Is Engine braking good or bad for the engine?

 

Let me pose a question: What would you rather do, wear out your engine, or wear out your brakes?

Actually, engine breaking isn't all that bad - in moderation. Personally, I would much rather replace brake pads than an engine. So I avoid it when I can.

 

"96" nailed it. It's one driving technique that is often misunderstood. You are not asking the drive train to do anything it wouldn't normally do, so it's not really hard on anything, but it's also not the beat all, end all stopping solution.

Engine braking is best used on long, gradual down hills to reduce the amount of braking required to keep your speed down, not in city driving.

It's not so much the engine that I worry about, it's the clutch. Brakes are certainly less expensive in time and money to replace than a clutch.

Used in moderation, the correct way, engine braking is a valid and useful technique. Used as a substitute for normal braking, it's not a good thing.

 

Yeah - I couldnt see why you would want to do it, but read it in the manual so began wondering if there was an advantage or not.

I couldnt see a point to doing it in moderation as well, I'd either do it or not do it.

 

I say it depends on the situation.
If I'm driving down the highway out of the mountains, I use engine braking just because I don't want to boil the brake fluid.
Even if I'm not in the mountains but cruising on the highway, if I'm going to be leaving the highway on an off-ramp, I'll click the O/D off and coast then drop into 2nd before applying the brakes.

Engine braking is usually harder on the tranny than it is on the engine. When you downshift, whether you have an auto or a manual, rev the engine a little before changing gears.

 

Good point. Rev-matching or "blipping" as its also known, is important (and kinda fun if done correctly).

In racing situations improper down shifting into corners (not heel-towing) can put your car in the grass (or worse) quick.

Of course we are talking about 4Runners here, so I will calm down.

 

A year or two ago, I heard this question on cartalk. They said that the engine braking costs more in gas than the equivilent wear on the brake pads. And with the prices as they have been, I wouldn't doubt a lot more.

 

Good thread. I've been wondering the same thing.
Every now and then I turn off the overdrive when slowing down for an exit or something like that.

I'm not sure if this would be along the same topic or not, but what do you all think about Jake brakes and those types of things (those flapper things that some trucks have on their exhaust that causes back pressure in the engine)?

Well, have fun all.
Dh6twinotter

 

"Jake" or Exhaust brakes are great thing, but they are primarily of use on diesels. I suspect the back pressure of using one on a gas engine would cause all kinds of problems.

And by the way, the flapper on the exhaust is just a rain guard. An actual Jake brake is a modification that is done to the valves of the engine to retard the flow of exhaust.

Here's a link to a more detailed explanation: http://www.howstuffworks.com/question134.htm

 

My other car is a 91 Accord with over 203k miles on it. I ALWAYS downshift as I brake and I use the "blip" method of matching the engine speed. I have been doing this to this car for over seven years and 140k+ miles. It is more of a habit than anything but is also fun at times. Here's what this has done for me:

I've only changed the front pads twice during 140K and the rear shoes once.
However,
2 weeks ago I had to swap in a used transmission.

But...The car had the original clutch in it which still had some life left! Of course I replaced the clutch when the tranny was out.

That just goes to show you that you can get a lot of life out of a clutch if you treat it right regardless of engine braking.

Did the tranny fall victim to engine braking? I don't know. Keep in mind I've had this car since I was 17 and it has taken quite a few serious beatings over the years.

 

I have two questions since I downshift/engine brake regularly.

1)What do you guys think of the combination of engine braking and normal? I brake to a certain MPH, for a certain gear, than down shift, but I never shift to first, heard its bad for the synchros.

2)With the blip technique, is tapping the accelerator really all there is to it, or do you have to rev it to a certain speed? And Are you trying to get RPM's up or down? Up I would assume, right?

 

I had 194,000 K's on my '93 Civic EX when I traded it in on my 4Runner. I never had to replace the brakes once and still had lots of life left on them. I figure this is because I've always "blipped" the throttle when slowing down. If you get good at it, you will instinctively match the revs with the speed your at so that any extra strain on your drivetrain will be negligible.