hey um this is my first bought car and i was wondering because my friend drives a stick RSX but he told me that i can down shift my car from drive to 2 so it would be like a break and i can lightly press the break and it will stop and i've tired it and it works but i was wondering if i keep doing this would it mess up my car at all? because i drive a automatic and he drives a stick wouldnt be different? because i know sticks can do it and not get any problems in the future but does that apply to automatics too?

and he told me that i can just go down to 1 with the auto and drive to 2 then 3 and D like a stick if i wanted to on the auto with out messing up my car is this true? i would like the scion tc owner's experience or suggestions etc.. thank you

 

If you do it often then it will mess up your transmission.

 

I wouldn't do it, but good luck on that

 

so if i down shift to 2 to not have to break to hard would mess up my transmission?

and is it same to driving my car from gear 1 to 2 then to 3 and D ?

sry im confused which one you guys are saying will mess up my car both of em? or just 1 of em?

 

i believe its both..
but ive read that if you install a transmission cooler
that the transmission would be able to handle it..
for normal driving tho i would just leave it on drive.
i mean if you REALLY wanted to be able to shift you wouldve just gotten a stick right? =)

 

just leave it in drive. Doing that repeatedly will mess your transmission up. The only time you should be downshifting to those lower gears in an auto is if you are going down a hill. Otherwise it's pointless. Think of it this way: brake pads are cheaper than transmissions.

 

b-r-a-k-e

 

My dad drives auto and he will shift it to a lower gear going down very steep hills and there is nothing really wrong with that but I still think its unnessessary. Drive your auto like an auto and your manual like a manual. As nautica break pads arnt a huge deal to replace, transmissions are a different story.

 

You drive an auto, if you wanted to drive a stick you should have bought one.

 

if your reaction is quick and someone just cuts you right off and brakes then yeah put it in 3 or 2 but just for hard braking but for driving it like 1-2-3-D then no cause your transmission will get messed up and that's not a warranty coverage. going down hill you'll notice the car downshift by itself just really you don't have to be "shifting" at all

 

don't listen to your friend.

and read your owner's manual.

 

leave it in "D"

 

Upshifting won't cause harm, but downshifting certainly will.

 

Down shiftng will only harm your clutch (from using it more). when you down shift your goinig to what to mach the rpms for that gear. Imagine your in third gear and you what to down shift, regardles of slowing down or speeding to second. When you push down on the clutch you should hit the gas pedal alittle to raise the rpms whiel you are shifting into second. Then whiel the rpms are up alittle release the clutch. Then brake or accelerate, which ever you what to do in the first place. When I race at the track or drive around town thats how I drive. When your driving a automatic putting it into second gear whiel going down hill is the same as living it in third with a stick going down hill. It just regulates your speed with out burning up your brakes. The rpm to gear ratio is relitive to your speed. When drivig look at the rpms and remeber were there at with 2nd and third. What do you do when you get cut off on the highway, leave it in fith?javascript:emoticon('')

 

hey man, if you want an automatic that'll blow the socks of of any manual any day could get it completly reworked by a pro and you could shift gears like your talking about with no problem. Also it would be instant. An automatic is the REAL quick shifter :-D.

Driving your stock automatic like that probly isn't the best for it. you'll just heat your transmission up.

 

oh i c. um i read the owners manual and it said on page 115 on automatic trannys that i can down shift from D to 2 or 1 or w/e for engine brake so ill probbly do that not everytime but just when i have to cause of some truck boy cuts me...

but ill probbly not shift gears from 1 to 2 to 3 to D every time i come in stop of the red lights lol iono though cause all my friends who drive sticks now their first cars were automatics and they told me they always did it.. and my friends friend has a automatic TL right now and he does it and has been doing it for 70,000+ mileage now.. so iono ill ask some scion workers when i go get in for my first 5,000 check up

 

dumbest question/post i've ran into today. thanks.

 

how is it dumb? im new to car scenes cause i didnt really care about cars and i suddenly bought one with my own money that i saved up for 4 years to buy the tC im just asking some questions because my friends dont drive tC's so i thought tC drivers would have different point of view so i asked...

if ur gonna be 1 of those negative tc members that i hear about in clubrsx and 350z and all those other forums you make tC look bad

 

an automatic transmission that you have to downshift.....

is that called....uh.....ummm.... a manual?

leave in in drive!

 

They will laugh at you once you leave