the engine accelerating close to its peak torque band and then coast.
Maybe we all should be driving ancient freewheeling Saabs. Oh yeah, they had 2-stroke engines and couldn't coast in gear.
 
When I had a manual transmission I would leave it in whatever gear it was in to coast to a stop sign. I never put it in neutral to coast. I also didn't downshift and use the engine as a brake because engine wear is more expensive than brake wear. I always thought if your foot was off the gas the fuel injectors were off but if you are idling in neutral the injectors are still pumping gas in the cylinders. Anyway, no I didn't throw it in neutral and coast.
I thought you should always push the clutch in when you're off the gas. That's what I usually did unless I wanted engine braking.

Let me think back to my manual days. If I needed to coast, I'd push the clutch in and coast. If I slowed down say from 60 to 35 mph, I'd shift into neutral so I could choose the gear I would need should I want to accelerate faster. I wouldn't engage the gear until I wanted the gear. So, yes, I coasted to a stop in neutral.
 
@PF52 describes good technique for driving a manual transmission in traffic quite well.

It all depends on the situation. In light traffic if a traffic light changes a reasonable distance ahead I decelerate in gear and downshift to 3rd or 4th (blipping the throttle and decelerating again in that gear until the revs are getting too low) then de-clutch. I might downshift a second time but not usually. There is no slipping the clutch about it.

If the light change is close ahead there's no time to do that. You decelerate in gear (with or without brakes) until the revs get too low then de-clutch.

The only time you meaningfully slip the clutch is on an uphill start. I suppose there is a miniscule amount of slippage on every start but not enough to worry about. In 50+ years of driving cars with manual transmissions I've had to replace exactly one clutch and that's because the linkage broke ('86 Volvo 740 Turbo at 185,000 km).
 
I've always just done whatever seemed appropriate in the given situation and flow of traffic, and sometimes the cantankerousness of the particular manual I'm driving. I don't coast in neutral much, but will coast in the gear I'm in until I need to shift to neutral or downshift, depending on the situation. The people who always downshift at the earliest opportunity and think everyone else should have automatics are probably the "BRRRAAAAP BRRAAAP" crowd.

I have heard you should stay in gear with your foot on the clutch at red lights and stuff, but I only ever felt it was necessary in my 94 Ranger with possibly the most ragged out, but still technically functioning M5OD on earth.
 
I thought you should always push the clutch in when you're off the gas. That's what I usually did unless I wanted engine braking.
You can do that but really not necessary. Goes back to wearing out the clutch/throw out bearing needlessly.
 
I've driven/owned a variety of manual transmission cars and rarely felt the need to downshift when coming to a stop. Now say I was on an open road and in 5th gear approaching a red light or stop sign, I would let off the gas and coast and because 5th was usually so "tall" (or an overdrive gear), you're likely to lug the engine sooner than normal so I'd flick it into 4th (typically no clutch either, just "feel" the synchros line up) and leave it there until 10-15 mph, then neutral (never used the clutch for that). No car I owned had any trouble with 4th gear at that speed if decelerating either.

Pffft, one time my clutch slave cylinder failed and I drove it to a shop with no clutch. Bump-started it in 2nd gear on the few times I wasn't able to time a traffic light. 😁 That was in my '88 Prelude Si. That car's clutch and gearbox worked like butter !
 
I always downshift at least to 3rd. To 2nd if traffic is about to move ahead of me.
 
I have heard you should stay in gear with your foot on the clutch at red lights and stuff, but I only ever felt it was necessary in my 94 Ranger with possibly the most ragged out, but still technically functioning M5OD on earth.
Nope, this is not good for the throwout bearing or the thrust bearing. And if you get rear ended you might pop off the clutch and start moving (as my mom warned me... dumb... it would happen with an automatic in drive too.) Goes along with keeping your wheels straight in a left turn lane until you start rolling, so if you're rear ended you won't go into oncoming traffic.
 
absolutely love coasting in neutral in my civic. although still blows my mind how people love to worry about crap that isn't worth worrying about. neutral or in gear, 0w20 or 0w30, POA or "full synthetic", this is all irrelevant.
 
I just coast & brake in whatever gear I'm in, and pop it into neutral just as the engine approaches idle and the transmission becomes unloaded. I only downshift if I need to maintain speed going downhill.
 
Your definitely not causing clutch wear putting it into neutral and coasting to a stop. As for downshifting you are causing clutch wear unless your matching engine rpm perfectly by blipping the throttle each downshift. So unless your on a racetrack there is no reason to be downshifting. I see downshifting as more wear on everything, clutch, transmission, engine and the rear end as well if rear wheel drive. Anyone who is saying your causing clutch wear by putting the car into neutral while slowing to a stop has absolutely no clue how the manual transmission works and I’d recommend never taking any advice from them on anything ever. I’ve always thrown mine into neutral when I know I’m going to stop from any speed. That or ride the gear I am already in until I need to shift out of it then I’ll go into neutral. I’ve never had to replace a clutch in anything I’ve ever owned. Clutch use is clutch abuse and that’s a fact. When used correctly the abuse is so minimal you can make one last the life of the car. All the bad information you hear on a forum you can multiply that by 100 on Facebook, especially on a manual transmission group your dealing with a bunch of kids driving cars their mommy bought them.
 
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I remember being 15 riding with my dad in my 88 F-150 and him rowing through the gears downshifting to a stop like it was a race car or something... I thought it was nuts then and still do. Coast to a stop.. Brake pads are cheap, clutches and transmissions aren't.
 
I never down shift to slow down, but instead leave it in whatever gear it's in while lightly braking (most of the time vs hard braking) until the RPM is around 1500 to 1200, then pop it into neutral and brake to a stop. It's just added wear on the clutch and throw-out brearing if I down shifted as much as I up shifted. I'd rather change brake pads instead of a clutch.

I've never worn out brake pads any faster on a manual vs an automatic, which really doesn't compression brake much. How I drive my manual car is probably less stress on the brake pads than on a typical automatic.

I tend to agree with this. Let's say you have 50 stops in a typical drive. Downshifting from say 4th or 3rd gear every time, down to 1 and then N, that's 2-3 extra shifts per stop, or 100+ extra shifts. Per drive. In 1 year, say 200 drives, many extra thousands of extra shifts. Transmissions and clutches are expensive, far more than brakes.
 
I never down shift to slow down, but instead leave it in whatever gear it's in while lightly braking (most of the time vs hard braking) until the RPM is around 1500 to 1200, then pop it into neutral and brake to a stop. It's just added wear on the clutch and throw-out brearing if I down shifted as much as I up shifted. I'd rather change brake pads instead of a clutch.

I've never worn out brake pads any faster on a manual vs an automatic, which really doesn't compression brake much. How I drive my manual car is probably less stress on the brake pads than on a typical automatic.

^ this

I only downshift while braking if I plan on accelerating prior to full stop
 
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