QUOTE(Spency234 @ Apr 27 2006, 11:01 AM)

Are you saying that instead of using only the brakes to slow you down, you should cruise while in gear and let the engine slow you down as well?
Exactly.
QUOTE(lordvader129 @ Apr 27 2006, 08:37 PM)

i hear trucks droping into first on teh expressway all teh time by my house, so much so they put up a bunch of signs saying "no engine breaking"
they do that because its pretty much the only way to effectively stop a million pounds
also, an unrelated fact, if you use the horn in a truck too much you wont have any air brakes 
QUOTE(lostboyz @ Apr 27 2006, 01:21 AM)

gear breaking and actual breaking will wear down parts no matter what, but i good combination of the two is what i always do. Though some cars (my explorer) wont let you shift down if at a certain speed/rpm itll give you a nice buzzing vibration to tell you no
Exactly. I had a buddy in high school that I used to hate to drive with, he would accelerate really fast and then when coming to a turn he would drop it into 2nd and let out the clutch, thereby giving you a terrific jolt. I got annoyed with this and asked him why he did it. He told me it was so it would save on brake replacement and seem to respond matter of factly about it as if he knew all of the tricks about cars. I asked him if he had considered the potential wear and tear on the clutch, transmission, ect. by doing that. He didn't have much of a response to that.