I agree GTR. A lot of woooses out there, even worse, woooses finding time to write about this silly issue. C'mon guys, it's a no-brainer. Know your limits and the aircraft's and use the gear if you need to or want to adjust your profile. Why limit yourselves the option?
As far as I'm aware, most passengers (even I, sometimes) are quite excited by the sound of the gear as it's the sign of imminent landing and "FINALLY", arrival to their destination. No more repetitive "are we there yet?" mantras, the sound of the gear almost marking the final reporting point a minute from landing.