a doc i work with knows i am in to cars and asked me if it was bad to down shift an auto trans rather than braking in order to slow down. i told him he was an idiot and to leave me alone....

than after we had a good laugh, i said i didn't know but will find out from people who know more than i do about auto transmissions.

so what is the concensus?

OK to manually downshift an auto trans to slow the car or is it bad for the trans?

cheers,

scott

depends on the car...some are designed for it.......being a Doc, I would think he'd know how to read the owners manual

The owners manual for my automatic 2005 Toyota Tacoma talks about properly downshifting the automatic and how you shouldn't apply the gas while doing so.

when pulling the trailer, i always use the O/D button to slow the car down. Of course, it's a ford, so what difference does it make if the tranny lasts 15,000 miles or 15,000 miles

Umm, why not just leave the transmission alone and use the brakes to slow down?

Brake pads are cheap and last a long time.

he wants to save his brake pads...... but, not to the detriment of his transmission.

for what it is worth, he is driving a early 2000's lexus.

he wanted a toyota but didn't feel like he was spending enough money!

i crack myself up.....

I have to downshift my automatic Eclipse into 2nd to hotrod the mountain roads around here. The poor thing just doesn't have any torque. That's why I need to get the teener running. Heel/toe braking for the win!!!
Mark D.
P.S. Sorry scott. I wasn't any help at all!