`red-lining

[Jim Joyce]

The first vehicles I learned to drive in the early 1960's were all stick shift, and I was taught the rule listed above. I've never forgotten it. It was true then and it's true now.

I still remember one summer when my friend and I (I was 12, he was 13) got hired to drive trucks and other implements on a neighboring farm, and my friend used to slip the clutch on a regular basis, prompting the farmer to yell, "The clutch has two positions! In or out! Stop slipping the damned clutch!" He never had to tell me that. :-)

[Michael Trew]

It doesn't matter; it still involves too high of an RPM, which can cause engine damage.

I try not to habitually downshift for engine braking, but that depends on the car. If a car has a weak or failing braking system, I'm more likely to downshift, but not anywhere near where the red line would be. Weak clutch, and you'd better be more generous with the brakes.

[Michael Trew]

Plenty of rebuild shops; many folks, especially near me, drive older cars. It's still common to see 90's cars driving around in my town. About all of my cars are older than me. Of course, some of those rebuild shops also do custom work, racing, and work for restoring classic cars.

[Michael Trew]

That's a pretty rare occurrence these days with disc brakes; many cars now have rear disc brakes also. When I first drove a car (recently) with 4 wheel manual drum brakes, I quickly learned why people (especially older drives) teach you to pulse the brakes on steep hills.

When you overheat those old drum brakes, which isn't hard to do, you might not be able to stop... especially if they get hot enough to vapor-lock the brake fluid near the wheels. When I drive that 60's car now, on a steep couple mile hill near my house, I put the 3 speed auto into second gear, rev-matching a bit before it downshifts. Fortunately, it holds a steady 40 MPH in 2nd gear, and I don't have to tap the brakes once on that hill.

[Xeno]

So does driving that saves wear and tear on both brakes and clutch. If a driver has a need to brake hard, either way, maybe it's time to re-learn how to drive.

[Xeno]

*All* brakes are energy converters hence all brakes can potentially overheat. Brakes, of any type, can only shed heat at a set rate. Exceed the rate of heat input that the brakes can accommodate and you will overheat any kind of brake system.

Change your driving habits!

I repeat, change your driving habits.

Once again, change your driving habits. Better still, go take a defensive driving course. Not for your benefit but the benefit of others around you.

[The Real Bev]

1950 Olds 88. Did they even have disks then? I really should have known better, but I'd never driven a mountain road before. I was lucky.

Later on I drove a car with brake problems. I still pulse the brakes, mainly to make sure they still work before I NEED to use them. Some habits just don't die.

[Jacob Jones]

Nice theory. Pity about how few get their engine rebuilt anymore,

Pity that you don't know that it is those who downshift.

I know that it isn't.

But clearly do not have a clue about whether those who downshift get their engines rebuilt more than those who do not.

[Jacob Jones]

Just because some fool claims something...

Do you still wear button up boots ?

Bullshit it is. Hardly anyone needs to bet their engine rebuilt anymore.

Irrelevant to what is being discussed.

[Jacob Jones]

We aren't talking about braking hard, we are talking how to descend steep hills.

[Scott Lurndal]

I used engine braking far more than the brakes on my 2000 Ford Ranger.

150,000 miles on the clutch, two sets of tires and the only engine related problem was a failed alternator at about 67k miles. Best truck I ever had (transfered to brother-in-law and crushed by a tree during a derecho a couple years later, sadly).

Used properly, and with a sane gear ratio, it works fine. My

2016 Colorado (the only manual still being sold at the time) gear ratios aren't as good, and downshifting into second will rev higher than I like, but there are ways to ameliorate that as well.

[micky]

Don't know. It's mostly black, however.

Don't know what year the car is either.

I was more concerned about the next time.

[micky]

You and Jacob can come with me the next time I make this trip, maybe in a few days, and then you'll have enough facts to maybe be in a position to tell me stuff like this.

[micky]

The rentacar companies ought to give include a little primer on driving when they give you the car. It wouldn't only have to be 5 or 10 sentence. The roads and the laws are a little different from the US.

[micky]

Good to know. I think this is the first answer that actually addressed my question.

[Jacob Jones]

We don't need to. There are no steep descents that don't have a warning sign so you can change down before descending.

[Michael Trew]

I don't think disc brakes were even an option until the late 60's, but perhaps someone else could be more certain.

Out of curiosity, did your Olds have power or manual brakes? I owned a '56 Olds 88 with power brakes, but I never drove it (except onto/off of a trailer); the booster was gone, as well as other parts. Hopefully the next guy restored it as the car deserved. It had manual steering.

Most of my older cars still have manual brakes. I currently have a '65 Ford Galaxie with manual drum brakes around. I also have a '75 Dodge Dart with manual brakes, but it has manual discs in the front. The Galaxie has manual steering, and it's a bear to parallel park.

I do the same thing, even in newer cars. That's a good habit to have, either way.

[Michael Trew]

From which country? I live in the US, but all of my cars are old beaters.

[Clare Snyder]

When I bought my 1996 Ranger at 16 years of age with 307000km on it, it still had the original rear brakes and was about half way through it's second set of fronts. Last summer at about 370,000 I replaced the rears and I replaced the fronts a few years ago with oversized rotors. Has 377000km on it now. I replaced the clutch at 307000km because the release cyl (inside the bell housing) had failed - there was over half the clutch lining still left. When I pulled the engine for a minor repair last fall there was no measurable clutch wear (70,000km on the clutch)

[Clare Snyder]

5200 won't hurt it, but you (in particular) have no idea before downshifting WHAT RPM you will be dubjecting the engine to.

Learn to drive like a civilized human being - and drive defensively.