When going downhill, should you use gear or brake?

Some people choose to downshift to slow down, others choose to put it in neutral and use the brake. So which way is more reasonable, both saving fuel and ensuring safety for the driver and passengers in the car?

In terms of safety, when the car is in N and going downhill, the car will be in free-floating mode without any engine interference. At that time, the driver will have to use the brake at maximum level to reduce the speed of the car.

For short slopes, the brakes can still operate smoothly as the driver wishes, but for long slopes and continuous cornering, it will be very unsafe. Because they have to operate continuously to reduce speed when encountering curves, the brakes can overheat and operate ineffectively. In worse cases, the brakes will lose their effectiveness completely.

Meanwhile, many experienced drivers believe that braking with gears is more effective and safer. There is a small tip that goes “up gear, down gear”, which is relatively accurate on steep slopes. For example, when going uphill, it is relatively safe to use 2nd gear, and when going downhill, it is relatively safe to use 2nd gear.

In addition, manual braking also helps the driver limit the number of times the brake has to be used, thereby avoiding the situation where the brake pads have to work too hard, leading to loss of effectiveness.

Thus, the option of using the engine's "grip" or "gear brake" not only helps drivers save fuel on downhill sections but also increases vehicle safety compared to the option of using the brake to reduce speed.