I was wondering if any of you have used the M feature on the automatic transmission as an engine brake ex. downshifting. I tried it a couple of times and it worked ok my question being is will it cause any kind of damage to my transmission if I use it on a regular basis??

 

if your doing it at high rpm then yes somewhat. but try driving 60mph and shift down to 1st. you will hear a beep. the ecu will NOT let you downshift if the rpms are too high. it will only let you go to (from 4th) 3rd then 2nd.

 

You will increase wear on the drivetrain for sure but as long as you do it only when necessary then it should be fine. Id rather wear out my brakes though... I do downshift when going down a hill but I dont let the RPM's rise past 3k.

 

Its called techtronic shifting or it has also been called sport shifting.

 

Works great going down hills, when pulling a trailer takes a load off the brakes.
Handy going up the hills to stop the tranny from constantly shifting.

 

When I'm driving the xb like its a Ferrari, I use the techtronic, but usually only for shifting between 2nd and 3rd on the good old ky backroads. 2nd will hit 80, so you really only need to shift into 3rd to go over 80...which I probably wouldn't recommend on a back road.

Also...why on EARTH is 2nd so enormous?!? No wonder we have 25WHP less than the 5 spd's!

 

i have 2006 XB, and when on level ground, going 70 MPH, the RPM's are 3,000!!! WE THINK THIS IS high, SHOULD BE ABOUT 2500. we took it to stadium toyota in tampa and 4 of their service techs said the car is just fine, but we think 3,000 RPM is very high. we are very frustrated, and are afrAID the car will wear out. i bought the expensive warranty and they wont fix it. in other words, the OVERDRIVE IS NOT engaging when the throttle is released, instead the engine brakes the car hard enough to move me slightly forward. ANY OPINIONS? WE ONLY GET 28 MILES TO GALLON WHEN GOING 70, THIS IS A BUMMER! THANKS. I AM NEW TO THE SCION xb FORUM AND SURE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM SOME OF YOU.

 

Have you counted the shifts to see if you are in 4th or not? You should hear/feel three shifts (2nd, 3rd and 4th). Im not sure about the older xb's...but they do have a tiiiny engine, and it probably has to spin fairly high to keep moving. At 70mph in my xb2, i am around 2500rpm.

 

OP, I installed a trans cooler in line after it goes through the radiator to keep it a bit cooler, and to help increase the life of the trans.

 

You have a 1st gen...I wish I got 28MPG going 70. lol
I have a buddy with a 1st gen (his is manual though) and that's normal to be at high rpm's going 70.

Think about it...the gearing has to be satisfactory for the tiny 1.6L to accelerate at a normal driving speed.

And actually my automatic 2009 Xb is around 3000RPM going 70...honestly all I can say is that if you want lower rpm's you'd have to either change your gear ratio or buy a vehicle with a v6 or v8 that's geared more for gas mileage than acceleration. My Mustang has a TALL overdrive but the v8 has enough low rpm torque for it to still work out right.

Don't know if this helps, but basically stock vehicles are geared to what the manufacturer thinks will best suit the car in every day normal driving situations.

 

yours must be different than mine because my rev limiter kicks in in 2nd @72 WTF?

 

well if you want lower rpms then wait for the 6 speed swap from desantant. there making a kit for auto and man.