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Driving protocols on twisty downhills
To stay within the speed limit, shift to a lower gear to raise revs without increasing speed, choosing one that maintains a steady pace without braking.
When driving down a very steep and bendy road, what dictates whether to use brakes or gears to constrain or reduce speed? Msitoni Motorist.
The choice of course depends on how steep, how bendy, for how long, on what road surface, in what vehicle, and amid what weather and traffic conditions.
The first principle is that you should always try to avoid “riding” the brakes (that is, gentle but continuous pressure on the brakes for a long period). This wears the brake pads unnecessarily and can overheat them (betrayed by a distinctive smell), cause them to “fade” and, in extreme cases, fail.
Riding the brakes should be grounds for failing a beginner’s driving test, yet it is a common habit, even among supposedly experienced and competent drivers. Driving in a queue down a steep escarpment, more than half of them constantly show their brake lights...for miles!
The correct procedure to stay within the speed limit is to change down a gear, so the revs rise but the speed does not. You should choose the gear that will hold a steady speed without any braking at all.
Of course, brakes can and should be applied if there is a sharper bend or the traffic flow changes. That braking should last about three seconds (and only in extreme circumstances more than 5 seconds), and if cruising flow does not resume you should change down another gear, so you cruise at the required speed...without braking.
A maxim that will help the right gear choice is that you should go down very steep hills in the same gear that you would use to drive up them. Gear selection (to induce what’s called “engine braking”) should be the first choice. Brakes should be used only when sudden, rapid or major changes in speed are required.
If driving off-road down a very steep and slippery bank, brakes are an absolute no-no. They could lock the wheels and induce a skid, slewing the car into a traverse that could roll it. Steer slowly and dead straight is the technique, and if a skid starts, the solution is to accelerate as you steer back to a straight line.
