Poll of the Day > Do you engine brake?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Inquiring minds want to know.
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On track or downhill only.
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in games yes, but not in real life

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I do all the time, except when I see a prohibited sign.
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Only on my motorcycle.
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Why?
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Probably to avoid the chance of front wheel lock up, though that's more of a panic or emergency thing.

It does keep your brakes in good condition longer too, I'm not for sure how expensive bike brakes are.

And it saves wear and tear on the clutch if you engine brake and downshift on the rpm drops. Though I tend to coast and slap it in neutral when I need to. Dunno if that is plausible on a bike.
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Personally I'd rather sacrifice consumables for smoother, more controllable driving, but I'm driving a halfway-modern car so ABS kills your concern.
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I don't get how letting of the gas makes a car any less smooth or controllable.
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i lower speed to try and time the light, or at least so i have to brake less. i'm not one of those idiots who speed to a redlight just to brake.
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So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

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Isn't coasting technically engine braking?
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Mead posted...

So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

Engine breakin is completely letting off the accelerator. The only issue with it is it doesn't let the car behind you know you are slowing down as apparently as braking.
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Blaqthourne posted...

Isn't coasting technically engine braking?

Same thing, different nomenclature.
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it's a gradual slow, it shouldn't matter because the person behind you can tell you are slowing down
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

it's a gradual slow, it shouldn't matter because the person behind you can tell you are slowing down

Not if they are an idiot. Quite a few idiots get licensed.
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In places where it's "prohibited" it's typically to cut down on noise pollution, if the po-pos monitor someone breaking ordinance, mostly involving teenagers with fart cans strapped onto their moms' grocery-getters.

KeijiMaedaTiger posted...

I don't get how letting of the gas makes a car any less smooth or controllable.

Its force is dependant on rpm rather than input and requires shifting to maintain the same force.

Blaqthourne posted...

Isn't coasting technically engine braking?

In manual (real) cars, you have a clutch pedal so coasting is rolling without engine braking.
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KeijiMaedaTiger posted...

Krazy_Kirby posted...

it's a gradual slow, it shouldn't matter because the person behind you can tell you are slowing down

Not if they are an idiot. Quite a few idiots get licensed.

So you got licensed?

Kyuubi4269 posted...

KeijiMaedaTiger posted...

I don't get how letting of the gas makes a car any less smooth or controllable.

Its force is dependant on rpm rather than input and requires shifting to maintain the same force.

Blaqthourne posted...

Isn't coasting technically engine braking?

In manual (real) cars, you have a clutch pedal so coasting is rolling without engine braking.

/eyeroll
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Yes, I downshift, partly to hear the exhaust grumble, partly to be ready to go if the light changes before I get there, partly because it's fun. My cars are fun to drive anyway, E36 BMW and MA61 Supra.
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Mead posted...

So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

yeah im super confused, ive always drove like this and there is all this jargon im just now hearing
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TheSlinja posted...

Mead posted...

So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

yeah im super confused, ive always drove like this and there is all this jargon im just now hearing

Modern cars with automatic transmission don't do engine braking unless you downshift. Manual transmission cars do engine braking when you let off the gas, more if you downshift. I find it disconcerting to let off the gas in an automatic transmission car and it doesn't slow down, cursed overdrive and pollution control.
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Guys, engine braking isn't allowed in certain places because of semi trucks. The engine brakes are super loud(there's an actual engine brake, aka engine "slower"[GFs won't let me use the actual term for some stupid reason] in semis) on older semis, which is why it's illegal in some cities. It has nothing to do with your little cars and your "engine braking"(really, if your car doesn't have an engine "slower", which most cars don't, I don't think it's really engine braking).
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lihlih posted...

Guys, engine braking isn't allowed in certain places because of semi trucks. The engine brakes are super loud(there's an actual engine brake, aka engine "slower"[GFs won't let me use the actual term for some stupid reason] in semis) on older semis, which is why it's illegal in some cities. It has nothing to do with your little cars and your "engine braking"(really, if your car doesn't have an engine "slower", which most cars don't, I don't think it's really engine braking).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_braking
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lihlih posted...

Guys, engine braking isn't allowed in certain places because of semi trucks. The engine brakes are super loud(there's an actual engine brake, aka engine "slower"[GFs won't let me use the actual term for some stupid reason] in semis) on older semis, which is why it's illegal in some cities. It has nothing to do with your little cars and your "engine braking"(really, if your car doesn't have an engine "slower", which most cars don't, I don't think it's really engine braking).

Heavy truck Jake Brakes have nothing in common with normal engine braking. Downshifting a car or truck is not illegal. In many places using compression release brakes IS posted as illegal.
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I have no clue what that is.
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BazzaPersonal posted...

I have no clue what that is.

It's slowing down the car using the engine. If the engine spins faster than the car, the powertrain pulls the car faster, if the engine spins slower, the powertrain drags the car slower.
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dancer62 posted...

TheSlinja posted...

Mead posted...

So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

yeah im super confused, ive always drove like this and there is all this jargon im just now hearing

Modern cars with automatic transmission don't do engine braking unless you downshift. Manual transmission cars do engine braking when you let off the gas, more if you downshift. I find it disconcerting to let off the gas in an automatic transmission car and it doesn't slow down, cursed overdrive and pollution control.

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Engine speed is rpm, there is an rpm for a given speed. The lower the gear, the higher that rpm is. When you are traveling at a constant rate of speed, downshift, and engage the engine with the transmission you have created a bit of mismatch.

The vehicle will slow and everything balances out.

I use front, rear, and engine braking regularly on my motorcycle to minimize stop distance. New fancy bikes actually allow you to adjust the engine braking effect like a slider, so you can choose to coast much more freely.

Depends a lot on the vehicle. My Caprice will coast forever on level ground and will quickly get away from you on a hill if you don't down shift or brake. On the other hand, my roommate's Forester (with a CVT) will start slowing down the instant you take your foot off the pedal on flat ground, and usually maintains a constant speed on all but the steepest mountain roads.

When I was a kid my grandfather nearly crashed his car because he refused to down shift while going down Palomar Mountain. He thought it was hard on the transmission. Instead he overheated the brakes and they faded away to almost nothing. Near the bottom of the mountain the tires were squealing as we went around the corners. Thankfully there was no other traffic and he was a really good driver in every other aspect.
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dancer62 posted...

TheSlinja posted...

Mead posted...

So Im looking up engine breaking and it just sounds like regular driving to me. I mean its not like you need to have your foot down on the accelerator or the brake at all times.

Obviously easing off the gas is gonna make the car slow down gradually. I dont get it.

yeah im super confused, ive always drove like this and there is all this jargon im just now hearing

Modern cars with automatic transmission don't do engine braking unless you downshift. Manual transmission cars do engine braking when you let off the gas, more if you downshift. I find it disconcerting to let off the gas in an automatic transmission car and it doesn't slow down, cursed overdrive and pollution control.

What is considered a modern car? I have never driven an automatic that didn't engine brake automatically regardless. And as you said you can put the car in low mode or paddle shift to achieve it if that is the case.

*edit Oh and I didn't know why it was prohibited in certain areas. So thanks to whomever posted the reason.
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I'm in an automatic so no; not really. Though there are times when the downshifting slows the car to the point that I can sometimes lay off the brakes.
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lihlih posted...

Guys, engine braking isn't allowed in certain places because of semi trucks. The engine brakes are super loud(there's an actual engine brake, aka engine "slower"[GFs won't let me use the actual term for some stupid reason] in semis) on older semis, which is why it's illegal in some cities. It has nothing to do with your little cars and your "engine braking"(really, if your car doesn't have an engine "slower", which most cars don't, I don't think it's really engine braking).

Does the site seriously not allow the word

Holy shit it doesnt. I wonder if they dont like firefighters having fire retardant clothing. I had fire retardant uniforms in Iraq

So you can say retardant but not the word with -er on the end