Air is required to initiate combustion in the engine. When you are driving your car and suddenly takes your foot off the accelerator pedal, the throttle valve closes suddenly.
The engine will still be trying to suck in air. But since the throttle valve is closed, only a small amount of air reaches the engine.
This causes a vacuum to form in the intake manifold. Due to the vacuum, the engine suddenly loses power due to inefficient combustion and the car slows down. Do note that this is for manual transmission cars only. Contrary to popular belief, engine braking is actually good for your car.
Engine braking also gives a better driving experience since it requires some practice to be executed well. Here are the main benefits of engine braking:. Photo Credits: Transport Executive. In automatic transmissions, there is no engine braking as such. Certain automatics allow you to downshift at high speeds.
Depending on the car, it will cause wear on the transmission parts. In high-end cars, this wear is prevented by rev-matching. Instead, just let it idle for a few minutes. A reader asks: We have a Honda Pilot with automatic transmission which we drive regularly in the mountains.
When you downshift to slow down, the engine basically stops burning fuel completely. This is preferable to coasting out of gear or shifting into neutral as an idling engine always burns fuel. Downshifting reduces brake wear , as well as keeping brakes from overheating. Tagged: engine braking mountain driving transmission wear. Engine braking, aside from being incredibly clever, has three distinct day to day benefits that could improve your driving experience.
Engine braking slows the car without the need to apply the brakes. Because the car is slowing passively it allows you to maintain control of the vehicle, controlling your deceleration so you only need to apply the brakes at much lower speeds for a much shorter period of time.
Active use of engine braking changing down in a lower gear is advantageous when it is necessary to control speed while driving down very steep and long slopes. More over, by engine braking when you see traffic slowing ahead rather than waiting until the last minute to stop you give yourself and those behind you more time to respond to changing situations. You can maintain safe intervals simply through easing off the accelerator rather than applying brakes.
You also have the advantage of being in a better position to react if something unexpected happens. A lower gear means you can either slow down or speed up in order to avoid an emerging hazard. Read: 7 Ways to Maximize Brake Life. Engine braking is more fuel-efficient than normal braking. This is because when you engine brake, the engine stops consuming fuel. Engine braking only saves a little fuel here and there, but those savings can add up quickly, especially on long trips!
There is a common myth that engine braking is harmful to your car and a bad practice. When you engine brake for the first time, it can sound a little scary! Engines run at thousands of revs per minute for sometimes hours and hours at a time when you take road trips. The greatest risk when engine braking is damaging your transmission.
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