mcoliver Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Hi guys. I drive a '03 CRV and most of the time there're cargo or people with me. When going uphill or trying to over-take cars, I find I can get power-when-I-need-it by manually down-shifting, either going to D2 or hitting OD off. Is this practice bad for the automatic transmission in the long run? Is there a "correct" way to do this without wearing out the AT? Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Hi, This is not bad at all. Over the past 16 years, I have driven several (5 or so) cars with AT and done the same myself. AT's have a protection mechanism that will not engage a lower gear when the speed is too high. Shifting down when going up hill is actually a good thing to do, because most AT's don't downshift soon enough so that you end up putting more load on the engine than necessary. And for taking over: all AT's I know have a "kick-down" feature: when you quickly floor the *thumb rest [generic]*, the AT shifts down one or two times to give you a faster accelleration. I bet your CRV has this feature too. So don't worry, you will not damage your AT by driving like you described Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gm iprod Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 I have a Mitsubishi 3ltr V6 with 5spd AT, sedan. I have been known to drive briskly It has a manual up and down shift for all the gears plus kick-down. I use it to hold a gear on long uphills when over taking and trying to go as fast as possible. Drive it like hell and see what happens. Oh sorry, mine is a company car, so it can leap curbs in a single bound, uses no oil, and has warp capability. All kidding aside it will be fine to drive it the way you describe. Dropping it out of OD will enable the gearbox to hold in any particular gear longer and for higher revs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 I have found that disengaging the OD when hauling a load in hilly areas to help tremedously in power applied. (not to mention that the owners manual in my F150 glove box says to do it !!!!) The "kick-down" feature on my truck works real well. IMHO, the best aftermarket device you can buy to help your transmission is an auxilliary cooler. My son was hauling a trailer with my truck and overheated my tranny and it still periodically leaks fluid. FWIW dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted January 6, 2004 Share Posted January 6, 2004 Oh sorry, mine is a company car, so it can leap curbs in a single bound, uses no oil, and has warp capability. The only type of car that will outperform a company car is a rental! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted January 7, 2004 Author Share Posted January 7, 2004 Appreciate the replies guys. Thanks. I was browsing through the manual just recently (I though only VCR players have manuals ) and it indeed mentions about hitting the OD off esp when going downhill and the gear has over-speed protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 *Automatic transmission*? What on Earth are they talking about??? --Detlef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 AT is required equipment in stop-and-go traffic. How quickly some forget they were once Californian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detlef Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 just kidding, I now drive the new CVT ("continuously variable transmission", an old DAF patent that Audi picked up again) that has all the advantages of both manual and automatic transmissions, but none of their disadvantages. Really cool... It has an option to switch manually, and I have never used it...and that from a hardcore manual afficianado... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Pinto Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 McOliver, I generally drive my A/T car in auto, but I have no hesitation using the shifter manually when going up or down hills, or on twisty road to hold it in 2nd gear, and I also agree turning off the OD button is an easy first step. I had a CRV for 2 years when they were first released, and it's a nice car, especially for the narrower back streets and tight parking spaces in Hong Kong however, if I was living full time in the PI, I'd definitely get a fully loaded Ford Expedition. And "fully loaded" means more than just a nice hi-fi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 I heard that years ago Chevy recommended driving an auto-tranny in 3rd gear if speeds are under 45mph (city driving). If the transmission was in overdrive (4th), the rpm would be too low to adequately pressurize the system and overheating would occur. When I was driving with a Corvette rep on a recent Car & Driver job with my Uncle, the guy told me to manually shift with the auto-transmission. There's nothing wrong with it. It actually keeps the tranny cooler, it works less and it sounds cooler! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 There are some drawbacks to manually downshifting some auto transmissions. Do NOT use the downshift like a manual transmission for engine braking. In other words do not completely let off the throttle and pull the transmission down into a lower gear or dis-engage the overdrive while the vehicle is under load. This slips the bands and clutches in a manner they were not designed for. If you are going to downshift keep a steady throttle pressure until the transmission has shifted, THEN let off the throttle. This works the transmission the same way as the throttle kickdown. Also do NOT manually downshift most American automatic transmissions into first gear while the vehicle is moving. Many auto transmissions engage the reverse bands when manually shifted into first gear to increase the bands grip to reduce the chances of slippage under heavy pulling loads when starting from a stop in first gear. Banging the transmission into first may sound cool when it chirps the tires, but you're killing the transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 (edited) Holy smokes Nolan that's a big deal!! I put my Sliverado's transmission into lower gears when decenting a grade all the time. A lot of people do that!! I hope that not true. Oops, I re-read your post and realized that you stated that it's ok if you apply even RPM until the shift happens. Interesting.... Edited January 7, 2004 by TDean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Most modren transmissions won't perform the shift in to manual low until the appropriate opperating speed has been reached. You can throw it into low at 40mph its not going to down shift into low untill you reach 15mph or so. Even though the shift lever is in low the tranny will stay in 2 or 3 until it is safe to down shift as to not over rev the engine and transmission internals. It is true that low and reverse share the same drum and band in many applicatations, however it doens't act as a brake in it self. It holds the reverse drum to achive a certain level of gear reduction through a planitary gear set. When in hilly terrain or towing it is usualy advised that you should take the vheicle out of overdrive. A good indication of when to do this is if the reansmission on is constantly in and out of overdrive or "Hunting". In most cases you will have engine braking when out of overdrive. If increased engine braking is desired it is safe to put into the next lowest gear providing that you are going the appropriate speed for that gear range. As far as everyday around town driving overdrive the prefered selection in most cases. Your vehicle owner's manual has a wealth of information in it, and I personally recomend vehicle owncer read their's. The best thing to keep a transmission running well is to change the fluid and filter frequently and at the recomended intervals and avoid over loading. **disclaimer. all the information above is general in nature. Follow the appropriate operating procedure in your owner's manual for your specific vehicle. I though CVTs first came out in subarus? BRAT? maybe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcoliver Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Vince, with gas prices skyrocketting, the Explorer will seriously dip into my shooting budget. Something I have seriously fought for before agreeing to get married... Nolan, thanks for that "steady throttle" tip. Been driving a manual since forever, the habit of releasing the gas when shifting needs to be changed. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Dodge Different I guess. My Dodge Dakota transmission will shift into first gear regardless of speed. The old GM Turbo 400 would also downshift regardless of speed as I found out in High School Drivers Ed. The intructor had me do an emergency stop by using only the emergency brake and downshifting the auto transmission. What the instructor failed to note was I was doing 80 MPH! (Gotta love those '68 Old Cutlass) and being 14 years old I immediately went from drive to first without even hesitating at second. It was a long walk back to town. Manually upshifting in my Dodge sucks because if you floor it in first, then manually shift into second as you approach the red line the transmission freewheels for a bit while it first releases the reverse band then it will shift into second. I bounced it off the rev limiter the first time I did that. The trick is to pin the throttle to the floor and immediately shift into second gear. If you get the shifter moved before 2000 RPM it immediately releases the reverse band so you still get the benefit of the hard launch without the false neutral second gear shift. The transmission stays in first until the max. rpm shiftpoint as long as you don't let up on the throttle. If traction is lacking it's better to just leave it in Drive and get a little softer launch because only the first gear bands are engaged. Oops, I forgot wrong forum. I was just over on the Dakota R/T forums, my bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Nolan, didn't you have at least one transmission replaced in your truck? When it was only a year or two old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 For a car guy I'm bad with automatics, I put them in D and go, if they wanted me to drive in 3rd or something else they would have put a manual trans. in the thing. If it breaks then I take it to the dealer and have them fix it, that's what warranties are for. I will use 3rd if I'm climbing hills and the thing is shifting up and down all the time. Driving at constant speeds in anyting but drive creates more heat as most newer cars have lock-up converters. When the converter unlocks you start shearing fluid again and the heat goes up. Heat kills automatics so an aux. cooler is good but too much cool it also bad. Most factory set-up with towing packages and aux. coolers have a thermostatic switch/bypass so they don't over cool. My $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Nolan, didn't you have at least one transmission replaced in your truck? When it was only a year or two old? Yup, at 50,000 miles on the way home from the 2002 Nationals. Not really sure what caused it other than a heavy right foot! Front pump, all the bands, clutches, valve body and converter were trashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Nolan all of my training has been on Ford trannys. The principal fundimentals pretty much consistant across the board. None of the Ford electronicly controled transmissions will allow the down shift. I can't belive Chrysler corp is that dumb to allow such an action to occur. Upshifing using the manual valve sucks and will allways delay. New electronic shift controls are really cool and work well and fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Believe it. My 46Re transmission is based on the old Chrysler 727 TorqueFlight. A lot of the parts interchange all the way back to 1963! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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