down shifting an auto.

Hey guys I for once decided to put my automatic truck to D drove up to about 45 mph and shifted to 4 watch the rpm gauge drop and downshifted to 3 and then 2. Does that effect or harm the tranny in anyway? If not I like the sound of it and wont worry if I do it once in awhile

 

No. Downshifting at the proper speeds will not cause harm to your transmission. Look in your owners manual to find the appropriate speed range to downshift from.

 

"I like the sound of it" lol I like that you're honest. I don't know honestly, I've done it before out of curiosity and obviously nothing happened. But I generally assume its gonna be best (for normal driving) to let the auto tranny do what it thinks is best (in D).

 

As long as you're not redlining it then you should be ok, but if your transmission is shifting up and down excessively and heats up enough the fluid will begin to break down and cause damage. As long as you don't go overboard I'd say you're fine.

The self-shifting is mostly used when towing to prevent overdrive being used a lot, racing or controlling speed when going downhill.

 

The owners manual actually recommends downshifting the auto to achieve the best engine braking possible and to reduce wear and tear on the brakes. Ever since I've started downshifting regularly, I've noticed that this self learning transmission will occasionally downshift on it's own, right about the time that I normally would.

 

Maybe I just notice it more now since it does it right about the time I'm about to shift.

 

Won't hurt it. Engine braking is your friend. Just another tool in your box to use as needed.
The trans won't let you shift into a gear that is out of its RPM range.

 

Living in Colorado, it will extend your brake life if used correctly.

 

+1

tacomas are advanced enough to not shift into a gear that will hurt the truck, its all in the owners manual if you want mor info and the chart