question for ya'll

[97CivicBoy]

yeh i got an automatic civic... for regular drive i keep it in d4...what do d3 and d2 do..i use d2 wen i'm goin down a hill to save brakes..but then somen ewas tellin me the other day to use d2 up a hill....i'm confused...ne who..i also hear ppl shift when they wanan race from d2 to d3 to d4...for me however thas so much slower than jus keep it in d4...

[pdiggitydogg]

its a lower gear for more power (its slower and uses more gas though)
good for haulin trailors or climbin big hills

[Racing Rice]

Pretty much what he said ^.

Most people that drive autos dont use them. I use to kick my down when I would pass someone when I drove an Auto. Just for a little more control over the shift points.;)

[mt.biker]

I'm a big believer in working an auto tranny on the up shifts (1-2-3-4) but rarely do i go back down past 2nd.

If i'm in slow moving traffic I let it sit in 2nd (unless its stop and go) this way when I get off the gas the engine helps slow me down. If I start getting above 2500rpm in 2nd I put it into D3 just because a 3.5L engine car burn alot if you let it rev up.

If I'm at an intersection where there is an advanced green light often I put it into 1st. The thought behind this is that I want to get a jump on the light but dont want to have to get on the breaks to slow down for the turn I need to make. So by leaving it in 1st I can get on it, bring it up to 3200ish rpm and then slow her down a bit for the turn by getting off the gas a bit - not completely mind you by enough to have the motor slow the car down.

Sometimes when I come off the highway I go from D4 to D3 because in the city I typically drive in D3.

The idea is just to have better control of your car and when your in D3 your car has 2 less gears to hunt between meaning that often it responds better when you get on it. The only downside about an auto tranny is the gear hunting IMHO.

Fooling around with it dude, just dont downshifting alot or if you do pay attention.

[wheresmylicense]

dood... those lil dealies are just to pretend you have a manual... which is much less fun than the actual thing... some cars you have to be careful, too... doin the shifting thru the d gears will jack up the tranny...

[Shot 2 Hel]

just mess around with it and you'll find out how to use it better

[GT40FIED]

It's actually best to leave it in D3 unless you're on the highway. Yes, overdrive might save you a few drops of gas, but it wears down the OD band in the transmission and, since that band is any automatic transmission's weak link, that's not good.

[Duckydos]

You mentioned saving your breaks. Last time I checked, brake pads are ALOT cheaper then tranny work. Don't worry about the brakes, save the tranny.

-Ducky

[ChrisCantSkate]

dont shift through gears on a tranny unless you NEED to.. its really not good for it. autos arnt built to do that