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Old 11-10-2008, 06:06 PM   #27 (permalink)
wagonman76
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Northwest Lower Michigan
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Red Car - '89 Chevrolet Celebrity CL 4 door
Team Chevy
90 day: 36.47 mpg (US)

Winter Wagon - '89 Pontiac 6000 LE Wagon
90 day: 28.26 mpg (US)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by greentea View Post
Can someone clear this up for me? The OP asked why "hard braking" was bad; obviously, going from point A to B, you want to brake as little as possible because braking is pure wasted momentum.

But is hard braking bad in itself? That is; if you have to stop at a light, is slowly braking superior to slamming on your brakes (safety aside)? A strategy I like to use is slowing down to 15 or 20 well in advance of a light so it takes me longer to get there, the light turns, and I'm able to not be forced to brake to 0. Is there a reason not to brake hard when I do this?
The only advantage I can see to hard braking is as follows. Youre coasting up to a stop sign with the engine idling, downhill. Youve gotta stop anyway, and your wait time will probably be the same regardless of how long it takes to get there. So the faster you get there and make your stop, the less time your engine will be idling to get there and burning gas.
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