gundy

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask it anyway.

I see a lot of cars with automatic transmissions that also have a sport/manual mode that allows the driver to manually shift into different gears at will. Since my 2005 RX 330 w/4WD has the ability to select gears L through 4 (plus D w/overdrive), is it safe to manually shift through these gears when driving, similar to the aforementioned, without damaging the transmission? Thanks.

Steve G.

pauljcl

Yes, you can do it. Probably not worth the effort - we are not talking 'sport' here. I had read somewhere that some people recommended using "4" instead of D in town - it was said to prevent the use of the overdrive and thus reduce wear on the transmission. [I would have to check my gearshift to be sure - but you would put the gearshift lever on the left as opposed to the right in D. I don't do it.

satz

as paulcjl said above you can do it, but it's definetely not a sport mode. The changes are not very quick. However I do use it sometimes when coming down long steep hills, to keep it in 3rd or 4th to use some engine braking.

Also occasionally when I want to drive enthusiastically, I'll use it to keep the gear I want when exiting a corner fast