Agree completely. Pound for pound a gasoline engine will have better engine braking. I think there is a perception that diesel has better engine braking because many times they tend to be larger displacement engines, hence creating more friction, so friction braking is increased. But equal displacement gas/diesel, the gas will outbrake the diesel due to vacuumGoing to stir the pot here a little: some of ya'll aren't super familiar with physics, and it shows. Below are a couple helpful links with some info.
Engineering Explained - What Is Engine Braking? What Is A Jake Brake?Engine braking - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
In short:
Gas engine braking comes from vacuum created by the throttle body when the piston is trying to pull air past the butterfly valve on the intake stroke (ie, creating vacuum)
Diesel engine braking comes ONLY WHEN either:
1. the "throttle body" from a gas engine is put in the exhaust pipe to restrict airflow through the engine. This causes work do be done when the piston has to push air past the butterfly valve on the exhaust stroke. Kinda like the old "banana in the tailpipe" trick in beverly hills cop or whatever it was.OR2. the exhaust valve is opened before the pressure built during the compression cycle can be used by the engine to push the piston back down. This means the piston is used to squish air on the compression stroke (doing a lot of work), then all that compressed air is released before the exhaust stroke (before the power stroke even).Without either of those two things being involved, the diesel piston is simply squishing air, then that same squished air is pushing the piston back down.