Re:Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transm...
by alphapapa on Friday November 18, 2016 @01:13AM
(#12984730)
I just listened to Click and Clack a couple weeks ago, and a guy called in asking why his brakes caught on fire after he went down a long hill.
Suffice to say that they do not recommend against engine braking--quite the contrary. Think about it: the engine is already spinning, so spinning it at a higher RPM for a few tens of seconds does no more wear than accelerating.
The issue is not brake wear--the issue is brake fade, and potentially boiling your brake fluid!
When you're going down a long hill, downshift and save your brakes! It could save your life!
Suffice to say that they do not recommend against engine braking--quite the contrary. Think about it: the engine is already spinning, so spinning it at a higher RPM for a few tens of seconds does no more wear than accelerating.
The issue is not brake wear--the issue is brake fade, and potentially boiling your brake fluid!
When you're going down a long hill, downshift and save your brakes! It could save your life!