2.0Tip engine braking is odd

[minameismud]

Well, first question: never having owned a vehicle with a turbo, is it safe to regularly engine-brake the car?

My previous rides were all full-size pickups with 4.7L+ V8s. Engine braking actually did something. There's this hill near me (Appleton Ave just north of Pilgrim/Main in Meno. Falls for the locals) that you start at the top around 35 and the Tip picks 5th at that speed. Slide over to manual shifting just as you get on the downslope, then drop to 4th. Feels almost exactly the same, just with higher rpm. Drop to 3rd, engine rpm jumps to ~3100, and same-same for about 6 seconds and 200 more rpm, then you start to feel the deceleration of the engine. I've checked this on different hills, different gears, and different rpm ranges. Same effect - there's almost nothing for 4-8 seconds, then the effect hits. The initially weak braking is simply because it's a small engine - I get that - but is the delay caused by the turbo, and is it normal for all turbo'ed engines?

[Unleaded20T]

I think is Audi transmisions because i have an A8 4.2 and A4 2.0T and its exactly the same, unless i get it down to 3rd or 2nd gear it doesnt slow the car down unless it revs high.

I know it wont do any harm but I guess you're ok.

[AudiWxGuy]

Engine braking is not very good for your transmission. Maybe that's why the Audi wont do it...

[Tiesto]

Engine braking is not very good for your transmission. Maybe that's why the Audi wont do it...

Exactly, don't drive your A4 like a pickup truck.

[smcgann]

The major problem with engine braking an auto is the additional heat that this creates in the trans. Heat is the biggest killer for auto trannies. If you find that engine braking suits your purpose then I would look into upgrading your stock trans cooler, and looking over the life of the vehicle, a more frequent trans flush interval. I can't think of any technical reason that the turbo would have on engine braking. The small engine to weight ratio could sure be a factor.

[RedS-line]

smcgan brings up some good info. but if you insist on doing it, try using sport mode and double downshifting if your revs are in the low range (<3k). that should do it. a drop from 4th to 3rd might not do much but from 4th to 2nd will.

[supamannn99]

aw shit. i do this in a regular basis. especially when slowing down for a corner. right when i turn i drop it into 2nd or 3rd so i can accelerate quickly out of the turn for maximum fun :D

[SilverB7FL]

aw shit. i do this in a regular basis. especially when slowing down for a corner. right when i turn i drop it into 2nd or 3rd so i can accelerate quickly out of the turn for maximum fun :D

lol yea thats alot of fun, I only do it sometimes though.

[minameismud]

the heat issue makes sense, and i guess trucks are meant to have higher-duty transmissions, so they could stand up to more abuse. any clue as to the delay in deceleration though?

[AudiWxGuy]

I think it's got to do with gear ratio's and a heavy fly wheel. This is why a manual is better. You can rev match from whatever gear your in to whatever gear you want to be in. Well...unless your going to hit the rev limiter when downshifting, but it's all about feel.

[Sanjman]

yeah on Tips... the EPC rev matches when you drop down to a smaller gear so engine braking isn't all too useful. Nevertheless, engine braking should be left for manual transmissions...

[Sanjman]

aw shit. i do this in a regular basis. especially when slowing down for a corner. right when i turn i drop it into 2nd or 3rd so i can accelerate quickly out of the turn for maximum fun :D

I don't think that is engine braking really right?? I thought engine braking is dropping to a lower gear so you can slow down rather than using your brakes... you are just rev matching at a lower gear (or your car is)... and I don't think it's all too bad for the car...

[AudiWxGuy]

you're supposed to rev match. that's fine. But dropping your car from 5th to 3rd gear is not without rev matching. If you're going to have to replace something, you'd rather replace brake pads than a clutch/transmission.