Manual Transmission Question

Say you're coming up to a stop from any speed, should you leave your car in a gear all the way to the stop or can you throw it in neutral and coast up to the light/sign?
I'm talking any year car; old school or new ones.
This would be in regards to any wear and tear on the transmission internals.

Pretty much drivers choice. Once you push in the clutch it doesn't make a heck of a lot of difference.

Push in the clutch when the engine hits 1000 rpm. I have 3 stick vehicles. Basically do that on all of them. Keeps you from stalling it or making it too unhappy in any way.

I'll edit the original question. This would be in regards to any wear and tear on the transmission. My cousin had brought it up when he was riding with me and I would put it in neutral and coast the rest of the way.
But he works on semi's, so he was saying that's what he was told about them.

For me it's not about wear and tear on the trans as there is little that can be done by stopping different ways to preserve the trans (as far as I know). However, I prefer that the car idles in neutral at a stop so I tend to slow in gear to a certain point (10-20 mph) and then put it in neutral.

I've heard it both ways and have been criticized for doing it both ways.

Having a license to drive pretty much anything on wheels, I can tell you the reasons he saying that are:

A: Semi's travel a lot more miles and haul a lot more weight.
B: By putting a semi in neutral and coasting to the stoplight, you're using a lot more air using solely the brakes to stop. The brake systems are air brakes, the lower the air pressure, the less your brakes work. And even running, it can take a bit for the pressures to come back up. That's why they run jake brakes and use the trans/engine to help brake, especially in town.

Your car will be fine either way.

Coasting in neutral is not the best thing to do.
It makes stopping harder, causes excess heat that can glaze the friction surfaces, to the point it could be unsafe.

I down shift and use the engine to help slow down the vehicle.
No matter what vehicle. My bike, a car, or a truck of any size.
Especially on heavier vehicles.

Just don't red-line it when downshifting.
That can hurt the motor.

NAH. csmopar has it right.

I blew up a clutch disk shifting down to slow a grain truck into a corner. Nothing recognizable left but the hub.

Brakes are there to slow the car. On long downhills, though, the lower gear can help conserve the brakes so you don't smok'em. Something like a mile or more.

Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutch disks.

R.

I think you missed this part of his post.
"That's why they run jake brakes and use the trans/engine to help brake, especially in town."

You simply didn't downshift properly.

Heavy truck drivers should know how to down shift as well as up shift.
No need to wear out either system prematurely.
If you glaze the pads you aren't stopping either.

On a normal deceleration to a light/stop, let off the gas and leave it in gear to let them motor help slow the car down. Or use neutral if you're coastdown distance is further.

Downshifting is hard on the synchros/blocking rings. I rarely do it, don't see the need. If you insist, tap the throttle a little, in neutral, to get the sychros spinning and then downshift.

Remember, best shifts and minimal wear is when the gear you're shifting to is matched with the road speed & rpm.

If you get good enough you can cup and down shift without the clutch. Or just double clutch it if it really concerns you.

Once the car slows to a certain speed the compression braking in high gear is nil...I kick it into Neutral while coasting to a stop and don't shift into first until just before I'm ready to roll...saves the throwout bearing.

I usually coast in 5th until 20mph or so. If I'm coasting a longer distance I will pop it into neutral early. I never downshift to slow down. Maybe if iwas going down a mountain...

Exactly. This is the way I've been doing it for 50 years...

Any choice you make will not prematurely wear out anything. Nobody here is glazing any brake in what you are talking about, seeing a stop ahead and coasting with a bit of braking involved.

But since you asked. For the ultimate friendly to the car stop. Neutral right away, coast and brake.

Decelerating a carbureted car produces a super rich condition. A closed throttle blade under engine braking has very little air to bleed in and the extra vacuum pulls hard on the transfer slots.

Same here. Well, not for 50 years, but...

I was just curious. I do both, if I need to stop fast in the super bee I definitely downshift. Otherwise coast in most everything I drive.
I figure as long as its full of gear oil/fluid it should be good.