[outdoorvanman]

on 2014, 159 - on downgrades at around 60mph, the trans is shifting down causing rpms to spike to 3,000 - 3500 at times - feels bad but is this bad for engine ? is it a truck saftety thing ? I have tapped the shift knob down and sometimes that releases and the trans upshifts and the rpms drop down to the 1700 level (which is what it runs at on level terrain and I try to keep at thinking it improves mlge and easier on engine.

any knowledge on this out there ?

 

[ha3Dy_j1s]

The owner's manual says it downshifts on downhills more aggressively in Tow/Haul mode. Are you in Tow/Haul mode?

 

[keeponvaning]

I sorta like the feature - you don't have to brake as much. If it were bad for the engine I doubt it would have been designed to do it!

 

[zwarte]

I live in some steep terrain and like having the automatic downshift. Tourists regularly burn out their brakes from overuse so we have places for people to drive into pea gravel when their brakes fail.

Its a nice benefit and can't imagine complaining about it.

 

[papab]

It's not bad for the engine, but it should be up to the driver to downshift if it's necessary.

 

[keeponvaning]

That's probably why they call it an "automatic" transmission!

 

[zwarte]

PapaB - my other vehicle is a stick shift and I downshift to first going down a very long steep hill to my farm. I guess I could move the PM shifter over to the left and control which gear I am in. Just hadn't done that since it does it for me.

 

[papab]

Automatics often are in the wrong gear for best fuel economy. I shift down when I need to. When I test drove the gas pm I was going downhill at the speed I wanted to go & it shifted down automatically, forcing me to step on the gas to maintain my speed. I'm pickier than most about this. On my Toyota it only shifts down if you step on the brake, a much better design.

 

[Dave65721]

If you tap on the gas very slightly it will keep it from downshifting. You don't need to push it hard enough to actually accelerate. I have developed a technique of tapping on the gas to eliminate the down shift. It gets annoying.