[TRobinson6]

well, we weathered the hurricane ok. not much damage this time compared to when 4 hurricanes came thru Orlando in 2004.

if pressing the brake pedal disengages the clutch like at stop lights then why does the clutch stay engaged when pressing the brake pedal and downshifting to come to a stop or slow down?

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Good question!

When you press the brake, but not downshift, the car expects to come to a stop and effectively shifts into Neutral.

If you brake and downshift, the car expects that you're just slowing down to speed back up later or are using engine braking, and keeps the drivetrain engaged.

 

[jimvw57]

Most likely a speed thing.

 

[TRobinson6]

why would the car think i am going to speed back up when my foot is on the brake to slow down/stop

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Like jimvw mentioned, a lot of it has to do with speed. The car has a somewhat decent enough ability to determine if you're stopping or just slowing, but it cannot predict the future. If it thinks you're stopping, it'll disengage, if it thinks you're slowing, it'll stay engaged.

Otherwise you'll have it dropping out of gear every time you hit the brake, which could get rather frustrating in the event that you're just slowing down.