Braking

Gentlemen: I need some advice.

On my daily commute I go down a hill for approximately two miles in usually bumper to bumper traffic reducing speed from 60 MPH to 40 MPH. I try to keep proper distance from the car in front.

My question is: Which is the least damaging method of slowing the car down during this assent? The brake, down shifting gears or using the cruise control?

I'm, driving a 2006 E350 MB.

Thanks for your expertise.

Doug

Reply to
Doug Bell
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The brakes would certianly be the cheapest way to do it. After all, all you need to do is replace the brake pads when they are worn out. If you wear out your gear box it would cost you far more.

In an emergency I would use both, keep the car in gear and use the brakes too.

HTH

Reply to
RF

Brake... always brake. All other choices will cost you alot more money in repairs. A transmission on your car is $5000+ repair. Cruise control in your situation is useless.

Brake pads are cheap

Reply to
Tiger

The first time it happened to me it scared the hell out of me. The dealer told me there is no way to turn this "feature" off. Bob

Reply to
road apple

Thanks ! :-))

Brakes it is. I've been using the cruise control to slow thing down and it works great..but I can certainly see the cost difference between brake or transmission replacement.

Thanks again. Doug

Reply to
Doug Bell

On Jun 18, 3:12 pm, snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Doug Bell) wrote: I live in the Eastern Sierra, and, for example, the road that leads to the campground above town climbs over 5,000 feet from 3,975 ft to

9,300 ft. in 13 miles, averaging 7% for the entire 13 miles from my home. I always use the braking force of the compression of the engine when I come down a very long grade like that.

I wouldn't worry about it damaging your engine or transmission. It puts less stress on them than accelerating.

The brakes on my 300 TDT are very good and well designed to transmit heat. They are unlikely to fade under most circumstances, but I still use engine braking always on big mountain grades and so does everybody else who lives in the mountains who knows how to drive properly. I have had brakes fade once or twice when I was driving VW buses long ago, and it is pretty scary because suddenly your brakes will not stop or slow down the car.

I have never had that happen with a car with 4 wheel disk brakes though, but, then again, I always use engine braking. It's something my father stressed when he was teaching me to drive.

Gentlemen: I need some advice.

Reply to
heav

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