Downshifting to slow the car is incorrect. Lifting off and selecting a lower gear manually for a cornering event is smart street driving. The difference is the use of the transmission. Getting ready for sharp acceleration requires a downshift (although in Sport mode the ZF will do this for you pretty effectively in most situations). Slowing the car to enter the corner requires use of the brakes, not the transmission. Leasing the car and warranties etc have nothing to do with accurate driving technique.

 

To xjrguy - no need to go into your personal sex habbits here. We are just discussing paddle shifters. But to continue on your theme: I 'use her, and sometimes ' (ab)use' her, but mostly just 'drive' her. And she 'loves' me for it all the more.

to jagular - I'm not downshifting to slow the car in order to accelerate out of a corner or other dynamic situation. - but to assist the brakes in bringing the car to a full stop (for a traffic light, stop sign, etc.).

 

You dont use a downshift to slow, you come in a corner hard, brake late and you want to be in a gear that gives you the best accelration out of the corner. This depends on the speed , corner and apex as to needing to downshift or not along with gearing, power etc...if you notice the car wont let you downshift to a gear that it wont like for the speed you will be going based on anticipated rpm. This is why you dont get 1st, and 2nd at time when you may think you want it. It also blips the throttle automatically to get the downshifted gear and rpm to match for more car stabilty amd an easy gear change. This is basically an auto "double clutching" itself.
Ill state something else on this too, I many times downshift to slow the car/truck if taking my foot off the gas is not enough. The reason I do this is because every time you hit the brake lights, the car behind you does, and on and on. Then you have everyone coming to a stand still for nothing but following too close and hitting their brakes. Lights freak people out, be it flashers, brake lights or waggies on a cop/ambulance. If everyone left enough room between each other and drove the same speed and didnt constantly hit their brake lights we wouldnt have traffic jams

 

Excellent point about driving in traffic. I used to think all that brake light flashing was because an automatic won't slow the car enough on overrun. However, I drive my XF in traffic just as I would drive any manually shifted car. I use engine braking on overrun to slow the car while in traffic. However, I do not downshift to do so. I use the brakes for any reduction in speed which the currently selected gear cannot provide. I had not thought about the concertina effect resulting from brake lights on the car ahead. I still gauge the actual observed speed reduction which the brake lights unfortunately do not tell you.

I wonder if any car manufacturer will be allowed to uses a strobing effect in the brake lights to inform following drivers how hard the brakes have been applied in the car ahead. Slow flash for very light brake application and getting progressively more frequent as the brake pressure increases ending with a constant light but brighter than when the brake lights are still flashing.

I also wondered if as an alternative the brake lights could flash in sync with the ABS pulsing to inform following drivers that the car ahead was braking to the maximum. This would have the advantage of working as an effective warning under all road conditions rather than related to brake pedal pressure.

 

I like that idea jagular, but can you imagine the possible epileptic attacks that might be induced in rush hour with all the brake lights strobing at differant speeds?
I hate to get behind vehicles like vans, trucks or cars that block my view in front of them to gauge traffic flow. Wether theyre just too big, have dark tinted windows or whatever. I dont have this issue in my truck though since Im useally the one blocking the view from the person behind me. But then I like to leave alot of room for me to slow without braking. Its a more enjoyable ride with less stress and gives me more time to read the paper or text while Im driving J/K

I used to follow my ex on the highway in the morning on our way to work. She would hit her brakes 20 times before I ever touched mine. I always notice when someone hits their brakes even lightly, so does the next person, and then the next even more, till like I said you end up with people stopping compltely for nothing but brake lights and all starting further up in traffic with a light "touch".
I think its in the the Uk where theyre experiementing with cars that travel over a 100 mph a foot off each bumper with sensors in the road and cars so that you dont have this effect and it eliminates traffic jams.
I watched this happen this morning when everyone was cruising along fine and 1 guy in the right lane was going 15mph slower than traffic. people were in a line behind him and as people tried to get out from the line and move faster they pulled into other lanes slowing them down and creating instantly a traffic jam where none was or should have been. Then as I thought about it and looked in my rear view mirror 3 or 4 cars suddenly tried to occupy the same place. and then 1 slow, unthinking driver caused a wreck of 3 or 4 cars. now If everyone had been going the same speed, there wouldnt have been any problems. After all, its not speed that kills, but the sudden deceleration

 

Ahh, progress. What a shame. Will they "adjust" the software on my 2010 XF Premium or leave well enough alone?

 

Since you're talking about brake using so do you like the idea of adaptive cruise control ? If the car in front of you speeds up your car speeds up , if it slows down you also slown down . I dare say pretty effective system rather than paddle shifter to slow down .

 

We gotta slow from 200 mph??? And drive further apart!
(joke)
Speed limit's max 70 mph, with some debate about maybe raising to 80 (doubt it'll happen).
Hi-tech computer-controlled convoys...... not any time soon, if at all. But, yes, they've done some research (not allowed on public roads I believe).