Engine braking breaks engines?

[tbourner]

Well clutches really.

I think I posted something similar about this before, but been thinking about it again recently.

 

When driving (for example) down a motorway, approaching a sliproad I will usually lift off the throttle at the top of the sliproad, slow down gradually, changing down the gears each time the revs drop low enough. I hardly ever brake, except right at the end if the lights are red.

I do the same at any junction, slow down very early, usually annoying the car behind, and hardly ever brake.

 

Does anyone else do this? Can anyone see a way this may damage the car or wear anything LOTS more than it should? What's the best way to slow down?

[Whitesupraboy2]

i do this, but not to the degree of a race car keeping the revs in the power band

 

i cant imagine it damages anything. What your describing though is not really using the engine to slow the car down drastically, your just letting it glide down the revs, your not doing say 85mph dropping into 3rd to let engine do alot of the braking.

[Ewen]

Ive always used engine braking when coming up to rndbts (shit, TXT speak !) or j-u-n-c-t-i-o-n-s (taking the piss speak). I always did it when I had the bikes as well. Ive always thought this was the right thing to do and was harmless to all my mechanical pixies under the bonnet. In fact, I believe its supposed to save fuel and it obviously saves on pads. Makes a nicer noise as well.

[Suprash]

I always engine break, it saves me using my warped discs, that was intially the main reason, but the like others I was told it wont harm and thats how your supposed to drive, properly........

 

But my theory before that was I would always want to wear out my pads before my engine and gearbox and used to clutch it and break, now I engine break, plus I like the sound coming down through the gears, especially like you say when your doing it early, there isnt any strain on the engine unless you shift down to early high up in the rev range......

 

Discuss........

[tbourner]

Yeah because sometimes I just put it in neutral at the top of the sliproad (big no-no of course!), and coast down to the bottom, then brake at the end.

[DamanC]

a gear change is a gear change. Id rather wear my discs and pads out first. I still bloody do it thou

[garethr]

It's a long time since I had a lesson, but don't driving instructors frown on you going down through the gears?

 

I rode bikes -- sequential box, so you don't have the choice -- for seven years before I even drove a car, so I find it a hard habit to break

[Digsy]

Gears are for going, brakes are for stopping.

 

A proper racer like CW may be able to clarify, but I thought you were wupposed to brake down to your desired speed and then select the gear you want to accelerate out again.

 

I thought F1 cars only banged down through the gears because they have sequential gearboxes?

[Suprash]

I think your find in racing terms they will always use engine braking, as it assists breaking meaning you might be able to push the brake peddle that little bit later into the corner, I dunno, I could be talking arse again.......

 

But driving instructers do teach you to block gear change, meaning you dont go down through the gears but would go from 5th straight to 2nd, hopefully applying the brakes inbetween that of course

 

That was always my view before, would rather wear out discs and pads then engine/internals, but once you start its something you cant do without then, plus I think it feels more involvingm then coasting with the brakes on...

[Digsy]

I was discussing this with somone over lunch and the pointed out two things to me:

 

F1 cars run a high compresson ratio and so have a hell of a lot more engine braking available to them, to the extent that for certain decels it may be easier to just lift off a bit than to scrub of a load of speed using the brakes.

 

If you do a complete decel just using engine braking then cars behind you won't know you are slowing down, which would might be a bit of a concern.

[Gordon F]

F1 cars are left foot brake, so its easier to just ease a bit of brake on than to lift off the throttle. There are places where the drivers will take a 'confidence lift' but normally they are either hard on the gas or hard on the brakes.

[Supragal]

Yup, you'll fail your test if you allow the engine to brake.

 

My instructor always said

 

"gears are for going, brakes are for slowing" which is a more poetic version of the above.

[Syed Shah]

Heel+Toe. No engine braking.

[Suprash]

Lol, your also fail you test if you didnt pass the stearing wheel through your hands correctly but none of still do that do we............

 

Im not saying I actually use engine breaking to stop the car or slow it down dramtically, I will aways have to use the brakes, but when you do it naturally it well, is just that, natural, there isnt any stress put on the car, and I would rather be in gear then out, I dunno it just seem the correct way to me.

[Matt H]

I'm under the impression that engine breaking puts unessasary strain on your engine, when i had a manual car before my Auto Supra, when ever i was slowing down it was clutch in brake..... No engine braking, only iddleing fuel used, and your engine will only be reving at idle, so less strain on it....

 

Can you not hear the sigh your engine makes when you let it brake for you!?! anyway, with an auto box you dont have to worry about such stuff!

 

Supragirl is 110% correct

[Suprash]

So if your racing, coming up to a roundabout, you would go from 6th to 2nd straight away and break hard ? I wouldnt, I wouldnt come down from 6th to 4th while applying the break peddle, then maybe into 3rd depending on how the engine sounds, and at what point its in its rev range by hearing the tone of the engine and then straight back on the accelerator, I think this works cause you can tell if the engine is in the correct gear or not, breaking from 6th to 2nd for a roundabout, if you then engage the engine when your ready to boot it off the other side and your revs bounce right up to near where you would be changine up then you have selected the wrong gear, you dont know until its too late...........can anyone see my point, or am I talking arse again ??

[Need4Speed]

but not to the degree of a race car keeping the revs in the power band

You don't use the engine to slow the car down in racing... that's the job of the brakes. Unless you're using a sequential box on track, it's normal practice to brake then select the correct gear for the corner shortly before coming off the brakes and turning in. Don't for get to match the revs though, otherwise you run a big risk of losing the back end as you bring the clutch up.

[Andy-No-Knee]

One of my many jobs (I'm a fireman) is I am also a motorcycle riding instructor and a driving instructor.

 

When I learnt to drive ('86) I was taught to drive and use the gears to slow you down as this would reduce the effort the brakes had to do (first introduced when cars had drum brakes and they didnt stop too well) and it meant that the car would always be in the correct gear for the speed.

 

Now days you are taught to pass a test, not how to drive correctly (so many different styles, driving in snow, on motorways, in the wet etc) and as technology has come forward so much they 'frown' on you for engine braking. As the brakes no longer need the help and they say it is better for the ecology as you use less fuel. (Never saw that one myself, it isnt like your reving the engine using the accelorator) They also want us to teach you in such a way that it bad for the long term health of the car. Riding the cluch for example. It doesnt cost the driving school or the DSA anything but you will wear out the cluch quicker and therefor cost you more.... and the added extra use of the brake pads for continual slowing down etc.

[Suprash]

Not being funny or anything but I dont give a damn what they teach us in our driving lessons, as I said we were told to pass the stearing wheel through our hands, but when you go to a racing school, they will tell you to forget everthing you got taught in your lessons, as its crud........

 

I think Need4Speed was saying a little clearer what I was trying to say......

[Andy-No-Knee]

As I said, in driving lessons you are taught to pass a test, not the best way to drive....

[DrivingTheDream]

As Carlos said above, my Dad told me that he was taught to drive by engine braking in the 70's now its the other way round though when learning.

 

Whenever he took me out for a spin he would tell me off for not coming down through the gears like 4-3-2 and not 4-2 etc as I was taught in my lessons.

[ivan]

My old Dad told me to use engine braking too.

When I started doing it in the Army my instructor told me "brakes are a lot cheaper than clutches..."

 

I still do though.

[tbourner]

This is driving a shit car BTW way so can we stop talking about racing and heel/toe cos I did that in the Supra but not in the Micra!!!

 

Anyway, one of the main reasons is safety, I feel safer slowing down early rather than carrying on at normal speed and braking right at the end - doesn't give as much room for error!!! If I try and slow down early with the brakes I slow down too much, so the only way is engine braking.

I have considered the issue of people behind not knowing I'm braking as well, but TBH they should deal with their own driving safety and not require to see my brake lights!

[Digsy]

So if your racing, coming up to a roundabout, you would go from 6th to 2nd straight away and break hard ?

 

No, I'd brake down to my desired speed and then change into the most suitable gear to carry on. I gues sthe racing way to do it wouild be to double declutch and blip the throttle to get the revs back up during the gearchange.

[Matt H]

I meant coasting!