i use a manual, but you can do the same thing i do when coming to a red light or going downhill - shift down, so the engine takes a lot of the braking energy and your brake pads don't get worn out so fast and the more important thing - if you go downhill for a long time - your brakes don't overheat. (otherwise your brakes are less efficient) So, shift down if you go downhill and you don't have to stand all the time on the brake.

-st.
740T 220k