10 ms·

> brakes completely failing while going down a hill heading towards an intersection I'm curious about how you got out of that one :) Handbrake?

gumby 5y ago
Shift into low gear, unless you are unlucky enough to find yourself in an automatic transmission car.
- deepsun 5y ago
  Every single automatic transmission car I've been to (couple of dozen, US) had the low gear.
  - gumby 5y ago
    Can you shift into it when moving and will it perform engine braking? Not sure the AT would survive that.
    - sbierwagen 5y ago
      From the owner's manual for the 2001 Ford Explorer, page 167: https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2001-Expl-version-2_om_EN-US_06_2000.pdf https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owne... >Use 2 (Second) to start-up on slippery roads or to provide additional engine braking on downgrades. >Use 1 (First) to provide maximum engine braking on steep downgrades. The weak point is the engine, not the transmission. If you're at 7,000 in fourth gear, and you command a shift to 1st gear, it will grenade your crankshaft. Some transmission control modules are smart enough to refuse to do this.
      - gumby 5y ago
        I am surprised annautomatic transmission can handle that. But I guess we are a long way from the old synchromesh days. Live and learn!
        mdoms 5y ago
        Synchromesh is a manual transmission technology and is perfectly robust to downshifting. Every auto gearbox in history has been capable of downshifting and can handle it just fine. I downshift my 50 year old C4 transmission regularly.
laichzeit0 5y ago
Manual transmission (think Americans call it driving “stick”). You gear down then you can use hand break when you’re slow enough. Actually, I was taught to break by gearing down instead of just applying the breaks. I still went through that intersection though, the lights were red. I had my hazards on and prayed no one ran into me.

gumby 5y ago

Shift into low gear, unless you are unlucky enough to find yourself in an automatic transmission car.

deepsun 5y ago
Every single automatic transmission car I've been to (couple of dozen, US) had the low gear.
- gumby 5y ago
  Can you shift into it when moving and will it perform engine braking? Not sure the AT would survive that.
  - sbierwagen 5y ago
    From the owner's manual for the 2001 Ford Explorer, page 167: https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2001-Expl-version-2_om_EN-US_06_2000.pdf https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owne... >Use 2 (Second) to start-up on slippery roads or to provide additional engine braking on downgrades. >Use 1 (First) to provide maximum engine braking on steep downgrades. The weak point is the engine, not the transmission. If you're at 7,000 in fourth gear, and you command a shift to 1st gear, it will grenade your crankshaft. Some transmission control modules are smart enough to refuse to do this.
    - gumby 5y ago
      I am surprised annautomatic transmission can handle that. But I guess we are a long way from the old synchromesh days. Live and learn!
      - mdoms 5y ago
        Synchromesh is a manual transmission technology and is perfectly robust to downshifting. Every auto gearbox in history has been capable of downshifting and can handle it just fine. I downshift my 50 year old C4 transmission regularly.

laichzeit0 5y ago

Manual transmission (think Americans call it driving “stick”). You gear down then you can use hand break when you’re slow enough. Actually, I was taught to break by gearing down instead of just applying the breaks. I still went through that intersection though, the lights were red. I had my hazards on and prayed no one ran into me.