keep it between 3000 and 5000 rpm, and don't use the brakes unless you have to! works for me ;)

Engine breaking for me
 

Not excessive - mind you. In any case, just shutting the throttle is normally enough. It goes hand in hand with controlling speed with the right gear. How many times have you followed traffic down a hill that sit on their brakes just to control their speed? Then how many motorists that drive too close to the car in front find themselves driving into said car (who's driver has been sitting on its brakes) because it suddenly slows down?

Conversely, I've never been rear ended but have woken up many a motorist and taught them to look more than one vehicle ahead!!:cussing:

As for tyre wear - I think rapid acceleration has far more effect.
Even as a courier I appear to get far more mileage out of my tyres than others (10k+ miles for the rear).
And at 100,400 miles I'm still on the original clutch.

The thing with a modern car is if you've not got your foot on the gas and your engine braking there is no fuel going in,
Clutch in and braking, engine is using petrol to keep ticking over
The way petrol is going, its far more expensive than brake shoes and clutches, I was taught to engine brake as much as possible when I had my lessons, ooo a good few years ago
Can't say I've ever done a clutch or brakes,