If you're using your transmission to slow down instead of the brakes you'll save money on brake jobs but at the expense of accelerated clutch wear.
Brakes are always easier and cheaper to replace than a clutch.
Except, perhaps, on 1st generation Saab 900s...
If you're using your transmission to slow down instead of the brakes you'll save money on brake jobs but at the expense of accelerated clutch wear.
But, if you know how to use a clutch properly, you can use the transmission to slow down without causing excessive wear on the clutch. In fact, with some knowledge of your gear ratios, a bit of skill, and some practice, it's pretty easy to downshift without disengaging the clutch - and that causes virtually no wear.
Any time I’ve had a car with a manual transmission, I’ve used engine braking to help slow the car. If it put more wear on the clutch, it wasn’t enough that I noticed; in fact I got over 145,000 miles on one of the clutches in my current car.