Lesson 2:
Slowing Down
Objective:
At the end of this lesson, you'll be able to decelerate from highway speed to a stop.
As with before, if you make a mistake, the car will correct you, so don't worry.
Lets Get Started!
If you're cruising at a high speed, and need to come to a complete stop, there are two
ways to do so. The first, and the easier way, is to shift the car into drive and let the computer do
the downshifting for you. This works best when you are sure you're coming to a full stop.
When you come to a stop, shift back into manual mode. You will be in first gear, and you can
accelerate easily.
The second method is to do the downshifts yourself. As opposed to engine speed, downshifting
is based on the car speed. In General, you should use the following speeds for each gear:
0 - 25 KM/H : 1st Gear
5 - 40 KM/H : 2nd Gear
25 - 70 KM/H : 3rd Gear
50 - 100 KM/H : 4th Gear
70 + KM/H : 5th Gear
As you can see, the speeds overlap. This shows how flexible a manual transmission is. To slow down,
all you need to do is take your foot off of the gas, apply bakes as needed, and shift down when you
get to the lower end of the gear's speed.
There are two things to remember here. The first is to make sure the engine speed on the tachometer
is low before you downshift. The second thing to remember is that you should not shift into first
gear until you are fully stopped. It won't damage the car if you shift into first while you're still moving,
but first is really only meant to help you start from a stop.
Slowing down is hard to do, but with practice, you'll be a master.