[Pat Buckley]

IMO, engine braking was good back in the days when the brakes were marginal - it has no place in todays car.

The only reason to shift down while braking is so that you are in the corect gear when the time comes to accelerate. Blipping the throttle to match revs is done for one reason only - and that is so that you don't cause the rear tires to break traction when you down shift into the lower gear and let the clutch out....remember the rear tires will be lightly loaded under braking making this a very real possibility.