[Shotimes] 7000RPM, Man , I'd have to spin a bearing

[Donald Mallinson]

Paul,

What is bad about using the engine as a brake?

1.  It wears the clutch out sooner
2.  It wears the engine out sooner
3.  It wears the tranny out sooner (syncro's mainly)
4.  in racing situations is upsets the chassis something awful!
5.  It uses more fuel.

Brake pads/shoes are cheaper than any of the above parts.

Driving a semi is different from driving a car, in that 
using the tranny IS accepted because of the total weight and 
the fact that semi brakes will fail a lot sooner than 
lighter car brakes on things like mountains.

I never said people can't do it or that it kills the car 
instantly, but it is accepted advice to use the brakes for 
what they are designed (to stop) and the engine for what it 
is made for (to go).

ONe major bad by product of using engine braking in the SHO 
is when the cat converters are failing, you can suck that 
dust back into the engine!

I use engine braking, match rev's and generally have fun 
with my manual transmission cars from time to time.  So I 
understand how it can be fun.

But really, even race drivers don't use engine braking, and 
in fact they stay away from it whenever possible.  They do 
heel/toe/rev matching to get in the right gear for the next 
acceleration phaze, but do NOT use the engine for braking!

I fully support your right to use the engine as a brake, but 
when someone that is learning to drive with style asks, the 
correct answer to "should I use the engine to slow the car 
down on a regular basis" (or whatever the question was at 
the start of this discussion) is:  NO, learn to match rev's 
to be in the correct gear/rpm range when coming out of a 
corner, but use the brakes to slow and the engine to go!

(more poetry.... must be the cool fall air?)

Don Mallinson


Paul Nimz wrote:

> Personally having learned to drive in an 18 wheeler, downshifting to use
> engine braking is the way I drive.  Done that for the last 35 years and over
> 1,000,000 miles with no bad effects.  ATX or MTX it how I do it.
> 
> Just exactly what is suppose to be bad about it????
> 
> Paul Nimz