Hey guys,
I was wondering whether engine braking is more beneficial or detrimental to my car. I engine brake to conserve my brake pads...what are the pros/cons of engine braking?

Thanks

 

Brake pads are cheap, engines, trannys, and clutchs are not. With the exception of using engine braking when stopping on slippery roads, I can't think of any good reasons to do it.

 

i always downshift, if thats what u mean....and YES it does save your brakes. If you come off the freeway doin 80 and just slam on the brakes, you will wear them out alot faster. Also, in traffic, with a manual, you can just cruise in first gear without hittin the brakes. but with the auto you always have your foot on the brake to keep from speeding up

 

Do you guys coast, as well? Like, I'll disengage the clutch, go into neutral, and just cruise...

Also, when you guys brake, do you guys disengage the clutch (if you're not in neutral)...?

 

i engine break all the friggin time. i don't see a reason not to. break pads are cheap and trannies are expensive, but yu won't ____ the tranny if yu don't DUMP the clutch hella quick. let it into the gears slowly.

 

engine braking will waste gas and wear out tranny synchros faster.

so, there is no rational reason to engine brake, unless you find it particularly fun.

 

Not all the time, because I dont always like the jump in rpms. Sometimes though its useful, and I like having the control to decide when and where, another reason auto's suck.

 

thanks jack!

 

I had a manual in my Mustang, and I am certain that the manual said NOT to coast in neutral, that it could blow the transmission seals. Is this true of all cars or just that one?

 

I engine brake all the time, and I downshift using heel-toe just about time I need to slow down or hit a corner.

I put 80,000 miles on my old VW doing the exact same style of driving and never had a single issue with the tranny or engine. (of course, everything else on the VW seemed to break, but nothing to do with engine braking!)

 

Engines are for acceleration, brakes are for braking. I could explain it all but most people don't drive near the limit and would never notice any difference.

ken

 

i engine stopp all the time. it helps stop quicker and save your brakes. it also doesnt waste more gas. as long as you dont down shift and then let out the clutch when you where in a high rpm in the previous gear, you should have no problems with damaging your engine.

 

I can't , I'm in an automatic...

 

your ***** is for ____ing, so why do yu use it for sex? your mouth is for eating, do yu use it to talk, too?

 

OK, someone obviously needs a lesson here on proper high performance driving technique.....

Here's what happens-first you must assume your brakes were intended to stop you in the least amount of distance and the bias is correct to do this.... My Xa is pretty darn good at it. If you are braking at the limit of traction (the fastest way to stop!) and you down shift and let the clutch out you just exceeded the limit of traction with the front wheels and you will begin to push (understeer) until you leave the road and crash (if you are entering a corner) or get traction back and can turn. Invoking the ABS is NOT the fastest way to brake...

If you are just driving around.... go ahead and engine brake, it won't cause damage or use more fuel.

As for saving the brakes.... Who cares-they are intended to be consumeables... I know I will replace my pads every year and a half or so-it's not hard to do either.

ken

 

Yes if you downshift and pop the clutch you're going to understeer, especially if you don't give it some gas before putting it in gear...this'll cause the nose to dive and you'll rev big time. You're suppossed to blip the gas to rev it up before you release the clutch...that way when you downshift before the corner it'll be smooth, and you're ready to accelerate out of it.

 

Of course good driving calls for a combination of the two in moderation.

And for Christ's sake, an automatic tranny doesn't turn it into a bumper car with only stop and go. If you look past the D there's a 2 and a 1 and the OD button. You don't have to ride your brake in slow traffic, downshift!!! I'll never blow a shift from clutching at the wrong time and I can hold the revs as high as needed and then pop it to the next gear, same as the manual tranny.

But the beauty is, I don't always have to worry about it, if I don't want to. the car does a fine job in 90% of driving situations anyhow.

Sorry, just always seeing the Auto getting an underserved bashing...

 

thats sound really harmful to a auto tranny...

 

Engine braking (when done right) will not harm your engine, trans, or waste gas. It'll actually save gas because during high vacuum deceleration very little fuel (less than at idle) gets injected into the engine. Hook up a scan tool to your car and do it, you'll see the injector pulsewidth go way down. High vacuum = less gas, low/no vacuum = more gas.
I'm guessing most of you guys probably don't know how a trans (auto or manual) actually works or how they're assembled inside. The only way to really break a trans with engine braking is downshifting or popping the clutch to high-revs suddenly and shocking the trans. Blip the throttle to bring the revs up slightly and lightly let out the clutch and you'll be fine.
The only time engine breaking is really benificial is at highway speeds to slow down slowly or fast depending on the gear you're in. It'll save your clutch a little too in a manual since you won't be letting it in and out a bunch of times while you're braking in nuetral (since that's what it seems some of you guys are doing).

 

If it was a problem, I think they wouldn't have made the 2 and 1 available on the shifter and would have warned about it in the Owner's manual.

besides that, 2 words - Powertrain Warranty!