When to shift into low [dumb question]

[Sunliner]

Ok, this will probably be the dumbest question ever posted by a grown man on this board, but I gotta ask.

First off, I grew up in Louisiana & Mississippi & now live in Florida, so I've driven on flat terrain 99.99% of my driving career, thus I rarely ever have to slide the gearshift selector past "Drive".

Soooo...here it is:
If I'm driving in the mountains, and need to shift in order to avoid going downhill too fast or for power going uphill, is it ok to shift from D to 3 ,2 or 1 while the vehicle is moving? and if so, is there a certain speed I should be at or below when I down shift?

Laugh if ya want, but I don't want to see my transmission in my rear view mirror-now THAT would make me feel stupid!

thanks,
-Mike

[metallica21156]

ur have to test the gears out so u don't blow the tranny. start off in first and look at ur rpms and take them as high as u feel safe with and then look at ur speed. that will tell u when to shift. ur go though all the gears. although the tranny should down shift on its self to go up hill but i can under stand going down hill.

[drdd]

no need to do anything except leave it in DRIVE, unless you are towing. If you are towing, yes, you'll have to "get to know" your gears ... just like you were driving a stick-shift. Yes, you can "shift on the fly", just be careful that you are in the appropriate RPM range to do so (just like a stick).

Originally Posted by Sunliner

Ok, this will probably be the dumbest question ever posted by a grown man on this board, but I gotta ask.

First off, I grew up in Louisiana & Mississippi & now live in Florida, so I've driven on flat terrain 99.99% of my driving career, thus I rarely ever have to slide the gearshift selector past "Drive".

Soooo...here it is:
If I'm driving in the mountains, and need to shift in order to avoid going downhill too fast or for power going uphill, is it ok to shift from D to 3 ,2 or 1 while the vehicle is moving? and if so, is there a certain speed I should be at or below when I down shift?

Laugh if ya want, but I don't want to see my transmission in my rear view mirror-now THAT would make me feel stupid!

thanks,
-Mike

[Sunliner]

During my limited mountain expericence thus far,I've found that on the long downhill runs, speed builds up uncomfortably quickly & unless I do downshift, the only other option is to ride the brakes which doesn't seem like a good idea for prolonged periods. (I did see a lot of brake shops up there-good way to get rich off of tourists...)

I guess what I need to know is how fast is too fast to shift into 3,2,or 1?

Say if I'm going downhill, should I make sure I'm below say, 30 mph before dropping into 3rd, below 20 for 2nd, etc?

Thats roughly how I learned to drive a manual, though I listen/feel for when to shift, & usually don't grind on the rare times I drive a stick.

Also, when is it "safe" (speed wise) to go back into Drive & let the automatic transmission do it's own thing?

[drdd]

do what 'metallica' said ...

listen, feel it !!

Originally Posted by Sunliner

During my limited mountain expericence thus far,I've found that on the long downhill runs, speed builds up uncomfortably quickly & unless I do downshift, the only other option is to ride the brakes which doesn't seem like a good idea for prolonged periods. (I did see a lot of brake shops up there-good way to get rich off of tourists...)

I guess what I need to know is how fast is too fast to shift into 3,2,or 1?

Say if I'm going downhill, should I make sure I'm below say, 30 mph before dropping into 3rd, below 20 for 2nd, etc?

Thats roughly how I learned to drive a manual, though I listen/feel for when to shift, & usually don't grind on the rare times I drive a stick.

Also, when is it "safe" (speed wise) to go back into Drive & let the automatic transmission do it's own thing?

[blazee]

You should not drive in D while going through mountains and steep hills. The tranny will constantly shift in and out of OD causing premature wear. Just leave it in 3 and downshift to 2 when necessary. You shouldn't need to go to 1.

3 is fine for highway speeds. You can downshift to 2 (if needed) around 35 - 40. If you absolutely need 1 you can put the shifter in 1, and the tranny will wait until you are going slow enough before it makes the shift. You can put it in D at anytime and the tranny will choose the proper gear needed at the time.

You can find more info in your owner's manual.

[KHFINLAY]

When Im going down a steep hill on the highway my Blazer picks up a lot of speed. Ill be at 50 at the top of a hill and if i dont brake I soon find myself going 80 mph. Cops love hanging out at the bottom of these hills but I feel like a fool braking up all the time on a straight clear road so I downshift so I dont roll too fast into a speed trap. I have a corolla automatic and I do this all the time with no tranny problems so I figured it would be the same for my blazer. Let me know if Im wrong but those gears are there for a reason.

[chatalex71]

The transmaishion is automatic so just loew the gears on the shifter and apply the brakes it will not overrun its self bucause it is newer than a 86 so it is computerized.