I was just thinking that installing an Exhaust Brake on my TDI would prolong the Brake Rotor / Brake Pad life and safe me money in the long run. Exhaust brake makes more sense if I am towing 14000 lbs with a Dodge Ram down a 20 mile 6 percent grade, but...
VWs and Audis usually don't machine/polish the old rotors when the time comes for new pads (they just replace old rotors). And we all know that this is NOT cheap. This and the timing belt are most costly maintenance items.
I understand that downshifting will slow me down, I just wonder if an exhaust brake is better for the overall health of my vehicle in the long run.
Here is what Mr. Banks from BanksPower tuner has to say about Exhaust Brakes:
"To provide some supplemental braking, typically drivers downshift to a lower gear, allowing the engine to exert some braking force as the engine attempts to intake air against a closed throttle. Of course, this only works for gasoline engine-powered vehicles that have air throttles. Drivers with diesel engines, which have unrestricted air intake, face a different problem. Diesels provide little engine braking unless they are fitted with either an internal or an external device that uses the pumping action of the engine to do work. In either case, such devices on diesel engines are intended to create a pumping resistance that results in engine braking.
The internal mechanism built into some large diesel engines is called a Jake Brake®, so named after Jacobs Vehicle Systems® that originated it. This mechanism opens the exhaust valve of each cylinder at the top of each compression stroke. Thus, the engine has to work to compress the air, which is then released into the exhaust system. Unfortunately, the operation of Jake Brakes is fairly noisy, making a loud burbling sound as the vehicle decelerates. This is a fairly complex and expensive system that is usually found only on large trucks or some large motorhomes. It is also something that cannot be retrofitted to a 'non-Jake Brake diesel' since it is incorporated into the engine’s original design."
I got this from:
http://www.bankspower.com/why_add_exhaust_brake.cfm
The signs in residential areas that say "NO ENGINE BRAKING" are talking to the Jake Brakes. The valve that closes the exhaust can be virtually silent (not louder than engine, wind, or tire noise).