kilo870

I just bought a 2010 Maxima SV. I love the car,however I do not like that when trying to coast to a stop sign the car wants to slow down as soon as I let off the gas.I read on a different site that Nissan tech could turn off the engine braking. I found a little info here---->>>>

http://forums.nicoclub.com/cvt-trans...e-t479637.html

I bought the Maxima after having a Trailblazer for 3 years. Needless to say I learned to coast a lot to save gas. I think I could get way better MPG if this was turned off since I like to coast. Has anyone had this done or can it be done to our 7th Gens? Thanks

Serpent

Great question (which I don't have an answer for). Thanks for coming on with a great question, and a great link as well. That was super interesting to read, and now I want to know the answer to this question also. Hopefully someone with more brains than I can weigh in.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

+1....very interested in this. My friend has been a nissan tech for 20 years or so and has his own shop now. I'll have to stop by one of these days and talk to him about it.

silberma

I had a 1970 Saab 99 with a selectable coast feature which after a while I turned off. What I found is that when I coast to a traffic light or a stop sign I need to apply my brakes more forcefully and there is really no measurable gas saving as in both cases the engine RPM drops.

With all the pressure to increase MPG the automakers would have done this already as they have on some cars where the engine stops at red traffic lights and restarts when you take your foot off the brakes.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

Interesting....the thing that I find annoying (i assume this is related to the engine braking feature) is that when braking and coming to a stop, it feels like the engine braking stops, and you get a little jolt forward.

Granted that function probably helps save your brakes, but its really annoying when trying to stop smoothly.

rader023

Was wondering what that was. Makes me a little nervous when it happens.

Jig9798

Yeah, come to think of it this is a little annoying. I assumed it was the CVT 'shifting' into '1st.'

lightonthehill

Nissan began this 'engine compression braking' with the 2004 6th gen Maxima. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted it on the Maxima. But I found it somewhat similar to lifting my foot off the accelerator with a manual tranny without taking the car out of gear.

This feature brought back memories of when I learned to use engine compression braking back in 1949 with my Studebaker. My father-in law showed me the advantages of using it when we were driving his Terraplane back around 1944. We lived in a very mountainous area at that time, so I used engine compression to help brake on long, twisting, steep downgrades in order to prevent brake fade or burnout.

I have reached the point where I love this engine braking in the 7th gen Maxima, and it does indeed save wear and tear on my brake system. I also love the 'release' right at the end, as it allows me to let the car slowly coast right up to the stop sign/crosswalk, where I finally apply the brakes. The amount of braking necessary to stop at that point puts virtually no wear on the brake pads or rotors, as the car is barely moving.

At the time the '04 was released, Nissan said this feature made it easier to drive mountainous or curvy roads 'in a sporting manner' (aggressively). That is exactly what I sometimes do with my Maxima, and that is where this engine compression braking is the most help, and the most fun.

Keeping one's foot lightly on the accelerator pedal when beginning downslopes prevents this feature from kicking in.

I can easily understand why drivers who have not driven manual trannies for decades in very steep terrain might not like this feature. But I love it.

kilo870

Well I have no need at all for it. Where I live and mostly anywhere I would ever plan to go does not have hills big enough to need this feature. I will be going to the dealer tomorrow to see about getting it turned off. I will let everyone know as soon as do.

kilo870

I went and had it done. It coasts way better now and they knew exactly what I was talking about. They said I wasn't the first one to have it done either. It cost me $47.

Serpent

Good for you man. Make sure to report again in another couple weeks about if you're still fully satisfied or of there are any negatives. I'll be watching this thread.

dr_2010SV

Well put Light... I agree I find that between ECB and actual downshifting I'm saving a ton of brakeware. It now comes as second nature in it's use. I find it interesting all the other brake lights on around me from other cars while I just let the Engine/CVT do all the vehicle slowing without needing the brakes until the final stop.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

This is great I never thought this would be something "disablable". So many variables it would be great to know what MPG's and brake life he gets. I'm assuming it would be less since nissan turned this feature on by default. I do find it more comfortable while coasting in cars which dont have this feature it's like driving in Neutral vs Drive. I didnt like this about the 5th gen. This would change wear and tear for the long run certainly less work for the engine/tranny. Please Update!

DC Max

Yea please keep us updated...

doberman16

I am interested in the result of this as well for the sake of curiosity only.
I like the Maximas downshift. I don't even notice it after 3 months driving. Not difficult to do a smooth stop at all. Every car drives different if it drove exactly like my old 4spd auto grand am, I'd be severely disappointed.
I seriously doubt there will be gas savings, but time will tell.


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

kilo870

It's just brakes guys. That's alot better than the wear and tear it POSSIBLY puts on the trans and engine. The way I look at it is brakes are meant to stop a car and an engine is meant to make a car go not the other way around. Just my 2cents. I will keep everyone posted on the mpg next fill up and reset.

lightonthehill

Actually, this can enter the realm of safety. Those here who live or drive in mountainous terrain know that engine compression braking can be the difference between making it safely down a long, curvy descent and losing your brakes and ending up at the bottom of a ravine in flames. I grew up in such an area, and can still name friends who lost their lives because they did not bother to use engine compression braking when descending long, winding mountain downgrades.

Professional drivers recommend using engine braking on long downgrades. All truckers use engine compression braking. They call that 'Jake brakes.'

As to wear and tear compression braking may put on the tranny and engine, that would be a hundred times less than one wide open throttle run from a stoplight. Maximas have always been known to have bullet-proof engines and trannys that are very dependable. Brakes? Not so much. And a brake job by the dealer is never cheap.

By care in using my brakes, I have not had to have a brake job on any Maxima since one of my 1985 Maximas, which I ran for 206,000 tough commuting miles in Atlanta traffic.

As I said earlier in this thread, Nissan told us they put this feature in as a source of fun for drivers who like to drive their cars on the sporty side. I can see why it would not be a useful function for those either using their Maxima simply as classy transportation or for accesorizing or show.

kilo870

Yes I can see how this would be useful for people in mountainous and hilly regions or people that drive in wintery conditions I mean really, we don't all live in the hills. This should have been something that could be disabled or activated by switch. As for the brakes if it comes time to change them I'm more than confident that I can change them myself. Not something I would have to run to the dealer for.I guess on the bright side if I wanted to engine brake I could still always use my paddle shifters.

Timmy

why not just throw it into neutral and let it coast? i do it all the time so the engine brake never bothered me lol

dr_2010SV

Yep, very hilly here but no hillbilly! Love the engine breaking and downshifting abilities of the 7th gen Maxima.

lightonthehill

Ahhh! The joys (and possibilities) of being young! I did most all of the maintenance and service work on my cars from the late 1940s until around 1980, but now my old body will not allow me to do much in the way of car maintenance. I can still kick the tires, but only very gently.

I grew up in the days where, if you opened the hood of a car, you could look through and see lots of ground below on all sides of the engine; no power brakes, no power steering, no air conditioning, no fuel injection, no emissions stuff, no automatic trannies (until the Chevy Powerglide of the early '50s - talk about a 'slush box'). I doubt if I would do very well at maintenance on today's vehicles.

Celidor

This is very interesting. I have noticed this slow down as if it is downshifting to slow the car. To combat it, if I do not want to slow down, I just shift into 6th. But with the paddle shifters this is very easy and intuitive . Also popping it into neutral is effective despite the torque converter and then revving into the right rpm when putting it back into drive if you are still moving forward, everything goes smoothly and seems to have little to no extra wear on the tranny.

With my use of the paddle shifters to deal with hills though I see no reason to have this feature. Maybe I should look into disabling it as well. What would you tell them to explain what you want disabled? Automatic engine braking?

G37guy01

Don't forget the fan was directly connected to the belt, you could lose your finger. No fan clutch or hood. The good old days.

kilo870

You just go into the dealer and tell them you would like to disable engine braking. They have to hook it up to their Consult 2 or 3 machine.I recall another post somewhere saying that it states directly in the manual not to put it into neutral and coast. Though I haven't seen it or even looked for it.it had something to do with it being in neutral and coasting that the fluid isn't circulating in the transmission. With it being disabled it seems that it still is so
somewhat still there intermittently but coming from a stop to about 30 or so it does not engage. But even when it does kick in its not near as noticeable as before.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

How's it going kilo870? I'm thinking about getting this done. got a few questions.

Has your MPGs changed? It should of improved.

Tranny failed?

Do you still have DS mode? In DS mode does the engine braking turn on. I'm hoping they can place D mode in place of DS and the non-engine braking mode under D. You get me? lol

Please let us know of any changes.



I need to check with nissan to see if they would void the warranty for this change......

I really dont like the engine braking.......... I think its suppose to make the car feel sporty like you can feel the burst of power more if the car is decelerating and you gun it.

assiduous

I just called my dealer (St. Charles, chicago suburb). They ask $65.00 for the job, say its a standard procedure and will not void any of the warranties.

Now I am REALLY thinking about it. Worst case I am out 130 and put it back on. Or is there even worse case??

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

If you get it done let us know how it goes. I would think it is worth turning off. I just can't imagine why Nissan would add engine braking if it lowers MPG. I thought they went to the CVT so that the vehicle would be more fuel efficient. Seems like engine braking would defeat the purpose.

When I feel the engine braking kicking in and I don't want it, which is almost always, I momentarily depress the gas pedal very lightly. That appears to turn it off.

To me it feels that the engine braking does not always kick in. The car seems to coast to a stop normally most of the time.

assiduous

I don't care about MPG. I am pretty sure the savings will not be significant.

But the braking actually DOES BOTHER me. Never had it before and it bothers me.

Ghozt

I don't usually feel it braking unless I'm going down hill. Wonder if putting it in neutral prevents that or something, never tried.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

For me it always happens once i release my foot off the gas (at low speeds?). Maybe there's something wrong or maybe its the cvt but it also happens while i'm accelerating from low speeds i *think*. I just dont like it. I dont like the car diving forward without me pressing the brakes.

I'm going to analyze when it happens so I can get some real numbers.

Ross2893

Cruising in neutral actually does more wear and tear on the car's "clutch" (torque converter) than engine braking does to other parts.

In modern cars Engine Braking does not waste (use) gas because it shuts off the cars injectors so no gas is being used. Coasting in neutral does however waste gas because the car will then have to idle at a certain RPM which will keep the injectors open.

To answer any of the questions on this thread. While engine braking is annoying/inconvenient to some, it actually does not affect gas consumption.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

I disagree It does result in a shorter distance traveled so thats just less efficient. I can't say how much but it does to a certain degree. Its just don't find it necesary to slow the car down on flat or declined surface for the way i drive.

assiduous

Just to be clear, if I turn it off at the dealer, I can still have engine braking if I use the manual shift mode and the shifters, correct?

If that is the case, I will have it turned off this week.

I investigated this carefully and I think both sides are right. Yes, the car does not use gas during engine braking. BUT. I find that on these small streets where I take off with a little bit of gas and then I let my foot off the gas and kind of coast to the STOP sign the engine braking, while not consuming gas in the process of braking, stops me short of the STOP sign, and consequently I have to use the gas paddle again. I reran the same small streets by starting with same speed and then putting it in neutral, and this heavy car has so much inertia that it EASILY coasts to the stop sign. Maybe I am missing something, but from this observation above it follows inescapably that engine braking WILL RESULT in worse fuel consumption.

Also, brake jobs are about the eeasiest thing to do on a car. And I like to put quality pads and quality rotors. I used these cryogenic steel rotors on my subaru.. best money ever spent. Never rust, never warp, and are so FREAKING straight, I have never had the brake pedal so smooth and vibration free. So I really don't buy that argument for saving brakeware.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

speaking from a strictly physics stand point, anything that slows the car down is reducing the kinetic energy. So the rolling friction of the tires, any friction in the drive train (engine breaking or other), any braking, etc. all result in lost energy transferred to heat. So yes, the engine breaking is hurting gas mileage, but the real question is how much?

Ross2893

Okay how about real world scenario? If the fuel lines are cut during engine braking then no gas is being used so then no gas is being wasted! If there is any gas used to further accelerate because of too much engine braking then even that will be negligible when compared to other circumstances.

There are more compelling arguments for environment causing bad gas mileage like high altitude, or extreme climate. Not to mention bad roads or low tire pressure.

This whole discussion should only focus on the inconvenience/annoyance of engine braking, not gas consumption.

assiduous

How did you arrive to this 'negligible' quantification though? I can see how in some scenarios it may not be negligible. Unless you want your car to slow down, you have to have your foot on the gas the whole time. Once you start paying attention you will notice it everywhere. I'm just doing 45 in a low traffic road but even if I let my foot off the gas for one second I feel the retarding. You may not have noticed, but the result is you having the foot on the gas the whole time.

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

If you come to a complete stop using engine braking or your brakes, you are correct that there is no difference. However, when you engine brake instead of coasting and picking up speed, you are losing the kinetic energy that will later need to be replaced by pressing the gas pedal more than you would have otherwise. That is where the gas is being wasted.

As said before, how are you quantifying this? I agree the the engine braking may be less of a contributor to bad gas mileage than some other things like tire pressure or proper maintenance, but what data do you have to say its negligible? Its physics.....lost energy means more fuel needs to be burned to replace the energy lost. That is a real world scenario.

Why....because you said so? WTF? If we want to discuss the effects on gas mileage, we can do that.

Ross2893

I stick by my statement that this should not be focused on gas consumption because the amount of gas that you'll notice saving if you turned this feature off will be so small that it will become negligible. No I don't have numbers for this but at the same time it's common sense because how much gas can you really use by tapping the gas? Unless you just floor it like an idiot. LOL!

Again speculation LOL but I'm going to assume that the engineers at Nissan know more than you and I and if they felt that engine braking was linked to a sizable amount of inefficiency in gas consumption then they would have probably made it optional or not included it. (Again speculation)

As for my personal experiences, I have never experience engine braking in this car that strong that when it kicked in I still needed to gas it to get back up. When in traffic, whenever I took my foot off the gas to coast my car coasted normally to slow down but never like some are describing that I felt the need to gas it constantly. The only time I have experienced engine braking is on a downhill and to me this is a great feature!

vball_max

iTrader: (5)

We're not just talking about the fuel used to tap the gas to get the engine braking to stop. Here's an example.....

Say you're going downhill at 50 mph, the engine braking will keep you at ~50 mph. If the engine braking had not kicked in and you just coasted, say your speed would have increased to 60 mph. That's 10 mph in kinetic energy that you lost. So you wasted the amount of gas that would normally accelerate you from 50mph to 60 mph. If this happens several times, it could have a noticeable effect on the mileage.

I agree with you that the engineers at Nissan wouldn't have implemented this if it had a large effect on the gas mileage, especially considering the massive emphasis on energy efficient vehicles. But one alternative thought is that maximas have been known to have undersized brakes over the years, so this may be a method developed to help the brakes last longer.

assiduous

I have appointment for 9:00 am tomorrow.

I wont be able to compare mileage because my car has only 280 miles as of right now. So I will just report whatever I am getting afterwards. However I also got significantly lighter wheels, so it will be impossible to separate the two.

Believe it or not, I don't even care about the MPG. Even the expensive wheels I did not buy to save gas. I just like how light and peppy the car feels. And the braking is just annoying to me. I like the feel for free coasting, especially around town, where I tend to take of kind of brisk and then coast all the way to stop sign.