Engine couple questions

couple questions

i was wondering if its bad to downshift an automatic...like what problems will it cause...also, is it bad to downshift out of overdrive(i have the button on the shifte)???

also, my friend is fairly new at stick...but is good at it, he was wondering if its bad for the clutch/motor to downshift

Down shifting is fine in a manual, dont know about auto.

should be fine, I use it when in driving in the snow. as long as you don't downshift going up a hill or go over the recommended speed for each gear. it's in your manual

i use it when its raining(been rainin here for 2 days straight none stop) and snow and maybe sometimes on normal drivin

I guess is not all that good when ur tryin to make ur AT like a 5 spd lol, I dk I guess the tranny deteriorates with time when u shift up and down the gears (AT) and well as for downshifting on a manual tranny the motor does stress up but I guess I would use it in case of emergency... but that's just me

Downshifting is absolutely necessary in an automatic; unless you like to play with the gear selector and prevent the tranny from switching to higher gears, it will do so automatically, and you could be forced to try and accelerate in 4th gear or downshift and speed up (say, on a freeway ramp).

Turning off your overdrive has many good reasons. If I'm stuck behind someone slow on an onramp I sometimes turn it off to give me a little more power (and to make the 2nd gear downshift a little quicker). You can also use it to help with engine braking or hill climbs; I've exited before at 80 MPH onto a steep downhill ramp with very little room to slow down, so I turned off the overdrive to help me.

On long interstates if I'm climbing a steep enough (and long enough) hill or mountain I turn it off if I can't maintain my speed in 4th. This is actually very important because you can overheat your engine and tranny by forcing downshifts constantly with the gas to try and maintain your speed; my car has actually turned off my O/D for me once when I was doing this.

I'd say about 98% of the time though I keep it on, because it improves your gas mileage and there's little benefit to keeping it on in most circumstances besides the ones I listed above.

if i exit the freeway, i turn the overdrive off first, then if the rpm is low, i put it in 2 then to L... i dont want to just rely on the brakes... coz if i do, it goes down pretty deep and a smell comes out of it...

yeah, thats basically what i do hellapinoy, i try not to use my brakes when i don't need to so i just downshift sometimes, mainly i just downshift outta o/d and into 2nd, i never downshift into L

i do a little bit of "heel and Toe" to go down to L... if you get it right, it will downshift pretty smooth... i mean, really smooth... my friends always ask me how i do it, i always say its easy to do but hard to teach...

I dk I just don't trust AT transmissions too much.... they're too delicate so at least I don't shift it or anythin I just leave it in D and the only time I change it to 2nd is when it's snowing about it... I fear it might break down lol

i stopped doing all that crap to it too... coz im starting to get worried...

to put it simply. if you keep it within the proper spec (no redlining or over revving) you'll be fine. don't ever throw it in 1st though. i guess they just put first on there for towing or something...who knows.
i used to downshift in my corolla all the time. mostly on hills, so i wouldnt have to brake as much

exactly, i'll be cruising along and a red light comes up i let off the gas wait a few secs, then i turn O/D off and i wait for the rpm to go down, then i go into second, then i stop, then throw it back in drive with O/D on, but its kinda hard for me because i have no tach so i gotta listen to my motor which means i gotta turn my stereo down

yea I don't have a tach either... I dk man I think downshifting though it puts extra non needed stress on ur motor so I find it pointless and that's why they invented brakes....TO USE THEM!!! lol, I dk I just don't mess with my car like that lol

well, i mainly do it in rain/snow to avoid skiddin when braking

LOL, there's a video on a Celica forum of a guy N-dropping his GT...

His engine had oil starvation and was about to give out, and the swap he had lined up included a new tranny, so he figured he'd have some fun with it. I think he dropped it about 20 times and it still ran fine...though you shouldn't try this at home. (He's the kinda guy that goes and buys beater cars and gets them airborne).

But you are right, auto trannies tend to be a little weaker (I can tell you about my family's old Voyager and current Caravan ), and I wouldn't downshift on every exit ramp just for a little extra engine braking, only when I really need it.