i am the type of guy who now likes to save my brakes an not so much rely on . them ,an sometimes down shift to slow down ,,some people rely on there brakes way to much ,i think ,so from over drive to 3rd sometimes second like on hills only , not first ,not at fast speeds,like in my 95 i have not put brakes in it in 7 years about 40.000 miles plenty of shoe left ,i been trying it with the 3800 seems to work great ? what you all think about the .3800 an down shifting to slow down ,? are they a fairly strong transmision,.i have had a few 5 speeds ,yes allways down shifted with manual ,now i have had other cars no ,like my.05 sable i dont down shift ,feels good in the camaros though no clunks,how about you yes no,oh an never had an trouble with a camaro transmision,like said no allways do i down shift just sometimes an you

 

now that you've said it,,,, lol. i do sometimes, not supposed to be good for trans

 

I've heard its bad for the trans also - can anyone verify this?

I generally leave it in OD and use my right foot to change gear.

If i'm spirited driving around hills or something, i'll shift it to D so it doesnt constantly shift gears as often.

I'll very rarely go any lower then D. Normally only if i'm going up a hill slowly and dont want it shifting gears, but I reckon the LT1 has enough torque that its not really an issue

Replacing brakes is cheaper then replacing a transmission

 

At the end of the day the cost will probably be about the same, Save on brakes and put extra wear on transmission, and possibly over rev engine. Or save drive train and replace brakes more often. I downshift but only on steep downgrades to prevent burning up brake linings. However, many newer cars have enough computer smarts to prevent damage if the transmission is shifted manually at the wrong time.

 

not steep hills at fast speeds ,i allways wonder why is there 4 .gears like from 4th over drive wich even in v6 is not good till 65 ,so down into 3rd around 45 50 ,an second to about 30 mph ,there has to be safe time to down shift

 

You can down shift from 4 to 3 and up shift from 3 to 4 all day long but not the other gears unless you have the correct RPM first! Overdrive is only for cruising, when you're passing someone or lower speeds around town you generally should stay in third. There are modifications to add engine braking to gears one and two, which I have done on my SS.

I regularly shift 3/4, but with 1&2 I don't very often, and when I do it's usually upshifting NOT downshifting.

 

No harm will be done, if as stated, you don't downshift at too high an rpm (where it would naturally downshift anyway when planting the gas pedal down). When I had 700R4/4L60 cars, I always put the shifter in 3rd when driving 45 mph or slower. Putting it in 4th made the trans hunt up and down between 3-4 too much, and/or chug in too high a gear at too low a speed, which is annoying. As far as downshifting for braking, I didn't make that a habit. But some cars, like my wifes SUV, has automatic downshift braking as a factory option. When the "downhill" button on the shifter is activated, the trans will shift to a lower gear for braking when the car is coasting too fast down a steep hill.

 

Brakes are cheaper than a clutch and saves gas from match revving.
If automatic, oil heats up just as much decelerating compared to accelerating due to oil shear in the torque convertor.

But yes, I downshift from D to 4th in the 4Runner and shift to neutral at a stop light.

 

Anyone with an automatic doing a lot of transmission shifting and strain, or aftermarket torque converter would be well advised to add a trans temp monitoring gauge along with a trans cooler. I have the later in my SS already and am adding the trans temp gauge now.

 

• [QUOTE=Camaro 69;704450]No harm will be done, if .i agree ,i am not down .shifting at high . rpms ,3rd gear allways . unless over 60 .an second 30 mph .or under,i think does no harm either ,feels smooth at those low .speeds ,now never shift down to first gear ,but yes i undertsand the point with my 406 th350 has shift kit in it an 3 gears so i do. it but rarely ,an .still not first gear..like i had said ,i went over 40.000 miles on the set on my 406 with alot of pad left ,but i also tend to slow down as i get to lights stop signs ,so i think it saves the brakes ,i think manuals are more made for down shifting ,then .autos are ,but with the right ones i think its ok an all good ,i would not do it if i felt this clunk ,i did it .one time in a .crown vic 4.6 from 3rd to second .an it did not feel right could feel the clunk .so i never did it again ,though i was going faster ,i am refuring to the 3.8 hear mostly,thanks for all the input