Page 1 of 2
Compression / Engine braking
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:29 am
by Gholdwayne
Hey guys, only one question, at what circumstance would you use compression braking? or maybe on what circumstance would you only ever use compression braking?
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:53 pm
by I8A4RE
Do a search buddy, this topic has been covered and it got pretty heated last time

Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:54 pm
by Bennoz
Why? Do you drive a truck?
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:06 pm
by koolio1234
Bennoz wrote:Why? Do you drive a truck?
Very true, My old mans diesel Isuzu pantech had almost inexistent brakes so engine-braking was a must.
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:13 pm
by Tippin
i do it all the time ...
as well as normal braking ofcoarse
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:37 pm
by SchumieFan
i just do it for the noise
edit: oh, and to make my gf's titties wobble
Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:37 pm
by Gholdwayne
I8A4RE wrote:Do a search buddy, this topic has been covered and it got pretty heated last time

I already did the search, nothing came up on the titles relating to it, and i know you wouldnt check every single topic until you find the compression braking content

Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:58 pm
by zuihoujueding
Been told to do engine brake during driving lesson as its meant to assist braking power together with normal brakes.
But i found it unneccessary during most driving conditions as normal braking is more than adequate.
Its a different story on track.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:19 am
by payaya
Oh no not again! Just use the brakes!!!!!
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:35 am
by Gholdwayne
ok ill just assume that compression brakes should only be used when you know the brakes are not enough, eg, some random guy in the motorway decides to slam the brakes randomly which i doubt will happen but blink-of-an-eye situations like that yes ?
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:57 am
by zuihoujueding
Gholdwayne wrote:ok ill just assume that compression brakes should only be used when you know the brakes are not enough, eg, some random guy in the motorway decides to slam the brakes randomly which i doubt will happen but blink-of-an-eye situations like that yes ?
Personally, i wouldnt use engine brake during emergency as you really need both hands at the steering wheels for proper control. moreover, there is a short moment of the gear in neutral when downshifting and thats not what you want during emergency braking.
I would say just slam on the brakes progressively and let the ABS brakes do the rest. And pray.

Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 12:43 pm
by I8A4RE

no wonder theres so many f**ken accident these days
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:09 pm
by Dras
Give the guy a brake

He is just trying to learn to drive better. Something more people should be encouraged to do IMO.
Wikipedia does a pretty good job of describing what engine braking is and why it exists.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_braking
As for when to use it, say you are entering a 45Km/h corner on a public road. You want to drop down to second so that you have power going through the corner. By putting the car into second, the car slows and if you have timed it right, you will not need to use the brakes as the car will be going at the speed you want when entering the corner.
Engine braking provides nice gentle slowing of the car (unless you are reving high in a low gear) and can be used at your convenience. It is also useful when coming down hills, you can hold the car in say second and the car should hold its speed without needing to use the brakes. This is so the brakes don't get too hot.
If you are driving on a track or need to stop quickly, you would not use engine braking.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:22 pm
by Gholdwayne
yeah i understand that in an emergency situation you would hardly have the time and the perfect reaction, but its good to know other situations where engine braking is worth using. i used to always engine brake on 2nd when i turn but ill just use the brakes then rev match 2nd if needed back on the straight..
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:22 pm
by col2560
my dad always said it was cheaper to replace brake pads than to repair engines or gearboxes, so use your brakes for most situations. some ppl use the engine braking all the time, it must wear out the clutch quicker???
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 3:00 pm
by Gholdwayne
yeah thats what i always thought, its waaay cheaper to replace the brakes, since iv known that, iv always been using the brakes now.
Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:34 pm
by nicholas
I engine 'brake' all the time. 100%.
Having said that, if you find the topic from last time, you will learn like I did that it doesn't actually brake the car at all.
If you're using conventional braking at the same time, engine braking actually works against the conventional braking force because it provides resistance (i.e. wants to keep the car rolling forward). Case in point, Formula 1 doesn't employ the use of engine braking at all.
Therefore the only real use for engine braking (and the reason why I do it) is because it settles the car down (especially FWD cars that can be a bit unhappy at throttle lift-off) and lets you exit the corner in the right gear.
Thoughts anyone?
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:35 am
by J
same. i use engine braking aswell.
comes in handy during twisty decents. i dont see the point really switching from 4th to 2nd to stop at the lights though.
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:07 am
by I8A4RE
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:33 am
by Gholdwayne
J wrote:same. i use engine braking aswell.
comes in handy during twisty decents. i dont see the point really switching from 4th to 2nd to stop at the lights though.
so that when something happens in the lights and you need to react quick, you'r in the right gear and you can sprint away quick...