Manually shifting your auto

Hey all-

How good/bad is it to manual shift your automatic? I have an 09 v6, and there's a hill near me that downshifting to fourth and third really saves the brakes on. But what about shifting up, so I can hold gear a little longer and get higher rpms - is that bad to do?

I've also noticed that say if I put it in third, it just doesnt shift higher - but it will auto down to first and second.

I love my truck, I don't wanna break the tranny but the sometimes manual shifting is pretty fun.

 

Yeah....Manual Envy...It happens...at least if you don't have a manual it does.

You can shift like that...Don't force it into red lines and stuff...but it's fine to use it if you want.

 

I do it all the time. Actually I used it to help 'train' it to shift later. I also use it for engine braking all the time as well on hills.

Also you can't 'force' it into redlines to the best I know on downshifting it'll wait. Otherwise the limiter will kick in preventing it from going to high in the rpm. I wouldn't try going down forcing it into redline, but I kinda doubt it'll let you....

 

I also have a hill near me that I downshift into 3rd for.... and I don't see a problem with it. However - I'd be careful how fast you're going and only shift to a certain point to match your speed. You don't wanna shift down too far resulting in a sudden major increase in rpm's and the truck trying to stop itself suddenly.

When you're in 3rd gear....it'll only shift from 1st, 2nd, & 3rd and won't go any higher than whatever gear you're in (on the shifter). Not sure if that's what you were referring to..... Other than that, the points at which it shifts all varies depending on various sensors & such on the truck, along with the throttle by wire deal. I'm sure that alone can mess stuff up sometimes.

Sometimes I'll manually shift the auto in the winter on the snow...but that's about it. I bought an Auto so I don't have to shift - I just let the truck do all the work.

 

you're right, Ive down shifted before at a speed that was not appropriate for the gear so it held back the shift until my speed fell into the appropriate range, then it shifted.

 

i shift my auto trans all the time. It works very well on hills and and for slowing down gradually before lights. Hopefully it is ok that i do this. Trying to go easier on the brakes, but i dont want to pound my transmission either...

 

Damn trucks are smarter than us

 

I shift my auto all the time...

...I tried leaving it in "D" all the time, but it wouldn't give me back my keys.

Seriously, I do downshift the auto - especially going down some of these hills between San Antonio and Austin. Mountains of Colorado are the most fun though. It helps to downshift every once in a while. It trains the ECU to downshift for you.

 

I'd rather waste brakes than transmission.

 

^correct. I'd rather have control over my slowing speed too.

I hate downshifting on hills...I like coasting. I would disable the brake assist if I could.

And yes...we have hills and mountains here in Western PA.

 

Manually shifting an auto transmission can cause overheating in some circumstances. For example, putting it manually in a gear that is too high under acceleration: causes torque converter to heat up pretty quickly.

 

Yea, apparently they aren't 10.2% grades where if you leave it in drive you'll hit 100+ mph coasting lol. I have to leave it in 3rd on some hills just to maintain 75-80 on some hills.

Also, it's not going to hurt your transmission. Use it, it's what it's ment for. It spins, it has oil. Do the 100k maintenance and it'll be fine. Towing will be way harder on it than downshifting ever will. This transmission rev-matches, probably way better than even pro drivers could do with a stick and a clutch. I won't worry about it myself. I also run full synthetic in the engine, and do changes at every 5k (yea, it could go way longer) because I do drive it hard. I buy vehicles to enjoy them though, but that's me.

 

I never go that overboard, but when cruising down a hill at 50MPH I usually drop it into 4 to slow it down a little so I can ease off on the brakes. I also have the tow package with the tranny cooler. So, I am a little rougher on my tranny than most guys.

I would have gotten a 6 speed manual except they did not offer it in the Double Cab Long Bed. The long bed is a must for me as I use the crap out of it.

 

Save the money in the end and use your brakes

http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/cartalk/posts/list/1773009.page
http://www.garage-pak.com/pat-goss-washington-post/1998-wp-to-shift-or-not-to-shift.html
http://www.startribune.com/cars/11355021.html

 

Post something actual data to back up the claim it's shortening the life other than hearsay and I'll believe it...

Also none of those links had anything to support there was repair work done :/ So, as it stands it's just as valid to do it or not...

 

^ This...If it's a choice between the two..I'll trash out the 100 dollars in brake pads over the 3+ grand in trans.

 

If you are going to coast down a steep grade for more than a couple of miles, downshifting to an appropriate gear to assist in keeping your brakes from smoking and becoming ineffective is a good idea. Its not like we are downshifting grins (okay, I'm not).

Driving my Suburban in the front range of Colorado (between Nederland, Boulder, and all the way down I-70 to Glenwood Springs), I learned how to put the transmission at the right gear to assist braking. I also learned that if you only counted on the brakes you could very quickly find yourself in a precarious situation.

 

Yea, brake fading is no fun. I had that happen to me towing on I-5 in NorCal on the ranger (probably a little over 3/4 it's max towing capacity). It's not fun when you realize the brakes are no longer doing crap and you're coming up on a 35mph turn at 60....

 

it would be very hard to find concrete proof that downshifting does cause problems, but to me it just seems logical, you can either put the downward moving weight on your breaks or you could put it on your drivetrain. I dont know forsure but I do know I wouldnt want to risk something that may cost thousands of dollars to fix to save something costs 100 dollars and your going to have to replace anyways.

 

I was in a similar situation in my ex-girlfriends Ford Explo(d)er going down I-70 in late November. I felt like an idiot, but I pulled it out somehow. So glad I am not 18 and naive anymore.