Drag in Drive

It's normal. Mine does it as well.

 

they do have alot of engine braking....something i noticed first thing when i had my 06, but its normal.....and actually good for the life of the motor and all.

 

It's not necessarily the same, but my automatic Matrix slowed down a lot compared to my manual Tacoma. I've driven my roommate's automatic Chevy Silverado, and it does the same thing.

 

yea i notice it more when im going down hill

 

Its something with the auto tranny, my truck does the same thing. My old X-Runner did not do it. My 98 Taco did not do it either and it was an auto as-well.

 

First, to stay on topic... my truck does it, too. More than any vehicle I've owned, but I've never had a truck before, either.

What makes you say it's "good for the life of the motor?" I've been in a debate with a friend of mine about using the engine to maintain speed going down hills, etc. I don't know enough about engines to convince him that it's OK for the car. (And, frankly, I've never heard that it could be good for the life of the motor.)

Thanks!

 

My new Tacoma is the same but my 05 Avalon will coast for a long time closing very little speed. That's really good for gas mileage.

 

ok.....maybe i was a little too forward with my comment.........what i was trying to say, and this is just my thinking, with engine braking, the motor actually does less work(since the injectors arent kicking in) and its basically a way to save fuel...........maybe or maybe not "good for the life of the motor" as i said before, but to me...it seems like it would be. its good for the braking system though, cause if you use engine braking to your advantage.....you dont have top use the brake pedal to make a quick stop....thats all i was getting at!!

if it matters though.....the 06 tacoma i had was actually the first vehicle i ever had that i really noticed engine braking in. the 04 tacoma i have now.......i havent noticed it at all.

 

I agree 100%... I don't use the engine to break (i.e. - downshifting when I approach a stop light or an exit ramp), but I do use it to maintain speed while going down hills. My buddy keeps saying that "engine breaking is causing wear on the enging/transmission... i'd rather pay to replace my brakes than my tranny." All I can tell him is that it makes sense to me b/c you're not using any more gas, you're not wearing out your breaks, and (the part about which I'm not sure) it's not bad for the drive train.

I'm just trying to find somebody who can tell me if it does cause unnecessary wear to the vehicle or not.

 

i did a search on google about engine braking trying to find the same thing, and about all i could find about unnecessary wear and tear is that, yeah...there is some, but its minimal at best, so hopefully, it really is. but then again, the way these tacomas are built, as long as you keep the oil changed and the tranny fluid changed when needed, i dont think there is really anything to worry about.

 

All big rig trucks use engine braking for slowing or maintaining speed downhill, they average 800k - 1m miles before inframe overhauls.

It is a safety feature all the manufactures are building into the automatic trannys, they are trying to use what a manual tranny already has built in it.

 

Same here...

It's not as noticable sometimes. While other times...if I tap on the brake briefly, it seems like it downshifts even further and really drags ya back.

 

Exactly, you can almost make it feel like a manual and make it shift, up and down, where you want by the way you touch the gas and brakes. The '99 with an auto didn't do this at all.

 

You guys are all off topic. I think he's asking what it's like to drive in drag.

 

^Great avatar, btw. "sLaughter is the best medicine."