Is it bad to use the transmission to decelerate

• Before towing downhill, slow down and shift into a lower gear.
• Let off the gas pedal to allow the engine to help you control your speed.
• DON’T ride the brakes on downgrades. Prolonged use of the brakes can result in overheating and even loss of braking ability.
• If you need to slow down, press the brake pedal and slow down below the speed you intend to go. THEN, let off the brake pedal completely and repeat as necessary.

• To prevent your tow vehicle from jerking due to engine lugging when traveling uphill, shift into a lower gear. This also helps improve gas mileage and reduce engine overheating.
• If you are driving up a long or steep grade, shift to a lower gear and be prepared for your vehicle to slow down significantly.
• If there is a lane designated for slower traffic, use it.
• Turn on your tow vehicle’s flashers* if your speed drops below 45 miles per hour (MPH) and other traffic is traveling faster than you. *Drivers are advised to check their local laws regarding the use of flashers while towing.
• Monitor your gauges closely. If the engine temperature starts to increase, turn off the air conditioner until the temperature stabilizes well below the “hot” designation, which could be 45 MPH or less.
• If the temperature climbs too high, pull off the road to a safe place and stop. Once you have stopped, don’t turn the engine off. Shift to park or neutral and let the engine cool while idling. You can increase the engine RPM slightly to cool faster.

• Never ride the brakes when towing on a grade, as this can cause them to overheat and become ineffective. This could potentially lead to a runaway tow vehicle and trailer when descending grades

Kukailimoku said:

In large commercial truck (or airliners) it is a no brainier to use engines to assist in deceleration because the brakes can actually fade.

In a consumer grade vehicle. Nah.

So what of your brakes take more wear and tear than if you used the engine to help slow down?
Aren't the brakes consumable anyway????


This debate is equivalent to asking:
"Should one shorten the lifespan of a permanent part in order to prolong the life of an expendable part?"

If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone spend $200 to save $2....

As far as actual brake fade in a consumer vehicle?
Yeah, I had it happen only ONCE to me and I'm 53 years old. I was coming down Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island. That is a descent of what, 13,700' to about 7-8,000' in a timespan of about 15(?) minutes. Yeah, I experienced true brake fade in a consumer grade car. Had to use the handbrake and downshift disturbingly harshly. But that was in a cheap tiny rental. I have since gone down that mountain on more substantial vehicles and at a more realistic pace, and brake fade never even came close.

So NO, do not use the engine to decelerate.

After I got my first pilot's license I started to drive as if I fly.
The two are different activities and not interchangeable. Had to give that up and go back to plain old driving, and not "flying a car on a road."
So don't drive your one ton car-witha-cargo-bed as if you were driving a Peterbilt pulling a full load...

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crash68 said:

With the 8HP line of transmissions (and just about every electronically shifted transmission) you get a warning on the dash to shift back to drive. The transmissions nowadays are smart, they won't even let you shift into a gear that too far out of rpm range.

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