April 2008
Those of you with teeth as long as mine may remember cars (mostly Rovers, IIRC) that had a 'freewheel' option, which was effectively a one-way clutch that allowed the engine to drive the wheels, but not the reverse. This meant no engine braking, but allowed the car to coast whenever you took your foot off the throttle. This was for economy purposes, so I wonder it hasn't been resurrected now we are supposed to be worrying about our carbon output.
I assume it was abandoned for safety reasons, but we have much better brakes now, and AFAIK, Rovers were never regarded as worse than any other make in that regard - better, if anything.
As a footnote, I would mention that 2-stroke cars, such as the Wartburg, also had it, because driving the engine fast on a low throttle setting (which meant little lubrication) would have seized it pretty quickly. I rather enjoyed mine, especially when I tried to describe it to the then Mrs JBJ, who when I mentioned a free wheel, wanted to know which one it was... Read more
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I have to confess that I use "angel gear" quite frequently with my old 1963 GMC pick-up truck; since it's also fitted with "mandraulic" steering and has no brake servo there's less risk in coasting with the engine turned off altogether, also the brake lights work independently of the ignition switch. I do reserve this behaviour for main roads with long straight descents though; given that she averages about 14 mpg overall any fuel saving at all is a bonus!
As for engine braking, the beast has a 5-litre V-6 engine (yes it is the original one) and a 3-speed column change. Let us just say it provides excellent retardation!