got car back/help on how to drive it

fivespeedsteed

20+ Year Stangneter :roc</strong><span class=
Oct 17, 2003
748
22
69
Richmond, VA
so as some of you know, i havent been alowed to drive my car since about a month before school started, so about august because of speeding and grades. ive only been able to drive to and from school and work for some of the time until today. grades came out. did good, got car back. im so happy, you cant even imagine, i feel so free again.

i was begining to wonder while i didnt have it going to and from school and such how to drive my car corectly. do you all engine brake allot? my valve cover gaskets kinda leak a really really little amount and i think i may have a tiny leak from my timing chain area. could it be from engine braking? i havent ever done it in second or first, but i never really did it allot in 4th and 3rd. just occasionally. i noticed when i stopped doing it all together my brake pads started to kill themselves faster and have been noisy lately. what are your stands on how you should engine brake? always do it while applying brakes or what?

also, when trying to save gas do you all drive in 5th gear under 1k rpm? my car does 1k at exactly 40mph so i usually go in 5th if im over 40. whats the deal with the 1,3,5 shift method? im not horribly concerned about gas but id like to save as mcuh as i can, which i think i can do becasue i still have the 2.73's.

when i go soon to get my pads changed and brake fluid flushed, what kind of stuff should i get? im thinking about getting some better ventelating rotors because i hate how if i use them allot the pedal pulsates. so is there some kinda of stock sized rotor with wider and mroe effecient cooling channels in the middle? that will still work with my stock calipers? what can i do the the rear drums?
 
Hmmm....

Engine breaking is hell on a transmission...

Tranny Rebuild from a reputal shop: $1,500+
New brakes: less than $100

Assuming you are engine breaking to preserve your breaks...

You do the math here buddy... Engine breaking just isnt worth it. Don't do it.
 
the only time i do anything like that is when im on the highway and get off on a ramp i shift from 5th to 4th and let it slow down a bit and than put it in neutral. ive got the same theory as poneypower...brakes are a lot cheaper and easier to replace than tranny parts
 
5th shouldn't be used unless it's 1600 rpm or more... any thing less and you're "Bogging it down"

Fords are made to drive in 4th until you hit 55mph or so- don't worry about it. Tranny braking is fun and it won't hurt you're tranny too bad unless you let off the clutch hard all the time or drop down too low- like from 4th at 55mph to 2nd gear is a no no... never power shift cause that will take a tranny out faster than anything... I've done it before. Hope this helps- congrats on the grades :)
 
I like to downshift too. I usually give it some gas before I let go the clutch, basically match the RPM with the gear...

Before with my previous 'stang (4 banger T5, 3:73's) if I downshifted into 3rd from 4th, my car would lock up the tires lol and I had some 275's back there lol
 
I have engine braked every car I've ever owned and never had a lick of trouble from any of the tranny's. As long as you don't brake so hard that the rpm's jump over 1500 or 1800 from what they were you'll be golden. My current DD is a 5 speed. Bought it new in 03 I've been engine braking on it for 60,000 miles and it doen't have a single hiccup. I've never had to do a brake job on it and the pads look like they'll go another 15K.