Emergency braking - dip the clutch?

[Ballast]

Actually last time I did it, I didn't even realise at the time, but I even put it back into 2nd gear. But I am always a clutch in type of person! :D

Although 1 car I owned I saw it emergency braking one day and it would not matter what you did, because the back of the car was basically airborne! :D

[0x2DLVR]

Simple question - in emergency braking (of the Holy Cow, where did that kid come from? variety) do you dip the clutch or leave the car in gear or gear down?

Ok look this was the original post. Now if everyone that answers this has said put your foot on the clutch and brake and nothing else and at the same time saying that you might need to take off again to get out of the situation this means you will have to down shift so you have revs/power to get out of the situation.

So my answer is gear down at the same time in emergency braking so you can use the engine braking as well as having power ready to get out of a situation.

Now does this extra detail sound a bit better?

[bahaimus]

No.

Brakes are for stopping. Engines are for going. End of story.

[0x2DLVR]

well, you are entitled to your opinion,

but in my opinion, i brake very differently in an emergency than when pushing to cut a few tenths at wakie...

first and foremost - i leave the clutch OUT when hitting the anchors at 180km/h at the kink....

It's good that you have learnt some good experience at the track. Would be good to see you out there one day. But as far as braking at that point on the track both my cars I am either still on the power through the kink or just backed off. I brake hard after the kink and one of my cars goes through there at 200+km/h and the other at 180km/h with 1840kg behind it. So I'm not in the dark when it comes to braking.

[0x2DLVR]

No.

Brakes are for stopping. Engines are for going. End of story.

For the average person on the street you are 100% correct

[tinkerbell]

so you are a clutch out man?

great, glad we got that sorted...

[Saru]

02PRUV - rowdy covered your point in his first post - if you brake hard and have the clutch out the engine is still pushing the car forwards. Using the inertia in the engine to slow a car in an emergency situation is counter productive.

[fro]

BIG difference between "braking heavily" and "emergency braking"

Amen.

In heavy braking, I leave the clutch out. In emergency braking, I put the clutch in. Emergency braking is for just that, emergencies.

[0x2DLVR]

02PRUV - rowdy covered your point in his first post - if you brake hard and have the clutch out the engine is still pushing the car forwards. Using the inertia in the engine to slow a car in an emergency situation is counter productive.

That's correct if you leave it in a high gear without changing back. Think if you aren't braking. Your driving along normally in 4th gear, you put your foot on the clutch put the car in 3rd or even 2nd for the sake of the arguement and take your foot off the clutch slowly without doing anything else what happens to the car? It slows down due to the gearing. So if you are doing this under braking it is doing the same thing.

[tinkerbell]

yes of course, lets have a braking race

you use the engine.

i use the brakes.

can you guess who will stop quicker?

i bet i can.

[0x2DLVR]

yes of course, lets have a braking race

you use the engine.

i use the brakes.

can you guess who will stop quicker?

i bet i can.

I wouldn't put money on that if I was you. I'm not saying use one or the other, i'm saying use both.

[The Pupat]

Brakes put out a lot more power than a engine, unless you have drum brakes and a Top Fuel motor. Hence there is little reason to bother with engine braking if you are threshold braking except to maybe help balance the car, but then you should probably then be looking at your brake balance. This was argued to death in a thread a while ago.

I only just realised the other day that I clutch during an emergency situation when I did exactly that, had to stop fast and hit the brakes and the clutch in unison without even thinking.

[RX7HEVEN]

Clutch?
I just rip the T-bar into "P"
Nah seriously though, i hit a kid once, he was trying to beat me across the road. i saw him coming though and started braking, but he kept trying to beat me so i put the clutch in, wet weather on a long arcing road, locked up all 4, let thge brakes of a bit and steered my poor car into the curb, and a light post. boot of car stopped on the kids bike pedal and he gently fell onto the boot. car was a write off, but at least the little fukker lived to tell his mates...... little bastard

[tinkerbell]

I wouldn't put money on that if I was you. I'm not saying use one or the other, i'm saying use both.

well, we, the collective we who disagree with you, are saying not to use both in an emergency.

i think we have proivided reasons for this, but you seem to think that the reason to *use both* is that you will brake quicker.

i do not think that braking distance would be significantly reduced by combining normal braking with down-gearing...

i have actually empiricaly tested this out for myself...

maybe you should do the same?

[Saru]

If you are at maximum braking, down-gearing will give you a longer stopping distance.