Down shifting to slow down, do you do it ??
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 321
Likes: 1
From: St. Peters, Missouri
Down shifting to slow down, do you do it ??
been in the habit of using the shifter most anytime I am approaching a stop sign or light,, always use it downhill if it is a slow and twisty road,,
usually take it down to 3rd gear in the 45 mph or under range,,
wanted to know if anyone has ever ran into a problem doing this resulting in tranny issues,,
thanks
Derry
usually take it down to 3rd gear in the 45 mph or under range,,
wanted to know if anyone has ever ran into a problem doing this resulting in tranny issues,,
thanks
Derry
i did this for about 2 straight years in my old 99 gs400 and i sold it a few months ago with 110k miles on it and absolutely no tranny issues. i have just about gotten completely out of the habit of doing this on my newer ls and i am glad. when i first got the 05 ls i always left it on the average mpg display and when i would down shift to assist in slowing down instead of braking i would notice a pretty quick drop in mpg (brake pads are cheaper in the long run than g's of gas sooo...). this quickly assisted in helping me to stop doing this.
in my gs it really helped out a lot, but i don't think i need it for the majority of the time in the ls... i got new rotors and pads on the ls the day i bought it and it stops very nicely.
in my gs it really helped out a lot, but i don't think i need it for the majority of the time in the ls... i got new rotors and pads on the ls the day i bought it and it stops very nicely.
Last edited by sojah; Feb 24, 2009 at 01:04 PM.
..
do that regularly and no problems at all..... just use it as back up for last minute braking so don't trash my brake pads.. which seem to wear out quicker than one would expect despite proper driving..
Dances with goats
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,234
Likes: 2
From: FL & NY
never do it... when i got my LS i rode my brakes real hard and stopping was done and pads were torn to hell and i was broke so i down shifted for a little while and after got new brakes i stopped doing it completely
I never do it. Somehow I just don't like the idea of engine braking, particularly with an automatic. Besides, brake pads don't wear out THAT fast. LOL My LS has 62K miles on it and still on the original pads.
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Lead Lap
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 518
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From: Ca
When reading through the manual, it stated to increase the life of your transmission, always drive in 'd'.
I was using the shift as well because it's a little more fun, but after reading this stopped. I also had my tranny go out in my previous car before this. I don't really believe this was the cause of the tranny failure, but for the six months before I manually downshifted the tranny when stopping for fun as well.
I was using the shift as well because it's a little more fun, but after reading this stopped. I also had my tranny go out in my previous car before this. I don't really believe this was the cause of the tranny failure, but for the six months before I manually downshifted the tranny when stopping for fun as well.
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