Engine Braking

[grahamn]

I read on another thread, can't remeber which one, that excessive engine braking is harmful to your engine. Now being a bit of a mechanical numpty I don't know too much about this and I thought I would ask you knowledgable chaps on here for your thoughts.

[SI-PEN]

What do you mean engine braking?

[grahamn]

Using the engine to slow down instead of the brakes

[HarryW]

SI-PEN said:

What do you mean engine braking?

Why does this worry me

[SI-PEN]

If that damages the engine then I'll be gobsmacked!

The car was designed as much for the road as for the trackday driver, the engine rev'ing up should be no different from rev'ing down and using the gears as well as the brakes to slow you is normal race driving, isn't it??

If you were to force it into second gear from 100mph then this could damage it!!! but otherwise I think not.

Si

[SI-PEN]

Just reading your thread again I see you say Excessive.

I guess anything excessive can be bad for you, who's round is it anyway!!

[grahamn]

I must admit I failed to see the logic behind the statement when I first read it, but I thought I would ask just incase. Oh and its yours by the way

[SI-PEN]

grahamn said:

I must admit I failed to see the logic behind the statement when I first read it, but I thought I would ask just incase. Oh and its yours by the way

Yeah, it's always my round!

[shpub]

Engine braking is the biggest contribution to written off TVRs that I know of. These cars have so much torque that dropping down a couple of gears and then engaging the clutch could well lock up the rear wheels causing the car to spin violently. Goodbye car usually. Don't do it. It is not even a racing driver technique. Racing drivers do heel and toe so that they can brake and blip the throttle while going down through the box etc but they do not engage the clutch as this point because they know what the likely effect is. When they do engage the clutch they match the revs so that there is no engine braking.

One final point. brake pads are cheaper to replace than Cerbera clutches. Gears are for going... brakes are for stopping.

Edited by shpub on Wednesday 25th October 18:53

[SI-PEN]

shpub said:

Engine braking is the biggest contribution to written off TVRs that I know of. These cars have so much torque that dropping down a couple of gears and then engaging the clutch could well lock up the rear wheels causing the car to spin violently. Goodbye car usually. Don't do it. It is not even a racing driver technique. Racing drivers do heel and toe so that they can brake and blip the throttle while going down through the box etc but they do not engage the clutch as this point because they know what the likely effect is. When they do engage the clutch they match the revs so that there is no engine braking.

One final point. brake pads are cheaper to replace than Cerbera clutches. Gears are for going... brakes are for stopping.

Edited by shpub on Wednesday 25th October 18:53

Thanks for that Steve

[flasher]

shpub said:

Engine braking is the biggest contribution to written off TVRs that I know of. These cars have so much torque that dropping down a couple of gears and then engaging the clutch could well lock up the rear wheels causing the car to spin violently. Goodbye car usually. Don't do it. It is not even a racing driver technique. Racing drivers do heel and toe so that they can brake and blip the throttle while going down through the box etc but they do not engage the clutch as this point because they know what the likely effect is. When they do engage the clutch they match the revs so that there is no engine braking.

One final point. brake pads are cheaper to replace than Cerbera clutches. Gears are for going... brakes are for stopping.

Edited by shpub on Wednesday 25th October 18:53

Glad someone posted that. I learned this at Donnington in the Tamora a few years back in the old fashioned manner of a massive spin at McCleans (sp?) luckily I pirrouetted across the grass and once my heart stopped clattering in my chest I proceeded to have a brilliant day late braking rather than engine braking. Lesson learned!

Edited by flasher on Wednesday 25th October 19:43

[grahamn]

Thanks for the advice lads

[dean_ratpac]

shpub said:

Engine braking is the biggest contribution to written off TVRs that I know of. These cars have so much torque that dropping down a couple of gears and then engaging the clutch could well lock up the rear wheels causing the car to spin violently. Goodbye car usually. Don't do it. It is not even a racing driver technique. Racing drivers do heel and toe so that they can brake and blip the throttle while going down through the box etc but they do not engage the clutch as this point because they know what the likely effect is. When they do engage the clutch they match the revs so that there is no engine braking.

One final point. brake pads are cheaper to replace than Cerbera clutches. Gears are for going... brakes are for stopping.

Edited by shpub on Wednesday 25th October 18:53

hmm i agree slightly with this, yes many people do drop down to early. i always use this in conjuction with brakes. just don't drop it too much - or hello armco

[byker28i]

The instructor I had at Thruxton just said to me that brakes were cheaper than gearboxes, so don't do it.