How bad is it to "engine brake" with a manual tranny?

PonyboyIsaac · Jul 13, 2008

I'm not into the habbit of doing this very much with my car, but how bad is it for your tranny or clutch life to engine brake from fairly high revs? I did it twice today and i must say it makes an intoxicating gurgling (backfiring) kind of sound when i do it. The two times i did it i got "nice mustang!" from people on the street so it sounds good on the outside to lol. So am i going to shorten drivetrain life if i get into the habbit of doing this? Anyone else do this very often? Thnks guys

bhuff30 · Jul 13, 2008

I've always enjoyed downshifting my 97GT and I've been driving it for about 50k miles (the car has 150k total). It puts slight wear on the clutch, but nothing worse than if you were starting in 1st gear. Just don't be overly agressive with the clutch when you downshift. Don't make the car jerk around or break traction of the rear tires. Be aware that it can be dangerous to downshift as that in the rain, because the rear tires will tend to slow down faster than the car, which could cause the rear end to slide or come around when you aren't expecting it.

I like your signature too, both the picture and the hybrid comment. My stangs are both hybrids. They burn both gas and oil.

PonyboyIsaac · Jul 13, 2008

bhuff30 said:
I've always enjoyed downshifting my 97GT and I've been driving it for about 50k miles (the car has 150k total). It puts slight wear on the clutch, but nothing worse than if you were starting in 1st gear. Just don't be overly agressive with the clutch when you downshift. Don't make the car jerk around or break traction of the rear tires. Be aware that it can be dangerous to downshift as that in the rain, because the rear tires will tend to slow down faster than the car, which could cause the rear end to slide or come around when you aren't expecting it.

I like your signature too, both the picture and the hybrid comment. My stangs are both hybrids. They burn both gas and oil.

Thanks for the advice and the compliment on the sig

Mustang5L5 · Jul 13, 2008

If you rev match you'll minimize wear.

It's when you just downshift a gear and pop the clutch up that the most damage is done. I do it all the time. If i'm in 3rd, i'll push the clutch in, drop to 2nd and blip the throttle up about 1000RPM and let the clutch out. Most often, the only way you would know something has happened is the sound of the exhaust getting higher.

It's not really that bad for the engine provided you don't downshift and redline the engine in the process.

RedDaemon · Jul 13, 2008

just dont downsift into 1st plz. kthxbai

BurningRubber · Jul 13, 2008

I do it all the time.

Rev matching does make it the least-stressful, but overall its not that bad.

That is unless you drive like a moron...

jivepepper · Jul 14, 2008

BurningRubber said:
That is unless you drive like a moron...

007 · Jul 14, 2008

Its harmless and is a normal part of driving fast. Enjoy it! I rev match with a blip of throttle during the shift like others said.

RedDaemon · Jul 14, 2008

CONSIDERING STOCK GEARS:

I find that i up shift at or around the 20(this is pushing it, i know), 30, 40, 50 MPH marks. Shifting at or around these speeds gets me about 2200,2500rpms (we can have a whole other discussion as to when to shift based on rpm. However for me, this is right around the "Drone Zone" for my exhaust and i shift right at the top of it). Anyway, I use this to guage when i down-shift. If i am in 5th and i want to slow down, i make sure i am no more than 10mph over the gear that i am going to down shift into.

50MPH, downshift into 4th, then once the car gets to 40mph, downshift to 3rd, then once it gets to 30mph, i downshift to second until about 10mph where i then put in the clutch and just wait till the car wants to downshift into first (with the clutch still in).

if you try downshifting into first when going more than 10mph you WILL spin the back tires and it WONT feel good.

BennyBlown2v · Jul 14, 2008

If you know how to drive you won't hurt your car downshifting lol...

Mustang5L5 · Jul 14, 2008

I use the 2000-3000RPM range as a clue to downshift. My car with 3.27;s has roughtly 1000RPM increments between shifts.

When driving, i shift at 3000RPM and try to cruise around 2000RPM.

If i'm slowing down and am at 2000rpm, i'll downshift and now be at 3000RPM.

That's typically how i drive...although i've done other stuff frome time to time

rabidscoobie · Jul 14, 2008

Mustang5L5 said:
I use the 2000-3000RPM range as a clue to downshift. My car with 3.27;s has roughtly 1000RPM increments between shifts.

When driving, i shift at 3000RPM and try to cruise around 2000RPM.

If i'm slowing down and am at 2000rpm, i'll downshift and now be at 3000RPM.

That's typically how i drive...although i've done other stuff frome time to time

You drive pretty much the exact same way I do....Unless I wanna get on it then Ill downshift kinda based of the speed im going then before letting out the clutch Ill rev a lil bit to keep from the feeling as if im gonna break something...

Just curiuos tho,If you downshift hard,meaning not giving it any throttle before dump the clutch,what are the possible consequences?

mustang50v8 · Jul 14, 2008

rabidscoobie said:
You drive pretty much the exact same way I do....Unless I wanna get on it then Ill downshift kinda based of the speed im going then before letting out the clutch Ill rev a lil bit to keep from the feeling as if im gonna break something...

Just curiuos tho,If you downshift hard,meaning not giving it any throttle before dump the clutch,what are the possible consequences?

wear out the clutch faster / warp the flywheel sooner

SRT Handz · Jul 14, 2008

ZI Rev match EVERYTIME i downshift.....no matter what... I usually use the "Heel -toe" downshift technique everytime i have to turn and downshift

geoffsgt · Jul 14, 2008

-=NightHawk=- said:
if you try downshifting into first when going more than 10mph you WILL spin the back tires and it WONT feel good.

Naw, not necessarily. I've done it at 15+mph (maybe 20... not exactly something I do while staring at the speedo). You just have to double clutch it.

I imagine its a good deal more wasteful on gas then just punching the clutch in and coasting down to whatever speed you want though.

RedDaemon · Jul 14, 2008

geoffsgt said:
Naw, not necessarily. I've done it at 15+mph (maybe 20... not exactly something I do while staring at the speedo). You just have to double clutch it.

I imagine its a good deal more wasteful on gas then just punching the clutch in and coasting down to whatever speed you want though.

interesting. i did it when i firstt got my stang...ill never do it again.

PonyboyIsaac · Jul 14, 2008

BennyBlown2v said:
If you know how to drive you won't hurt your car downshifting lol...

Yeah the original question wasnt about how to downshift there bud, all i was asking was if it was alot of wear and tear on the driveline to engine brake. Lets not get confused.
I'm still on my factory clutch and i pride myself that its lasted all 46,000 miles with drop clutch launches since day one and then with the blower for like 3 or 4yrs now. I want to see how much life i can get out of it, and still have fun with it.

Mustang5L5 · Jul 14, 2008

rabidscoobie said:
Just curiuos tho,If you downshift hard,meaning not giving it any throttle before dump the clutch,what are the possible consequences?

Clutch wear mainly.

But being smooth is also less wear and tear on the entire drivetrain in general.

I'd like to think that if you felt the downshift....then you suck at downshifting

rabidscoobie · Jul 14, 2008

Mustang5L5 said:
I'd like to think that if you felt the downshift....then you suck at downshifting

i think the same way.I dont do it...but i do remember when I first learned to drive stick that I did do it some then but never knew for sure if it was a bad thing or what it might be doing to the drive train...

hotmustang331 · Jul 14, 2008

Coasting while in gear actually saves gas....the EEC shuts off the injectors when you let off the gas in gear. You have to be somthing like over 1500RPM but under 5000RPM, and have to have been off the gas for a few seconds.

How bad is it to "engine brake" with a manual tranny?

PonyboyIsaac

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bhuff30

PonyboyIsaac

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Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

RedDaemon

BurningRubber

jivepepper

007

RedDaemon

BennyBlown2v

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Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

rabidscoobie

mustang50v8

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SRT Handz

I tripped & fell down and cut myself & got blood

geoffsgt

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RedDaemon

PonyboyIsaac

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Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

rabidscoobie

hotmustang331

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