i do alot of city driving so im usually in gears 2, 3 and 4. mostly 2nd and 3rd. sometimes ill speed up in second and get the rpms to say 5-6k and end up approaching a red light and left off the gas pedal and jus let the car coast to slow down and let the rpms drop on its own from being in the higher range.

is that bad for the motor or trans to do that from high rpms or better to jus throw it in neutral and brake hard to slow down? hope it makes sense lol

 

It's perfectly fine for the motor, don't give it a second thought.

 

It's called engine braking. You let the revolutions of your engine slow the car down. Saves on brake pads and will not hurt your engine.

 

i guess the main concern is if its bad to do it from high rpms like 5-6k. so i guess its ok then?

 

^^you are fine. but my question to you is why are you cruising at those rpms? or hitting gas to that rpm if you know you're going to have to cruise to the red light anyway?

You'll notice you get better mileage that way too... when your engine is and tranny are connected and you are coasting, your engine gets a steady feed of gas while if it was in neutral, it would be running a lil rich to keep the engine running.

 

How is your gas mileage? How long have you been doing this? I guess there is a first for everything though.

 

lol oh no im not doing this to be a weirdo. the typical scenario is im in a rush and driving fast getting ready to shift to 3rd but i see the light about to change or changed ahead of me so i jus stay in second and "engine brake" it to slow down as i reach the light. im not shifting at high rpms in normal driving

 

are you talking to me?? ive been doing this w the G for awhile now maybe 4-5... this subject was brought up before and there some documentation in the thread showing that Nissan have been desgining their cars this way. My drive to work is not ideal on any vehicle for saving gas except a Hybrid but i think i do well considering the following:

I average around 17mpg BUT I drive ALL city go 4.5 miles each way to/from work. I hit about 10 lights each way (lots of stop n gos). My car does hit the freeway for weeks and runs cold all the time because my drive isnt that long. FYI: I let the engine run for 30 seconds (per owners manual) and warm up my engine as I drive (no unnecessary reving or mashing on the gas) until the temp gauge is up to ideal operating temps. (temps are ideal a mile and a half before i get to work.) When i actaully hit the freeways on trips, ive been able to average as high 24 mpg on all freeway (long trip where i use cruise control and in the) and 20+mpg on local freeways (im usually in more of a rush when not on a trip).. and trust me when i say im not going the speed limit once my engines warmed.

 

^wait, you read in your owners manual to let the car warm up for 30 seconds? What???

 

Does engine braking vs standard braking differ between car brands (makes/models)? On an old Prelude forum I would visit they were having a similar discussion, and I think it came down to:

Would you rather put extra strain on the engine to slow your car, and possibly deal with an expensive fix later on, or use your brake pads which are relatively cheap to replace.

Just wondering. I suppose it would also depend on the driver though.

 

^^ right.

i would much rather put wear on inexpensive brake parts instead of putting more wear on my engine.

 

i think u guys are getting confused with down shifting instead of braking vs wat im actually asking. btw this is not something i do often but every once in a while this happens becus i do mostly city driving and sometimes drive fast becus i need to get to places

 

yes i did... you can refer to it and verify. NO our engines are not fully warmed up after 30 seconds. thats why i drive to warm my car up instead of sitting idle in my driveway. Your engine gets warmed that way but moving parts like your transmission does not(its not in use while idling). the manual says 30 seconds is enough time for oil in the engine to be dsitrubted to all parts of the motor. The oil still isnt warm enough to be revving your engine (this is wahy i explained my warm up process while driving- NO UNECESSARY REVVING OR HEAVY MASHING ON THE GAS)


I said the same thing you did in regards to wear and tear.. id rather wear parts that are meant to be replaced and not your engine BUT let me ask you this.

Say you need to make a move because of some *** hat driver, would it be safer to be in gear while cruising to the light or turn or while in Neutral?

I'll take my chances with it in gear cuz im ready to move. that second or 2 to shift into gear can be your life.

 

I see your point, and I suppose it can depend on your surroundings (amount of traffic, drivers, etc..) I've never had a situation where I have had to jam on the gas to avoid anyone while coming to a stop. You have to drive defensively on the roads.. people can be extremely stupid sometimes.

Another thing to be aware of is that if you are coming to a stop using your engine, your brake lights do not come on.. you can get rear ended easier that way.

 

^^ I didn't mean engine brake as in let off the throttle and let your engine do ALL the work, I meant it like if your in a lower gear in the upper rpm range and your coming to a stop, let your engine slow you down WHILE using the brakes lightly. And then when your rpm's start to drop in the lower range, heel toe down to the next gear and again, use the brakes lightly. This way you don't put too much strain on your brakes or your engine.

And when I say upper range, I mean 3-5k, even 5k is a little high. Most of the time when I drive around I ALWAYS shift around 2500-3000 unless I'm showing my back side to a joker who thinks he's faster