Whatchamacallit

So we got about 3 inches of snow in PA today. The TSX handled well in fresh snow but I ran into some trouble in slush/ice. It was 5AM and lotsa open road ahead of me so I drove somewhat aggresively. After few rounds of slipping & sliding, ABS kicking in, and VSA flashing, I figured to give SS a try and use engine braking to slow the car down.

I was quite surprised how effective it was. The braking wasn't sudden but very significant and there was no slippage of tires. (Now I wouldn't solely use engine braking to stop the car but it's something to consider when the right situation calls for it. . .emergency braking to suppliment regular brakes).

Anybody other AT drivers tried this? I know I know, you MT drivers already know this and are going

swami

I use it all the time regardless of the weather, but today we had freezing rain, and 5 inches of snow called for tomorrow. It works great as you sometimes don't know how slick the roads are actually. Using the SS brings the speed down in a gradual manner instead of jumping on the brakes and hoping you stop.

larchmont

Thanks for the hint, Whatcham. We're gonna have some serious snow/ice tomorrow and I'll be able to put this to the test.

I might have thought of it anyway, but now, I definitely will!

kiteboy

It does work well, although I make sure I'm on the brakes too, so the guy behind me knows I'm slowing down.

Did you know that the SS remembers that you did a 2nd gear start, and returns back on 2nd instead of 1st on the next stop (when the car downshifts itself)? Of course if you are engine braking, that's a moot point, because you'll be in 2nd or 1st manually anway.

jlukja

I wonder if it makes any difference at all whether you engine brake or use your foot. At the point where the rubber meets the road does it matter whether the wheel is slowing down due to engine revs or due to brake pad friction? If you are braking using the brakes at least you have ABS on your side if you hit a slick part.

kiteboy

The net effect is the same - energy is dissipated to slow the car. The mechanism for dissipation is different. It does matter because the braking response is different, and the original poster indicates that he prefered it in slippery conditions. It is subjective, and others may prefer using the brakes instead.

ABS is a non-issue because there is never enough engine braking to lock the wheels in the first place.

jcg878

Well said, kiteboy.

tsx9824

This car Rocks! Very well behaved.

We just had a bunch of snow/ice/etc here in MD. We have those Traffic circles to 'calm' the traffic. Turning off VSA and sliding around the circles is quite a bit of fun.

larchmont

Yeah, well said! That's a good point about letting the guy behind you know.
Although especially in situations like this, I try to have basically NOBODY right behind me -- I try hard to have a large "bubble" around myself, and while you might think that's often impossible, I find that it's almost always possible, if you put a high enough priority on it. Kind of like boxing out in basketball.

And I don't think that second thing was mentioned yet.


About Jlukja wondering if it isn't the same either way, it seems to me it IS different -- the engine braking is gentler and more predictable than regular braking, no matter how great your foot is. Of course there's a greater RANGE of control with your foot, but, provided you're not in a pinch and you don't have to brake dramatically, I think you get a smoother deceleration with the engine braking.

Proo

Isn't it true that brakes use all 4 wheels as traction, but engine braking only uses the front 2?

larchmont

Didn't even think of that, but sounds right! (Doesn't it?)

In fact, now that you put it that way, "engine braking" isn't really "braking" at all, but it works.

kiteboy

It does sound right (for 2WD cars) - good point Proo. Hmmm, since braking is front-biased, does that mean FWD cars experience more effective engine braking than RWD?

Larch, I think it would be still be considered braking. If your rear brakes failed, the fronts would still stop the car via "braking".

kiteboy

Oh yeah, the regenerative "brakes" on hybrids work on a similar principle. Rather than dragging the wheel via engine revs, it drags the wheel to spin the electric motor to put energy back into the battery.

larchmont

Well, what I'd say is that it would be considered "braking," but not braking.
Or maybe it's the other way around.

This kind of thing is why I'm getting some votes for getting kicked off the island.


BTW it also sounds right what you said about FWD being better than RWD for engine braking.
Better not let Gilboman find out about this.

Whatchamacallit

In heavy snow, sometimes I find myself driving at one higher gear than I normally used to, so that I have that one extra gear to downshift (for engine braking) if I need to. It almost feels like anti-nitrous oxide, a boost opposite the moving direction (if such a thing exists).

When used deftly in conjunction with the regular brakes, the sportshift seems to provide "gradual" (as swami pointed out) braking, which seem to work well in snow.

Thanks for the tip, kiteboy. I'll try that 2nd shift start trick next time I get a chance.