g6civcx

iTrader: (6)

I never recommend coasting, even with the brakes on. It's best to always be in gear and somewhat near the powerband so you can make a fast getaway if you need it.

Also, if the car veers off the ideal line you can correct with the throttle. How can you steer with the throttle if you were in neutral? Now granted this is not something you do on the street, but sometimes you'll need that quick burst of acceleration to get out of the way of something.

The only time you should be coasting and applying the brakes is at parking lot speed.

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

I only engine brake, or really try. I use brakes to finally slow me down. It's just more fun that way and it feels good when you perfectly syncro match.

EVO Enthusiast

This has been discussed/debated MANY times over the years. The common concensus is:

Engine breaking is hard on the drivetrain components... basically you are DOUBLING the wear on your engine and drivetrain. So instead of only 'burdening' these components when accelerating.. you are also doing the same 'wear' during breaking. Read this as.. you are basically putting a large amount of unneccesary stress on your car by driving this way. The engine is for accelerating.. the brakes or for decellerating.

Brakes are MUCH cheaper than the various items that are being stressed in your drivetrain. Brakes are a 'wear' item and designed to be replaced easily and cheaply.. Engine, drivetrain, transmission, etc are not designed to be replaced).

FURTHER, downshifting and allowing the engine to break upsets the natural balance of the car.. and will significantly decrease your lap times. If you would like to expand this point... engine braking is basically a fixed load... while braking can be applied smoothly... and the force can be controlled. We ALL know that Smooth = FAST.

But I am sure that your local repair shop (or Mitsubishi service) will be very happy to 'fix' your engine, drivetrain sooner than normal.

g6civcx

iTrader: (6)

1. It is illegal in this state, and many others, to coast in neutral. I don't know how they will enforce it, but it's in the books.

2. Using engine braking exclusively is not a good idea. Your brakes are there. Use them. Using engine braking exclusively puts a lot of stress on your drivetrain.

3. Failing #2, engine braking is an effective way to supplement your braking power, especially when your brakes are fried, or otherwise experience catastrophic failure.

4. Being in gear is how you achieve the natural balance of the car. You need to adjust the throttle to set the weight either on the rear or the front. How can you apply throttle if you're not in gear?

5. In performance driving, you're taught to never coast. #4 is precisely the reason why. You need the throttle to control the weight transfer of the car. It's also a good idea because you may need to accelerate quickly to avoid an obstacle.

6. If you downshift with the proper revmatching technique, heel-toe or otherwise, or just ease the clutch out slowly, it won't upset the chassis that much.

7. The only time you would want to coast through a corner with the clutch disengaged is when you're trying to scrub off speed and don't want to stall the engine. Or you're trying to pop the clutch out and upset traction on purpose.

#7 is why you should engage the clutch before entering a turn. Shifting or clutch play in a corner is asking for problems.

Myszkewicz

iTrader: (2)

I've always downshifted and used the engine braking along with the regular brakes. I'd like to be in gear in case I have to accelerate quickly.

As far as wear goes, I routinely get over 100k miles out of a clutch. The last time I had the head off my Talon, it had 230k miles on it, and you could still see faint crosshatching in the cylinders. Where's the excess wear?

EVO Enthusiast

Being in gear while decellerating is FINE... but using the driveline and compression of the engine is NOT recommended.

We could talk for hours about WHY you don't compression brake and back it up with theory and professional conclusions... but I will simplify it for you:

Engine to accelerate.
Brakes to decelerate.

Any questions?

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

don't put your car on neutral going down the hill. Always be in gear until you stop.

Engine braking is good. I like it. But wears on our poor clutch.

I toe and heel all the time now... it's that much fun.

Myszkewicz

iTrader: (2)

Please elaborate. I'd like to know how I'm killing my car by compression braking. I've been driving this way for 14 years, and I've yet to see the catastrophic damage caused by it.

g6civcx

iTrader: (6)

This is absolutely correct. The brakes are there. Use them. The Evo engine isn't designed to be used in lieu of the brakes.

But failing that, if the brakes fail, then use the engine to supplement the emergency brake.

Plus downshifting is meant to put the engine in the appropriate spot in the powerband, not to help with braking.

Mr_Grumpy

1. There is no reason why you can not brake in neutral without the clutch because when in neutral, there is no drive from the transmission to the driveshafts.

2. About Rev-matching/heel toe/double clutching, there are actually 3 ways in shifting gears with minium or the least wearing to the clutch if done correctly.

No. 1: The Old school way where you slide the gear stick into neutral and with the clutch engaged you rev up the engine to match the road speed then you select your gear. This is fine but in racing application is too slow. This was famously used in the days before syncros.

No. 2: Since syncros were invented, racing drivers brake+clutch disengage+ downgear+rev-match+clutch engage+continually drive all this quickly done spontanously. It's a faster method.

No. 3: Down gearing without the clutch at all. I will not go into this but it's the correct way to fully understand how rev-matching the engine and road speed and also a great understanding of how a gearbox+clutch operates.

But all in all, the answer to the topic is YES.

wrcevo

If ur going downhill, and u lose ur brakes for some reason or another...then use the engine...you'l DEFINITLY feel the effect..but for day to day driving...i dun really think there's a prob with just coastin up to a traffic light in gear and then downshift...

jk_addict

iTrader: (2)

Very true! Believe me! Don't engine brake unless you're going downhill for extended periods of time... Brake pads are much easier to repair and cheaper to repair! If you've had the tranny out of your Evo, you know EXACTLY what I mean. It's no walk in the park to change a clutch in this baby!

plokivos

iTrader: (3)

Yeh, but they don't have enough power to break anything. Especially FI cars, they have tons of power coming in all at the same time and that force is too concentrated, and not distributed enough all through out the powerband.

EVO MR FU

iTrader: (4)

when you say reduce drivetrain and clutch wear by rev matching
do you mean rev matchin is bad for the drivetrain and wears out the cluth?

Cuz that how i downshift all the time....clutch in, neutral , gas, release cluth in lower gear....is there another way to downshift that i dunnoe about?