is it bad to use the engine to brake?...like even at traffic lights...to just downshift to slow down? wiill i hur the engine or trans?...thanx

 

It's not bad in and of itself...you're basically burning off the car's momentum using engine compression & friction vice brake friction. Some will argue that it wears the clutch prematurely, but if you match revs on the downshifts you really shouldn't experience abnormal clutch wear. I've been using downshift braking for over 20 years with no ill effects.

If you're in doubt, just use the brakes. Brake pads are much cheaper and easier to replace than a clutch.

 

in my opinion, that sounds like it causes unnessesary wear and tear on ur engine/trans. Its much cheaper replacing brake pads/rotors than engine/trans.

 

Depends on how much your dependent on the engine braking. I use it when getting off the highway on the ramps and around turns, dropping it to 2nd or 3rd helps wrap you around the corners nicer. To use it on a straight road when up to a light...use the brake. You'll save yourself some headache in the future.

 

TRUE!

 

well...overuse will hurt the transmission, just do it not too often and pull to 2nd while u r doing 50mph

 

i'll only drop to 3rd gear at the lowest and then apply my brakes the rest of the way. sure the manual actually suggests you to do it to reduce wear on the brakes, but i don't think it took into account our crappy trannies.

 

When racing I drop it to 2nd doing 60mph. lol I've been doing that since I got the car

 

slik1....


exactly...

 

ours is a crap auto tranny, u certainly don't want to blow it up right? =)

haha
once a while is alright, as i do it too~ =P

 

In an automatic car??? I would argue that it causes unnecessary wear on your tranny. Matching rev's is the proper way to downshift shift, but with matching rev's, how much true engien braking are you really achieving? I think the gist of this is indeed dropping to second at 60mph and letting the car slow down sans foot on the right pedal...That will cause wear...

That being said, I do it every now and then myself!

 

our cars doesnt have a clutch clutch

 

By engine braking, you're putting additional wear on the trans and engine. There's really no good reason to do it, other than it makes you feel cool.
Not only that, but the "in the corners" thing doesn't work at all with a FWD car. You are simply further increasing load on tires that are already overworked.
Note also that the 3rd gear clutches in our trans is the Achilles heel, with downshifts into 3rd being the worst-case scenario in terms of temperature spikes with the clutch pack.

I only downshift any of my cars (be they manual or auto) if they NEED to be. Every extra shift now is one taken off the back end of its life.

Todd

 

On my 5sp manual Stang, yes, always. Just like theslik1 described.

In my TLS, no. Since your always in a gear, you can't blip the throttle to match the revs anyway when going to a lower gear. The gimmicky sportshift is not a replacement for a true manual and it's not supposed to be IMO. Just use your brakes to slow down when your leisurely driving around and use the sportshift for aggresive driving situations.

 

I agree with Jpadilla. But I downshifted for years on my Civics at incredibly high speeds/rpms daily for the heck of it and never had a problem. I love the sound, the feel it's just exhilarating not as exhilarating in the TLS as it was in my Civic but I love it. Sometimes I would think that the tranny was going to just come out of the bottom but it never did. We'll see how long the TLS can take this beating!

 

Sorry, I had a stupid attack... :p

I thought you were talking about a manual tranny. I'm new to Acura, I just bought an '04 TL Black/5AT/no Nav.

Anway, for a manual transmission, my comments stand. I've been using engine braking for over 20 years with many different cars...Japanese to American to German...with no ill effects. If you're familiar with rev matching and heel and toe techniques then you know exactly of what I speak.

As far as auto transmissions (including sport-shifts), I would assume that downshifting to brake wouldn't be a standard driving technique. When I get my TL broken in I'll explore this further.

 

Momentary lapse of reason; coffee and conversation with 'that girl': All the same...

 

I've been downshifting instead of breaking whenever possible since I bought the car. I'm just over 60K now, and have no ill effects, and I'm still on my original tranny and brake pads. Still have almost 50% in the front, and 75% in the back remaining.....

The Sport-Shift transmission matches revs as long as gas is applied. Going from 4th->3rd @80mph is fine, as long as we are on the gas. Same with 3rd->2nd @50mph, and 2nd->1st @30mph (for those of us with 99TLs who CAN actually shift from 2nd->1st...)

By matching revs, this should not cause premature wear on the tranny. However, without matching revs, then yes this definitely will cause wear to the tranny....

(hell, when the car is running, there is wear.... )

Cheers!

Jay

 

what he said

 

I've noticed too that if you're slightly on the gas the engine matches the revs, otherwise the car just jerks down to the next lower gear. Even though the FWD isn't so great a setup for engine braking, it still works well. On mountain roads, it slows you down into the curve and then leaves you at the perfect RPMs to accelerate out of the turn. Lots of fun!

 

Leave the braking to the brakes, that's what its there for. Engine-braking are only for trucks with heavy loads to keep the brakes from overheating.

IMO With a car like yours, downshifting just means getting to the right gear at the right moment, whether it be on a curve or passing. matching the revs (blipping) takes practice and if executed properly, can prolong your tranny/ gearbox. Sudden revving up may damage the driveline and can result in long term problems.

 

You guys do understand that an auto trans like the one we have CANNOT match revs prior to engaging a lower gear, right? It might seem like that is happening, but it isn't.

 

So.... if this is true, then is it safe to upshift? Sounds like we should all have CVT, otherwise a regular transmission is just wearing too much....

 

I'm leary of doing that, because for example going from 3rd gear to 2nd gear, the car's front end slams down hard, even going under 30 or 40mph. So, with all the tranny problems out there, I'm using my brakes. Call me a scare-dee cat I guess