Quote:
Originally Posted by age
i used to think that was a good idea. but then you have to consider, brakes are cheap and easy to replace, engines are not. so i'd much rather punish the brakes.
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It's one thing to downshift to come to a stop. I agree this should be avoided, unless you're approaching a red light. Only reason to do it is if you're coming to a red, but you predict it will turn green by the time you get to it and you want to be ready to accelerate away.
Using the brakes to coast down a hill is a completely different thing. The thermal capacity of brakes are quite limited and they will heat up faster than they can cool down when you ride the brakes down a long hill. This is in addition to wear. If the brakes get hot enough, they will fade and you might crash.
The absorbed energy from engine braking goes out the tail pipe and the radiator, so the thermal capacity is practically unlimited.