Who is correct: Learning Driving and gear down

Ponders SG

actually engine brake isn't good for the car.

your fuel consumption increases ifyou use engine brake.. though i dunno how to explain it since the increased RPM is from inertia rather than throttling.

in singapore, i don't see you need to use engine brake.

engine brake is usually for truck drivers who does not want to waste compressed air braking since air braking is limited in trucks and that's the only way they can brake effectively.

use engine brake in long down slopes.... which does not exist in singapoer.

Gedanken SG

Not necessarily. It may be the case with certain carburetted engines because the venturi effect is increased at higher revs, but most of the new engine management systems will sense when you're engine braking and cut fuel flow until you're below about 1500 rpm. If you're rolling downhill in gear with your foot off the pedal, you're in fact saving fuel.

monoslayer SG

no. dun worry. Laughing

Ponders SG

Whoa - a whole three years?! I'm so impressed. Laughing

How you clocked over 250,000 km behind the wheel?

No, but my 1st car clocked that much. haha

Have you driven in different seasons?

Yes, all four seasons, on snow, ice, gravel, iced gravel, sand.

Have you driven left-hand drive?

Yes. also driven rhd in lhd country before too.. and vice versa.

Have you ever had to double clutch?

don't see the need to.. me no heavy vehicle driver.

Dealt with a punctured tyre on a curve at 140 km/h?

why would i let this happen? I skidded at 130+km/h though.

Suffered a wheel-bearing collapse at 100?
I maintain my vehicle.

Encountered a Somali cab driver?

Somalia has cabs?

If you can tick off half of the above list, maybe, just maybe you can try telling me you're a seasoned driver.

hmm.. i guess.. i got almost 50%.. not yet seasoned Sad

k, i am not qualified to talk to you. i zip-it..

Ponders SG

well.. that's why i do not know how to explain it.

Beacuse my school used to be on a hill and everyday it's a 6km down hill.

So on one full tank.. i could travel like 450km pedal braking.

Then my goondoo friend tell me to engine brake since pedal braking wears my brake pads faster esepcially if my daily commute is 6km downhill.

So i engine brake the entire 6 km over few fuel tanks... my average full tank droped to like 325km. .. all else equal (routine driving)

Fuel injected vehicle btw.

Gedanken SG

Well, it's not up to you if somebody decides to leave debris on the road.

So do I - but what are you going to do when the idiot mechanic uses the wrong spacer ring for the bearing sets, leaving it to suddenly grind itself to nothing after only 80 km? Eventually I got a whole rotor assembly from a wrecker and replaced it myself - that job lasted till I got rid of the car.

Hell, they don't even have roads and can't operate anything more complicated than an ox cart, but do you think that stops the buggers from thinking they can drive cabs when they go to Oz? Laughing Had one clown write off my car by making a U-turn from the leftmost lane. After that, he tried taking off and nearly slammed into another car on the opposite lane containing the driver, his wife and his mother-in-law. With three independent witneses, I took the guy to court and cleaned him out.

In 12 years of seeing tle least expected things happen and the dumbest things that people can do behind the wheel (like placing a magazine on the steering wheel and reading while driving), the one thing I've learned is to never assume that things are safe and go exactly as planned.

Ponders SG

hmm. blow outs at 140km/h.. i guess only defensive driving training will help.

ya.. i have seen the most stupidest of drivers too..

include a driver with TWO (not one) handphones on each ear and driving with his elbows... i really salute him...

especially if his car is manual. haahh.

798 SG

actually i remember correctly, each of the 4 gears has to go according to certain speed limit right? example when u r on heavy traffic condition, u have to slow down n gear down rite?

last time i toopid go n read speed meter n the gear, n controlled gear at same time. it was then one of my friends told me actually can feel the engine sound or smoothness then adjust the gear. Smile

stellazio SG

for tp, stop in gear 2 or 3.. safest.. Laughing

Gedanken SG

That doesn't add up. By definition, engine braking is creating resistance from the engine by means of a reduced air-fuel mixture, i.e. the intake stroke takes more energy than the power stroke produces. Because the throttle is closed, it would not draw any more fuel than if the engine was idling. The only thing that might explain it is wonky fuel metering.

Ponders SG

yah.. i can't find an explanation to it either.

the "plausible" theory is that because at that speed and rpm combo.. my on board computer is "fooled" to feed more fuel to the cylinders thus burning them off without a purpose..

but then. my exhaust should have that "pop pop pop" sound if that happened.

Gedanken SG

Yuh huh. If the fuel was being burnt off in your exhaust, you'd hear the popping, and if it was being burnt in the combustion chamber, you would have been accelerating downhill. I suspect that the fuel was being used up in other circumstances, possibly in changing gear at higher revs (decreased volumetric efficiency) or just sitting in traffic. When I drive in peak hour, my FC is abysmal - I suspect that it's because one of my two O2 sensors is on its way out.

Ponders SG

my failed O2 sensor made me failed my emissions test. ahah.

anyway. it was a good first car.. haah. served me well.

Gedanken SG

It's more a case of knowing the torque curve on your engine. At different speeds you would leave the car in various gears to keep the torque from going too low. A classic case of torque being too low is when those ah ceks driving cabs go round a corner in third or fourth, when you can feel the taxi struggling to build up speed and the engine making a horrible noise.

Keeping at the right revs is a lot easier if you have a tacho on your dashboard. I change gears according to it all the time - it was just a matter of delevoping the habit. If I'm taking it easy, I short-shift at 3000 RPM, and if I'm booting I wait till about 5750 RPM. There's no point redlining it either - by that time you would have gone well past the peak of the torque curve.

Gedanken SG

yeah, I'm just sourcing around for a new O2 sensor for a good price. After that I'm thinking of switching to an SAFC-II ECU. From what I've heard, it reduces FC and helps increase low-end torque.

FERRARIman SG

wow you guys talking as if i’m in the class room!... nice..

Gedanken SG

Not bad for someone who *ahem* hasn't driven since getting his licence, eh? Laughing

freakass SG

Actually, I dont see the need to argue with someone-who-hasnt-driven-after-he-got-his-licence…. Just browse through all the replies in this thread and count how many people actually uses engine brake, other than those learning to drive….

Gedanken SG

Yuh huh. There's no point in you arguing because you don't have a clue - it's just plain embarrassing for me to watch. Oh puhlease - you're killing me with laughter. You look to taxi drivers of all people as examples of driving standard, and you're trying to tell me you know what you're talking about? Laughing

Don't go about branding yourself as a seasoned driver when your idea of driving conditions is bright-and-sunny textbook drivel and you don't have the experience to anticipate things that can go wrong.

Like I said, if you can't tick off half the experiences listed in my previous post, don't come here and blow hot air - Singapore's warm enough. Laughing

kopiosatu SG

Laughing

i'm still amused by the 3 years driving experience.

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