エンジンブレーキ
えんじんぶれーき
noun
engine braking
1.
engine braking (slowing a vehicle using the engine)
The technique of slowing a vehicle by releasing the accelerator and/or downshifting, so that the engine's resistance helps decelerate the car without using the foot brake. The Japanese term is wasei-eigo.
下り坂ではエンジンブレーキを使う。
Use engine braking on downhill slopes.
ギアを下げてエンジンブレーキをかけた。
I downshifted and applied engine braking.
長い下り坂では、フットブレーキだけでなくエンジンブレーキも併用しよう。
On long downhill slopes, use engine braking together with the foot brake.
雪道では急ブレーキを避けて、エンジンブレーキでゆっくり速度を落とすのが安全だ。
On snowy roads, it's safer to avoid sudden braking and gradually reduce speed using engine braking.
エンジンブレーキ is a wasei-eigo term for the deceleration provided by the engine when the driver releases the accelerator or downshifts. Unlike フットブレーキ, no separate brake pedal is involved — the engine itself slows the car.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- エンジンブレーキを使う: to use engine braking
- エンジンブレーキをかける: to apply engine braking
- エンジンブレーキが効く: engine braking takes effect / is felt
- エンジンブレーキを併用する: to use engine braking in combination (with the foot brake)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- フットブレーキ: foot brake (the main brake pedal)
- サイドブレーキ: parking brake
- 減速: deceleration, slowing down (general term)
USAGE NOTES:
- Driving school in Japan emphasizes that on long downhill stretches, drivers should rely partly on エンジンブレーキ to keep the foot brakes from overheating and losing effectiveness — a phenomenon known as ベーパーロック or フェード現象.
- For automatic transmission cars, you can engage stronger エンジンブレーキ by shifting to a lower gear (e.g., L or 2).