Brakes

[SirLord]

Is there any difference in brake reliability between cars with manual or automatic transmission? I've heard (from an unreliable source) that many cars with manual transmission have inferior brakes since you're 'supposed to' engine brake. Any truth to this?


Edit
Just realized I posted this in a ridiculous place--Mods can you move it to somewhere more appropriate?

[ElectroGhandi]

No. Your brakes probably won't wear out as fast as an automatic car though.

Also, this should be in the Tranny Talk forum.

[SirLord]

Ah, thanks. Also realized that I could delete the post.... but only before someone comments on it. I'm amazed how fast you got to the thread.

[wannabe]

Ah, thanks. Also realized that I could delete the post.... but only before someone comments on it. I'm amazed how fast you got to the thread.

we're bored. jomo or someone'll come thru and move it. its alright.

and yeah, i don't that manual cars come with inferoir brakes...that'd be failtastic

[ElectroGhandi]

Haha it's ok, we don't really care about an occasional misplaced thread here. We're laid back.

But yeah, your brakes are not inferior. But since you have to hold the car still with the brakes in D if you are stopped, your brakes will suffer. So manual = better for brakes.

[Caramel]

technically it wouldn't cause more wear to hold it in place, more stress maybe. but I understand what you're getting at, it takes more brakes to stop an auto.

[ElectroGhandi]

Haha the first time I drove a car, I was so frightened when the car started moving by itself.

[LHOswald]

when your at a stop with an automatic your 'technically' supposed to put it in neutral to save a bit on gas and less strain on your brakes. when your in D at a stop in an automatic, the engine is still trying to produce torque to the wheels by way of the torque converter, but since your brakes are holding the wheels, not allowing them to move, it causes more strain on the brake pump and lines and since the TC is slipping against the flywheel it has to put more gas through the engine to keep the same idle

[Tups]

Haha the first time I drove a car, I was so frightened when the car started moving by itself. :lol:

Same here. It was the first and so far the only time I've driven a car with an automatic gearbox. It was... weird and I didn't like it.

[theholycow]

when your at a stop with an automatic your 'technically' supposed to put it in neutral to save a bit on gas and less strain on your brakes.

It will save a slight amount of gas in most cars, but it will have no effect on the brakes and no practical effect on anything else. OTOH, going to N then back to D requires the clutches to re-engage; since we tend to be so fearful of wearing our clutches, it would make sense for us to worry about the clutches in automatics. Since those clutches are inside the transmission, it is much more expensive to repair (you get your transmission rebuilt) than simply replacing a manual transmission's clutch.

I've never worried about it, I did go through a spell where I went to N at red lights, and my truck's 4L60E is 184,000 miles old without any symptoms. The 4L60E is supposedly short-lived in trucks like mine, but apparently just keeping it cool (I have the trailering package with the aux cooler) is good enough even if the driver does some N<->D at stops. So, I'm just talking theory here...just like we usually do when obsessing about our MT cars' clutches.

[LHOswald]

that makes sense. although idk about the tranny rebuild. most people around here just say "yeah some small part of your automatic transmission went so uh...we're just gonna make you buy a new one and also pay us to put it in...sound good?"

[FDSpirit]

that makes sense. although idk about the tranny rebuild. most people around here just say "yeah some small part of your automatic transmission went so uh...we're just gonna make you buy a new one and also pay us to put it in...sound good?"

Yet. Another reason I decided to get a manual. I didn't even realize automatics even had clutches until my friend apparently burnt his out in his car....It got stuck in the snow, he floored it to get it to move and then it ended up in the shop. But now that I've been driving my car and become much more used to it, I use the brakes less for a few reasons. I'm lazy and if I don't have to shift, I'll just keep the car in whichever gear, let off the gas and just not give it any gas to slow down. This holds true to and from work. I go down a hill everyday to hop on the highway. It amazes me how long people ride their brakes down the hill. I mean the whole damn hill all the way to the light. A whole good minute or 2. I also have been so used to driving on certain areas of the highway, I can actually tell when I need to let up off the gas when I approach a ramp. No brakes there either, unless there is an emergency situation. So from my experiences, my brakes would last longer in my Civic. Also, the guides and some of the members on here have helped me anticipate stuff as soon as I can, making brake use even less

[mad_finn]

when your in D at a stop in an automatic, the engine is still trying to produce torque to the wheels by way of the torque converter, but since your brakes are holding the wheels, not allowing them to move, and since the TC is slipping against the flywheel it has to put more gas through the engine to keep the same idle

(slighly edited the quote^^)
Reminds me when I had my oldsmobile... on wintertime, I allways had to drop it to neutral when I was still moving, but was about to stop. Because there was just enough torque coming trough to back wheels, the car didndt slow down unless I was hard on the brakes.
when coming down on small hill, and trying to turn, the front wheels kept getting locked, while rearwheels just kept pushing the car on and on.
alltough, I didnt have too good tires on that car (2yr old Cooper Generals) they were basicly summertires, but had the M+S marking on them. and I didnt have enough money to buy any better ones.

[Rope-Pusher]

Watch in the winter and you'll see RWD Slushbox cars waiting at traffic light with brakes lightly applied, front wheels locked and rear wheels spinning away, polishing the snow and ice beneath them. Then folks wonder why intersections get so slippery and cars take forever to pull away when the light turns green so that only 2 or 3 get through the intersection before the light turns red again.

[Caramel]

Haha the first time I drove a car, I was so frightened when the car started moving by itself.

Same here. It was the first and so far the only time I've driven a car with an automatic gearbox. It was... weird and I didn't like it.

I kinda like it, it's like an easy button for driving. Easy for parking especially. Just let it go do it's work and you tell it when to stop. Love driving slushies when i'm feeling super super super lazy.