Engine Braking?! Good - BAD?

[BMWHATR]

I brake with gears once in a while. I just did a search on this and didn't find anything. Do you guys brake with gears?

 

[Defiant]

I almost always downshift, and I do use compression for some slowing. But it's also to be in a closer gear for the lower speeds I'm coming into. I also always double-clutch my downshifts.

 

[2-0turbo]

Brakes = cheap and easy to replace
Transmission = very expensive and time consuming to replace

Your engine is not a brake.

 

[beat90tsi]

My engine works well as a brake, if for no other reason than to practice safer, "better" driving technique. It is used in racing, and obviously I am not racing the majority of the time I'm engine braking, but I do it anyway. I guess it's just force of habit, and it makes sense.

In terms of hurting your transmission, I think it's more a matter of the driver. If you put it in 2nd gear going 60, let the revs drop to idle, then pop the clutch, you will jack up your car eventually if not immediately. But if you are ok putting 300ft-lbs of torque through your driveline under power, I'm sure proper engine braking will not wear out any part of your vehicle noticeably faster.

 

[leet]

I manage speed using the transmission.

Proper RPM matching will go a long way towards extending your transmissions life.

I usually double clutch into first, for smoothness and longetivity.

 

[Strm Trpr]

I double clutch down shifts, always into 3rd and 2nd from speed, usually never downshift into first...
I take it out of gear and coast to a stop or light.
Wait with car out of gear, foot off of the clutch, then go into 1st and take off.

 

[BMWHATR]

Some guy told me engine braking will wear out your clutch and kill your trany. Not to mention it eats more gas.

 

[Strm Trpr]

Dude, a proper double clutch downshift goes a little something like this.
Push in clutch pull stick into neutral let out clutch rev to about 3-4k push in clutch and slip into gear.
It's buttery smooth.

You actually think that letting your engine rev down with your foot lightly touching the brakes is gonna hurt any gears in your transmission..... NOT!
Your clutch will be fine, just learn how to do it right, and you'll be good to go.
Eating more gas, I doubt it...

 

[Hughes]

Ok poke fun of me all you want by what is the point of a "double clutch" I mean isn't a straight shift quicker?

 

[Strm Trpr]

When you follow what I've said, and the stick is in neutral with your foot off of the clutch, you rev the engine.
This also revs the transmission and gets the synchros up to speed for the downshifted gear.
By double clutching a downshift your are being extremely kind to your synchros. I don't think those are made of metal either, so be very kind to them.

 

[silver eclipse]

Theres nothing wrong with Engine Braking. If you happen to be going down a steep mountain, you have to engine breake to prevent brake fade. If you get brake fade on a mountain your SOL. So if its ok for slowing down on mountains im sure its ok to come up to a stop light. I honestly doubt youll ruin anything unless you do it wrong.
-Chad

 

[beat90tsi]

I don't bother with the double clutching, I heel and toe.

 

[TSIsean]

I've downshifted every 5 speed car I own. If your worried your tranny can't take a little downshifting then you've got bigger problems to worry about then this. Also, where I live, if you don't down shift the gears properly while taking your drivers test in a manual car you lose points or fail, same with shifting gears in an interesection.

Their justification for this is that if something happens and you need to acceclerate quickly your in the proper gear right away.

 

[eclipsegsx1736]

Just FYI, if youre in a gear off the gas, letting the engine slow you down, the car uses no gas at all. Next time you do this, look at your A/F gauge. It reads full lean, so much so that it doesnt even light up. The ECU stops injecting fuel into the engine when its decelerating.

 

[marcmsj]

Just FYI, if youre in a gear off the gas, letting the engine slow you down, the car uses no gas at all. Next time you do this, look at your A/F gauge. It reads full lean, so much so that it doesnt even light up. The ECU stops injecting fuel into the engine when its decelerating.

correct... our cars have coasting fuel cut which means that if it's decelerating and at 0% throttle, no fuel is being used (until you reach idling rpm's of course)

 

[Awdboost]

I do it all the time.. Our transmission are like glass.. But they can put up with a little engine braking. Plus at the rate I go through these transmissions, I don't think I will ever go through a syncro first. Double clutching is not necessary.

 

[Jiggalude]

I don't bother with the double clutching, I heel and toe.

Same here

 

[Omega]

If you don't depend on your clutch and synchro's to get you into gear, the cluctch wear issue becomes near moot.

Infact as said an engine uses less fuel during an in-gear decel than idle.

I was taught to drive with the car always in gear unless stopped. You have far more control and can accelerate if a nasty situation arises.

Then again 9 out of 10 manual trans drivers can't drive for shit anyway. It doesn't help when your license comes free in a cereal box when you turn of age.

 

[Dauntless]

A little mild engine braking isn't going to hurt your engine or trans much, but this statement illustrates a common misconception:

It is used in racing, and obviously I am not racing the majority of the time I'm engine braking, but I do it anyway.

Engine braking is properly used only in race cars that have sequential transmissions. Due to the design of the gearbox, the driver MUST use each gear going up or down, so must by definition engine brake while braking for a corner. However, no race car driver wants to engine brake in a car with an H-pattern shifter (like a DSM). This wastes time and all too often blows gearboxes. Heel-n-toe is the proper technique for matching engine revs to the gear the drivers wants to go into, but shouldn't be used to permit the gearbox to enter an inappropriate gear just because one likes to hear the engine noise...

Your cars brakes are designed to slow your car. Use them. Using the engine is playing Ricky Racer.

Cheers!
Stan Clayton
Team Engineer, Ishikawa Racing

 

[450whpGSX]

this should help http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146696&page=4&pp=25
i personally only engine brake sometimes. i usually put it in neutral slow down then shift back into the correct gear.