driving stick question (regarding RPM's)...

[jonnyjack]

hey,

just a quick question about RPM's. both my work and my school is on a hillside , so when i'm driving down, gravity pretty much takes over and i don't need to step on the gas. which option is better? leaving it in 2nd gear where it constantly goes no higher than 40MPH and hovers around 4,000 RPM's and i guess uses the engine to brake or shifting to 3rd and have to step on the brake a lot more often? thanks.

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: jonnyjack
hey,

just a quick question about RPM's. both my work and my school is on a hillside , so when i'm driving down, gravity pretty much takes over and i don't need to step on the gas. which option is better? leaving it in 2nd gear where it constantly goes no higher than 40MPH and hovers around 4,000 RPM's and i guess uses the engine to brake or shifting to 3rd and have to step on the brake a lot more often? thanks.

My opinion is uninformed, but I think that it would be best to not over-rev the engine for needless amounts of time, but it is handy to compress rather than brake sometimes. I guess it depends on the situation, and whether or not you have to stop abruptly or gradually.

 

[Doggiedog]

Depends. What kind of car are you driving? An S2000 a Diesel engine pickup? 4000K is really dependent on the redline of your car. On hills, I just hold down the clutch and coast just to save a drop of gas. But sometimes I engine brake so I don't have to keep hitting the brakes and annoying people in back of me. It really depends. I think 4000K might be a bit high though. 3000K is usually what I try to keep it at on my BMW 325i (redline 6500).

 

[XZeroII]

Take it out of gear and use the brake. That's what it's there for.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Shift into neutral, use the break like you like. When the hill is over and you need to give it some gas, drop it into the appropriate gear, and drive off.

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Depends. What kind of car are you driving? An S2000 a Diesel engine pickup? 4000K is really dependent on the redline of your car. On hills, I just hold down the clutch and coast just to save a drop of gas. But sometimes I engine brake so I don't have to keep hitting the brakes and annoying people in back of me. It really depends. I think 4000K might be a bit high though. 3000K is usually what I try to keep it at on my BMW 325i (redline 6500).

On my car, if I go above 2000rpm's, I'm shifting. I yellow line at 4000 and redline at 5500. I've never liked engine braking, I can't imagine it being good for the car for some reason.

 

[Zugzwang152]

i prefer to engine brake, i don't think it wastes more gas, since the RPMs are from gravity, not from your engine burning..am i wrong on this? plus if you do a lot of hills like i do at home, you dont wanna ride the brakes when you dont have to.

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Engine breaking is stupid.

 

[zCypher]

It's not hard to drive calmly and not have to use the brake all that much. For instance, when driving around small roads around here (speed limits of 30kmh to 50kmh), I can usually keep the vehicle in 3rd gear (whether it's the Civic or the Outback), and I slow down considerably just by letting go of the gas. Why wait longer and hit on the brakes harder when the stop comes, instead of letting go of the gas a bit earlier, and not having to brake much at the end? Sometimes I compress into 2nd gear nearing the stop, which slows me down quite a bit, then I just brake at the end which stops me completely. Although if you want to drive like a maniac, you may not want to waste your time downshifting, just slam on the brakes at the last second and then slam it back in 1st and take off...

 

[Shaftatplanetquake]

Why fear the breaks? What do you think they are there for?

 

[Doggiedog]

Then 4000K is way too high to be in for extended periods. You should be in a much lower gear. The only time you really need to engine brake on downhills is if the weather is bad. No other need unless you are racing or something.

edit: whoops instead of Ks I meant RPMs. My mind is stuck on Kelvins for some reason after my hids went out.

 

[boyRacer]

My friend likes engine braking on the street at every freakin stoplight... now it would sound awesome if he actually did it right but he's making the car chug along and lurch up and down...

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
Then 4000K is way too high to be in for extended periods. You should be in a much lower gear. The only time you really need to engine brake on downhills is if the weather is bad. No other need unless you are racing or something.

edit: whoops instead of Ks I meant RPMs. My mind is stuck on Kelvins for some reason after my hids went out.

holy shiet, 4000000rpms?! damn, what is that.... Honda's 2030 model civic?

Why fear the breaks? What do you think they are there for?

They're there for braking, as you've already made your point painfully obvious - but MY point is that if you can save your brakes a little bit here and there, they'll last a lot longer, and save you money in the long run, since compressing into second gear at 3000rpms to a stop sign isn't going to destroy your engine.

 

[d33pt]

depends on how long that hill is.. if it's a really long hill then you're better off engine braking because if you stay on the brakes the whole way down, you can heat up the fluid and once you're all the way down you wont be able to stop very well..

 

[Jzero]

They're there for braking, as you've already made your point painfully obvious - but MY point is that if you can save your brakes a little bit here and there, they'll last a lot longer, and save you money in the long run, since compressing into second gear at 3000rpms to a stop sign isn't going to destroy your engine.

Forget saving money, how about saving your life? Overusing your brakes will cause them to overheat, and if the brake fluid were to boil, they would eventually fail. They are there to stop the car, but they really aren't there to help your car maintain speed. 4000 RPM in 2nd down an incline isn't going to do any long term damage. Doing it at every stop sign and every time you have to slow down, you might over-rev your engine or wear your clutch. Doing it here and there to go up or down an incline? That's what multiple gears are for!

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: Jzero

They're there for braking, as you've already made your point painfully obvious - but MY point is that if you can save your brakes a little bit here and there, they'll last a lot longer, and save you money in the long run, since compressing into second gear at 3000rpms to a stop sign isn't going to destroy your engine.

Forget saving money, how about saving your life? Overusing your brakes will cause them to overheat, and if the brake fluid were to boil, they would eventually fail. They are there to stop the car, but they really aren't there to help your car maintain speed. 4000 RPM in 2nd down an incline isn't going to do any long term damage. Doing it at every stop sign and every time you have to slow down, you might over-rev your engine or wear your clutch. Doing it here and there to go up or down an incline? That's what multiple gears are for!

I wasn't saying to use the brakes all the time... But obviously if you're downshifting too early you'll over-rev the engine which won't be too good for it, and if you do that at every stop, well ... duh. I think after driving a car for some time, you just get a feel for it, and automatically know when it's best to engine brake or use regular brakes. Whatever feels best for the car, I guess, and is safest/most efficient for you.

 

[StageLeft]

I prefer to use brakes to stop my car, not the engine/transmission.

 

[CraigRT]

i would use either 3rd or no gear at all, and brakes.

 

[wfbberzerker]

i've heard it posted before: better to replace brake pads than the engine when you seriously screw something up...

 

[jlee]

I very rarely coast in neutral - I want to be able to go immediately if I have to..never know what some stupid driver may do..heh

I engine brake all the time ("brake", people..not "break" )..I'd much rather use that than ride the brakes. Engine braking is also good in snow..but I'm in FL, so I don't have to worry about that

If done properly, engine braking doesn't lurch at all..should be nice and smooth..

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: wfbberzerker
i've heard it posted before: better to replace brake pads than the engine when you seriously screw something up...

Unless the engine is seriously over-revved, I doubt you're going to have to replace the engine..

 

[HappyPuppy]

Which costs more, a brake pad replacement or an engine rebuild?

 

[PreDatoR]

Engine braking IS NOT BAD! i don't know where some of you get your info but your logic is so absurd and twisted i want to puke... You are not wasting gas by engine braking... If your foot is not on the throttle you are not burning any more gas than what is required for the engine to idle... There is no more compression in the engine when engine braking than there is compression when you are accelerating so how can it be bad for a motor. Its obvious no one that has posted in this thread has ever drove a pickup and had to pull a trailer of substantial weight behind it... When going downhill with a lot of weight engine braking is a GOOD THING cause brakes get hot and when they get hot they don't work to damn well. Oh also rotors and wheel bearings can be very costly to replace when you heat the rotors up hot enough that they catch on fire and if not caught fast enoguh kiss your car goodbye. lot easier to drop down a gear and let the compression from the motor keep you at a nice steady speed than it is to ride the brakes all the time... But 4000rpm's is a bit much i'd say keep it around 3k or lower... Oh and taking it out of gear or pushing the clutch in while going downhill is the most stupid thing i have ever heard in my life LOL

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: PreDatoR
Engine braking IS NOT BAD! i don't know where some of you get your info but your logic is so absurd and twisted i want to puke... You are not wasting gas by engine braking... If your foot is not on the throttle you are not burning any more gas than what is required for the engine to idle... There is no more compression in the engine when engine braking than there is compression when you are accelerating so how can it be bad for a motor. Its obvious no one that has posted in this thread has ever drove a pickup and had to pull a trailer of substantial weight behind it... When going downhill with a lot of weight engine braking is a GOOD THING cause brakes get hot and when they get hot they don't work to damn well. Lot easier to drop down a gear and let the compression from the motor keep you at a nice steady speed than it is to ride the brakes all the time... But 4000rpm's is a bit much i'd say keep it around 3k or lower... Oh and taking it out of gear or pushing the clutch in while going downhill is the most stupid thing i have ever heard in my life LOL

Exactly...

For those of you who say engine braking uses more gas, go to the middle range of second gear, and shut the car off..it'll slow down, but are you using gas when the car is off?
Rough analogy, I guess..but hopefully it'll work..

 

[Jhhnn]

JohnnyJack- take it from an old truckdriver- leave it in second, ride the engine compression down the hill. You're nowhere near overrevving the engine, and it's safer and smoother, particularly on a long downhill, like a mountain pass. Save the brakes, don't use 'em 'til you really need them.

A fair percentage of your respondents have no idea what they're talking about, they'd never make it to the bottom of Vail pass alive in a medium truck...