Engine braking or using Neutral and Brakes?

Originally Posted by Zaggeron

Brakes are for braking. I never shift into neutral though -- I like to be either braking or under power at all times. I definitely don't row throught the gears when I stop. Typically how often I downshift depends on the gear I started with and the length of the deceleration. In low speed stops -- say from stop light to stop light @ 35 mph -- I'll downshift once from 4th into 2nd once the rpms drop enough that accelerating from 4th would cause the engine to lug out. In long high speed slow downs like from 65-70 off a highway off ramp I might shift down twice ... once to 4th to achieve the correct access road or off ramp speed and then once again once the rpms have dropped sufficiently. There's not much engine braking going on since the RPMs are appropriate to the speed.