When I had my 6 speed Z, I got into a habit of downshifting alot to allow engine braking. Now, I have a 5A/T, is it wise to go into manual sequential mode and downshift to engine brake? As in, you're current driving 60mph, and you want to engine brake, so in your sequential mode, you downshift to like the 3 or 2 gear and all your engine to slow the car down....is this a wise thing to do in an automatic??? How will this affect your engine in the long run? And in a 5 A/T, will engine braking also shut off the valves (so you don't burn any fuel) like the 6 M/T does???

 

Going at 60 mph and downshifting to 3 or 2 is not good. Just switching to manumatic mode the engine start breaking, and that is 4th gear. So you wouldn't need to go to 3 or 2 until you hit 45 mph or so. 3 is good for getting on the freeway.

 

I have no idea what you just said...are you saying that the engine wears faster when you change from automatic to manual while driving? and what about the 4th gear?

So...downshifting is BAD for your engine/tranny? then why would they have that mode in the first place??? So downshifting to engine brake is NOT good, but downshifting to go faster is???

 

why use your expensive tranny to engine brake when you have dispensable brake pads and rotors to do the work for you.... it's not like you are hauling a big *** trailer and will fry your brakes if you engage them....

 

I would suggest not downshifting solely with the transmission, but use a combination of service braking and downshifting perhaps at a lower speed to not shock the system and cause excessive ware and tare.

I believe that all valves remain functional at all speeds and braking/downshifting conditions in our rides..

Colin.

 

I downshift all the time with the manual mode in my 5AT 89,000 miles and still going strong, I dont abuse it though.

If you are going 50mph and you flip it over in to manual mode it will automatically put you in 4th gear. Once you hit 40-35 mph downshift to 3rd let it go down to like 25-20 MPH then downshift into 2nd gear then downshift into 1st gear at 15mph or less. I havn't had any problems so far (knock on wood)...

-Sean

 

Sean, I would say that your d/shift mode is very moderate downshifting and won't cause any undue stresses or ware and tare on the system at all.

I think what would be excessive is downshifting often from high speeds .. causing excess ware, fuel consumption, and stress on the trans.

C.

 

Brake pads = inexpensive
New auto trannies = expensive.

Needless to say, I use the brakes to slow down

 

the reason why I asked this question is because I wanted to see how the tranny works vs a 6m/t....

In a 6m/t, you can rev match and downshift to slower the car down...and that in turn, shuts off the valves which gives you better gas mileage...AND, it will give you the rpm/torque you need to take off again...especially slowing down entering a sweeper...

I was just wondering if you can do the same to the 5A/T without wearing the engine or tranny....plus, I like slowing down engine braking cuz it also prevents brake lockup too on slippery road...which is a minor thing....it's something I got used to doing on my motorcycle and 6m/t...plus, i really don't like the brakes on the G35 as much as the Z...maybe, it's cuz of that factor...or maybe I just need to put better brake system on the car like I did with the Z