MRGTX
Well-Known Member
I think you nailed it, Ctease.Interesting question.
Not much difference, I think limiting factor is tire grip since engine braking only affects rear tires. The stock front to rear proportioning of brakes is very conservative so there is room for slightly stronger rear brakes. Engine braking could provide it. On the track you have to downshift while braking or the brakes will overheat. On street I don't see the advantage to downshift-engine-braking over regular engine braking, other than fun and/or practice for track. Engine does produce a lot of braking at high rpm. Trick is rev matching downshift as to not lock the rear tires. I loved my 2-way LSD in my previous car. When I downshifted in factory loose viscous LSD it would make the car squirly. With stiff 2-way, it would lock the diff and create very steady straight braking. Haven't played that hard on my new car.
But it's a great question. I'm interested in the actual results!
Unelss there is a deficit of clamping force for some reason, the brakes are already capable of overwhelming the available traction, even with the best tires on the best surfaces. So the difference wouldn't be anything...unless there was something wrong with the brakes themselves...or if they were already totally heatsoaked or some other extreme situation.
I totally get why some folks would look at the brakes as an afternoon repair job and an engine being a $15k, car crippling disaster...but as others have pointed out, engine braking doesn't seem to add any measurable wear and tear to the motor. The maintenance benefit seems to be in reduced brake wear as it allows you to ease on and off the brakes and still have some deceleration when you're not on the brakes, rather than riding the brakes the whole time.
Maybe someone can refute this thought:
While the engine is making some heat under engine braking by squeezing air (which is how it's bleeding off your kinetic energy and slowing you down) the engine is also making less heat than it would be at the same RPM under power...which means that you're spinning the water pump at a speed that's higher than necessary for the heat generation, thereby giving your motor a cooling benefit while engine-braking.
Maybe? :shrug:
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