i have been reading thought the threads and a couple of people have said that if they need to get up to speed quicker just shift into 3rd or 2nd. i thought those extra gears on a auto were for tourq, ie getting up a icey hill or getting out of the snow. is this not the case?
shifting an auto ?
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
use it on steep grades where traction is an issue....thus using the load on the engine as a brake rather than a friction-based deviced such as your calipers/rotors. The benefit is obviously reduced risk of tires locking up and therefore more control of the car.
Shifting an auto over time wears it out, autos were designed to shift themselves and going against the grain is never good in the long run. - t
Shifting an auto over time wears it out, autos were designed to shift themselves and going against the grain is never good in the long run. - t
what about shifting it from D to N at a red light? Ive been doing it alot lately but have stopped when a friend told me he use to do it in his bimmer but has also stopped because he found out online that its bad for the engine/tranny. Anyone know anything?
ditto, especially since this is an electronically controlled transmission.
Can you shift it from D to 3 or to 2, sure. Go right ahead. Just be aware that you dont drop it down when you are too fast for that gearing (Check your owners manual, its there). I drop it to 3 all the time for passing, or 3/2/L when traffic slows so I dont have to ride the brake. Shifting it from L-2-3-D manually will not make you any faster
Phungy, what is the point of doing this? Dont tell me your leg gets fatigued at a simple stoplight. You wont save anything by doing this, and you could potentially cause damage if you try to drive off, forget its in N, and drop it to D.
Can you shift it from D to 3 or to 2, sure. Go right ahead. Just be aware that you dont drop it down when you are too fast for that gearing (Check your owners manual, its there). I drop it to 3 all the time for passing, or 3/2/L when traffic slows so I dont have to ride the brake. Shifting it from L-2-3-D manually will not make you any faster
Phungy, what is the point of doing this? Dont tell me your leg gets fatigued at a simple stoplight. You wont save anything by doing this, and you could potentially cause damage if you try to drive off, forget its in N, and drop it to D.
Joined
·
1,097 Posts
yeah... refrian from Neutral drops! LOL... but as far as shifting down... sure it wont destroy the tranny... but it does it on its own so why bother? ... i'd rather replace $15 brake pads than a $2000 tranny.... thats just me.
Joined
·
34 Posts
When I had my auto-blazer in college I always had to shift down to 2 when going down hills in the winter. An SUV that heavy for some reason had very poorly designed brakes, they could never quite get the job done on some of the steaper hills in the snow and ice. More then once I had to stear into a snow bank to avoid rear-ending someone.
Joined
·
1,276 Posts
that is a perfect example of what you SHOULD do on mountanous roads, if you have a lot of ups and downs, especially downs, because if you keep using the breaks, they can heat up and lock up, so there...you have no breaks. As far as I know, if you use it rationally -> while flying down a hill, don't shift into L, the engine helps your car slow down, and especially in snow and ice, maintain traction. So.....$15 break pads, or $2000 for tranny or a wrecked car on a side of a cliff b/c your breaks overheated? Well, I'll chose to take a risk and pay tranny repairs as opposed to being in a world of trouble.
But yeah, most of the time, I see no reason to shift an automatic....that's what it's there for.....to shift for you.
Joined
·
48 Posts
If you shift an Auto all the time...stop pretending. Live with your mistake, and make the right decision next time. But if you just do it to like pass people on the freeway then you should do that.
Joined
·
7,758 Posts
Hrm. I was wondering how this thread just popped up and got so many replies so fast... Ha! Didn't realize it was old until just now.
Joined
·
3,358 Posts
He only joined 2 months after you did
Anyway, I don't think shifting with an auto will get you anywhere faster like someone above mentioned.
Basically, when you hit the gas hard, it automatically redlines every gear, no?
So what does shifting manually will do for your auto...? Wouldn't it be just... WORSE?
Joined
·
866 Posts
Well then donna, I'll take that back. He's not new, just a "not-so-active-member". His 22 post count threw me off a bit.
Seriously though, when you ressurect an extremely old thread to add nothing of vaule, that's really irritating. Here I am thinking I should re-read the entire thing, just to see someone add "yeah, I totally agree.", for no reason. It's a real kill-joy.
Seriously though, when you ressurect an extremely old thread to add nothing of vaule, that's really irritating. Here I am thinking I should re-read the entire thing, just to see someone add "yeah, I totally agree.", for no reason. It's a real kill-joy.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
