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Even though engine braking reduces brake wear, does it wear out the transmission? By the way, i have an automatic transmission.

 
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Oh yeah, engine braking means when you downshift to a lower gear to slow down. So, does it wear out the transmission?

 
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What do you think?

 
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You're not supposed to engine brake an auto.

Its if you have a manual and you have control over engaging and disengaging the gears, matching the revs and NOT destroying your transmission or clutch.

 
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How much do brakes pads cost vs the increased wear & tear on your tranny? Nothing. Save your tranny & wear out your pads, instead.

IMO, engine braking should only be used on downhills, you don't gain anything by engine braking anywhere else. W/ a stick, the most you want to do is keep your RPM in a usable range, while slowing down, for safety. In an auto, don't waste your time..

 
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my bro ones broke his breaks on his car (donno how he did it) so he couldnt break with them anymore, he used engine breaking and this emergency brake, they got hims safe to a shop where they then fixed the problem. if u have an automatic, forget about engine breaking people use it when going downhill because when u have to break so much u wear ur brakepads down dramatically plus u can probably get them to glow aswell, and u dont wanna do that cuz the onces we have are not designed for that...i believe.

since u got an automatic, dont worry about engine breaking or downshifting to break..u will probably fewk up more then anything else

 
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Engine braking isnt a bad thing if dont properly. as in matching the RPm's of the Transmission to the RPM's of the engine. IN racing the same tecnique is used to down shift in and for corners. Its VERY Important to learn how to do this when you autocross. Never heard of an automatic engine braking though.

 
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isn't engine braking something that big trucks do and downshifting what you guys are talking about?

 
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Thats an engine brake... that's something totally different. It messes with the exhaust valve timing, and holds them open during the upstroke of the piston (I know the open valve part is right, but cant remember where in the cycle it is), and basically turns the engine into a brake The valves staying open is what makes the trucks "fart" when they do it. You see signs on interstates that say "NO JAKE BRAKES" thats what it refers to.

 
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Aiite, thanks for the good information about engine breaking. I really appreciate it. Still continue sharing ur knowledge!

 
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ugh...

 
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so engine braking is bad for your transmission?

 
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The only time I would mess with what you describe in an auto is when traversing down a steep grade. This is done by putting the auto in 2nd or 3rd gear to keep the car from rolling freely and increasing in speed. This is simply to keep you from overheating the brakes. This scenario is very common when driving in the mountains and such.

Otherwise, you should put the car into 'D' and leave it there. It's an auto not a manual.

I have a 5spd and almost never downshift to slow the car down. I only do it when I haul **** and need to slow down quickly to enter the neighborhood. Also, I do it when entering a turn using a combo of the brake and engine to slow and transission the car.

Otherwise, I never do it. I would rather put the wear and tear on my brakes. Yes, over 150k I think that it will make a difference.

 
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intersting and ive been downshifting to d3 all this time now...

 
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There's nothing wrong with going do D3 for engine braking on slopes in an auto - that's why it's THERE!

In a stick shift, if you rev-match ie: double clutch downshift, ~ if done properly minimal wear if not the same as upshifting is done on the tranny.

 
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just wear your brakes unless you don't have any left, its alot cheaper than using you engine, and saves it in the long run...

 
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Yea, that's why it is there but it's NOT there for everyday use. Like I said, the most common use occurs when driving in the mountains.

Yea, it probably is the same amount of wear as an up shift. However, if you shift up through the gears 2,000,000 times over the life of the clutch, downshifting for braking purposes is unnecessarily subtracting from that lifespan. That is my whole point. It's also unnecessary use of the engine. I'd rather put less wear and tear on the engine and replace inexpensive brakes. To each his own…

 
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wow so much bad information.

#1 if you have a manual engine braking does not put any extra wear and tear on your transmission, rev matching is not really needed on todays cars because they have syncros.

#2 engine braking on auto trannys isnt really that big of a deal when i drove an auto accord i used to do it nothin really went wrong with it and did affect it put 263,000 miles on that accord only problems i had were the battery, radiator and alternator.

#3 if you down shift in a manual nothing is going to happen unless your an idiot and you go from 5th to 2nd in that case your valves arent going to be happy or if your trying to bang gears into 4th and hit 2nd.

hope that clears everything up for you.

 
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so if engine braking does SOME wear (at all, i don't care if it's little), how about downshifting into D3 and 2 to just rev higher and accelerate faster? i've been doing it occasionally, but i'll definitely stop if it's screwing up my transmission. thanks

 
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I engine break ALL the time. Going down steep hills around here where the speed limit is 30 or 35 I just shift into D3 and let the engine slow the car down a little. Nothing bad happens, the RPM's don't jump high at all. The reason automatics have the ability to shift into D3 and D2 is for reducing wear on the break pads when going down hill. Nothing is wrong with using this feature as long as your not going down the freeway at 70 mph and then shift into D3 or D2...that might screw up certain things.

 
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It puts extra wear on the clutch and tranny, it occurs everytime you use it regardless of whether the shift is up or down. And it does put extra wear on the engine as well. Everytime you downshift to slow down you make the rpms shoot up and that puts wear on the engine that simply is not necessary. Is it a minimal amt? Yes, but over 150-200k it is going to add up.

I have never heard of anyone recommend shifting an automatic while driving on a consistant basis. It is meant for driving up or down hills and things of that nature for power or engine braking. It's not meant to be shifted like a manual for engine braking on a regular basis. I have no idea where you got the idea that it is meant to do such a thing.

I don't think anyone ever said it would hurt anything in a manual. The argument is whether one feels the wear on the engine and clutch is significant enough to cause concern. As I said, you downshift to slow down, you put unnecessary wear on the clutch and the engine as it revs. It's really quite simple....I'd rather replace breaks and have my engine keep as much compression possible as long as it can. Of course, this isn't of much concern if you don't plan to keep the car for a number of years.

No, if you want to shift, you need a manual not an auto...LOL

 
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Show me where it wears the clutch and tranny down because i would like to see it. oh yea thats right it doesn't clutches wear down more from abuse then everyday driving i should know after doing a few 7k rpm drops on my B16. after 200k you should replace it anyway especialy a stock honda clutch which is as weak as they come would probably be replaced before then.



That would be nice if i recommend it which i didnt, i said I did it and never have any problems so i wouldnt be worried about it, my auto went 263k and never had any probelms so i said its of no major concern.

 
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So now you are saying its bad for the engine to be slowed by downshifting

give me a break the only time thats bad is when you drop from a 5th to 2nd or on the 3-4 shift and hit 2nd. If you are doing that then of course you are going to have engine problems engine braking does nothing bad to your engine or clutch if you do it the proper way.

 
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You know, it's not worth the time.

Do me a favor though, come by and show me how to downshift w/o putting any wear on the clutch. Show me how to downshift and make the rpms shoot up and not cause any extra wear over not doing it.

I'm out!

 
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well some people are natural born idiots im starting to think you're one of them

 
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I autocross, and one of the skills that you need to get is to properly Heel - Toe shift. There is a great misconseption on what this is, it is a tecnieque of useing the brake, clutch and gas all at the same time.

This is for down shifting for corners and in corners. Rev-matching is part of this tecnieque. Why? because if you dont, then the RPM jump that your transmission is going to do to your enging WILL greatly Hinder your cornering ablity. IF you do it properly then the action of down shifting puts no more wear on the Clutch/transmission then up shifting. if you blindly down shift, weather its for a corner or just to accelerate quicker, then you will damage the clutch/Tranny more.

Note: Heel toe shifting is NOT double clutching, the clutch is used only once. Double clutching is only nessisary for cars that have no Syncros in the transmission.

 
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I use a method of engine braking that doesn't really involve extra downshifting or clutch wear. What I do is:

Say I'm cruising along at 20 mph in a neighborhood and I see a car 100 ft ahead of me stop. I'll just let off of the gas and let the gear ratio of 3rd gear slow me down. This allows me to use less of the brakes without having to needlessly wear the clutch by downshifting.

When I find myself in constant stop-and-go traffic, I'll rarely go above 2nd or 3rd gear, preferring to just let off the throttle and let the transmission gear ratios slow me down gradually.

I've got ~60,000 on my original stock brake pads and still have ~50% of the pads remaining.