Engine Braking

[Nickykeeng]

what are your views on this? it's almost as controversial as "how to break in chatter".
Some ppl say its bad for fuel economy which sounds bs to me and that it can reduce the life of your clutch and engine....
whereas otherwise u wear out ur brake pads haha.

wat do u think?

[tOniies]

I do it heaps while rev matching too. Im pretty sure engine braking eats less petrol then braking normally. LOL, unless your rev matching or heel and toe. I don't think it kills your engine life, but it definetly reduces the life of your clutch. But its better for your gearbox, to gear down.

[Nickykeeng]

ooo how many Ks would it take off the clutch lol...
i always gear down slowly with engine braking unlike some ppl who just pop it into 2nd straight away

[tOniies]

i don't really know. but everytime you touch that clutch, your taking metres away. LOL

[ewendc2r]

i look at it this way (but not how I practice lol) ...

Brake pads are far easier to replace than a clutch, and easier than replacing rings on the pistons.. Therefore, I'd use brakes any / all day long instead ... (But I dont ... )

[geeang]

i look at it this way (but not how I practice lol) ...

Brake pads are far easier to replace than a clutch, and easier than replacing rings on the pistons.. Therefore, I'd use brakes any / all day long instead ... (But I dont ... )

Couldn't agree more, brake pads are far cheaper and easier to replace than clutch/gearbox parts or engine parts. :thumbsup:

[riruiz_88]

only time i use engine braking is in emergency cases when some one in front cuts me off or applies brakes very hard/quickly. i have been doing heel toe lately, and i can say that it feels better for me. i have just found the right position for my feet to feel comfortable with heel toe.

[tOniies]

yerh heel and toe is the way to go. takes time to practice though

[riruiz_88]

yeh tell me about it, i have been trying to get it for a number of weeks. and im only just now getting the hang of it. i used to engine brake every day. makes sense that using the brakes to stop you have more control of the car rather than the engine doing most of the braking when engine braking.

[Simonnn]

I've been thinking about this recently too, and have read mixed responses over the internet. It seems the general response is as above, that 'brakes are easier/cheaper to replace than the clutch'.

However, as tOniies mentioned, I've read about a 'throttle position sensor' which means that if you downshift (without using the throttle) using the engine to brake then no fuel would be used (even if the rpms are high). Some people even argue that down shifting while rev matching uses less fuel than simply chucking it in neutral and using the brakes to slow down.

I don't think what i've said here is very helpful, but then again maybe its best not to overthink it as rev matching to engine brake is also a bit of fun in itself :)

[tOniies]

I'd recommend rev matching to warm up the gearbox. Makes my gearbox feel smoother when im driving for a long period of time. I do chuck it to neutral at times, cause i cbf with downshifting. But then again, who doesn't like a little rev to show off your car. HAHA

[Hullabaloo]

+1 for brakes being cheaper and easier to replace than clutch.

Coasting in netural will be using some fuel as your injectors will need to be firing to maintain your engine idle. If your car is in gear the wheels are connected and hence can "drive the engine" as such. Coasting in neutral isn't safe and you shouldn't be doing it anyway.

but saying that, depends on your ecu. Some cars use no fuel when in gear and coasting as per the TPS like Simonnn said. some still inject some fuel.

what i normally do is downshift with rev match (heal and toe depending on how heavy i'm braking) to keep the car in gear but also in the correct operating rpm range (so if for whatever reason i need to accelerate i can) and just use the brakes. that way you are getting some engine braking without wearing your clutch, but still doing most of your engine braking with your brake pads

[Zinyo]

so basically its better to just leave it in neutral and roll it? I've always downshifted and it has now become a habit...wat to doooooooooo?

[riruiz_88]

no, thats even more dangerous. cause in an emergency situation you wont have hardly anything to stop you. its happened to me a couple of times, and been VERY close calls. try heel & toe for abit, get comfortable with it then win win!!