good luck asked:
When coming down a steep hill going 40 miles an hour in a sedan with automatic transmission, to save gas and not put stress on the engine, is it best to put it in
When coming down a steep hill going 40 miles an hour in a sedan with automatic transmission, to save gas and not put stress on the engine, is it best to put it in
Never neutral. Use drive or 2nd gear. What ever is best so as not to use the brakes to much. Never mind about saving gas. Be safe always. Neutral is no safe to do and the gas you would save is not much.
BE SAFE when you drive.
The correct answer is “a” – 2nd gear. The reason is that, while there is an increase in the amount of “drag” on the engine via the transmission, there is greater control available.
“b” – neutral should NEVER be chosen while a vehicle is in motion, as you risk gaining speed on downhills and losing momentum while going up an incline and on level roadways. In addition, the loss of “emergency” power is dangerous.
“c” – drive is the normal choice, but when descending a steep decline, the potential is there to gain too much momentum, which is illegal (speeding tickets are frequently issued at the bottom of descents!).
Good luck!
Keep it in drive. You can always downshift to 2nd around the turns. You’re going to use your brakes no matter what answer you choose. Just make sure you do regular check ups on your brakes.
Don’t use neutral. It is not safe. Don’t worry about stressing the engine, since you are going downhill and don’t need any power from it. Just don’t over-rev it.
Since it is a steep hill, you will probably benefit from more engine braking than Drive has. I would recommend using one of the lower gears. Don’t ride the brakes if you start going faster than you want to, but apply them firmly at intervals.
I do believe automatics were designed to manually b put into lower gears specifically for the reason of down shifting while going down steep hills. If you ride the brakes while going down a steep hill you will toast the brake pads then they will not work as well until they are replaced. You also run the risk of overheating them and then they will not work at all. Down shifting on a steep grade is the way to go just don’t let the rpms red line