Just read a few threads about ppl in near accidient... and this makes me want to ask this question...

Is it better to downshift with brake as hard as you can...?
Or is it better to slam the tranny in N and brake as hard as you can?

Which will give shorter braking distance??

 

I would think pop it in neutral and stomp on the brake, that way you don't have to fight the force of the engine. If you want to slow down without applying the brakes, say, on the highway or something, then downshifting would be useful.

 

Downshift + brake -- its saved my *** a few times -- stupid rush hour random dead stops. Then again, I have a manual, so i'm not very familiar with the auto's downshifting/slowing ability.

 

Come to think of it, downshifting + braking has indeed saved my *** quite a few times in my daily driver- which has a 5-speed manual. I think I'll go out in the ES and experiment a little to see which method is indeed more effective. I dunno, its just hard for me to see downshifting as something to do with an auto car, but that's just my own ignorance I guess .

 

I have try both ways today... and to me putting the tranny in N felt like it makes the car stop better...

 

If you put the tranny in N, you could screw yourself should you need to get back on the gas in an emergency. You forget that is't in Neutral, stomp the gas and bammo! redline to nowhere.

The whole fun and beauty of a manual is to be able to two step. Brake and clutch simultaneously and back to gas if needed. At least that is what I was taught at a BMW driving school.

If it is an autotranny, let the torque converter and other automatic tranismission mechanisms do what they were desinged to do. Don't put the auto in N and hit the brakes for the same reason, you may need to hit the gas again.

Of course the best way to take a punch or in this case a direct hit....is to not be there. If there is extra traffic then leave extra room for those panic stops.

sj

 

But then again... if you are in D and you try to brake to avoid something your stopping distance will not be as short as if you put the tranny in N so before even thinking about avoiding the second accidient IF there is one comming... you would of have gotten yourself in the first one that you are trying to avoid in the first place...
I dunno if any of you guys understand what i'm saying... me english is not that great...