I've driven manuals, so I'm used to controlling more of the process than when you downshift the RX-8's automatic transmission in manual mode. I want to make sure I'm doing things right.

First question: Can you cause damage/excessive wear/excessive strain on the transmission by downshifting incorrectly? If so, how?

What does the manual mean by "kicked down"? On page 5-15, mine says "If the vehicle is kicked down at the following speeds or lower, the gears shift down automatically: (followed by chart)

(If there is a sticky or a long discussion of this already posted here, give me the link, please. Manual drivers who post "just get a real sports car" will be sentenced to six months of driving an SRT-4 with a kewl custom paint job.)

 

The kick down is simply the car dropping the gear down automatically when your speeds are too low for the current gear to handle, i.e. lugging. It will also drop your car down into first by itself if you come to a complete stop from 3rd or 4th, which is very handy. BUT if you are in 2nd and come to a complete stop, sometimes it won't go back down to 1st, which can be dangerous if you're expecting that surge of power for a last second turn only to find it still in 2nd gear.

As for just downshifting, I assume that doing a lot of it can wear things down from engine braking. It's possible to heel-toe or rev match though (yes I'm still talking about the automatic). I do it all the time to set myself up for corners and to illicit the "OMG WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!!!!!" responses from the passengers when the g's start racking up.

 

Thanks, Vertigo-1. I thought that's what they are talking about, but it's so poorly worded. It says ...

"If the vehicle is kicked down at the following speeds or lower, the gears shift down automatically:
I don't know if they mean kicked down by me or the car itself.
And isn't this redundant? If kicking down means automatically shifting down, what they just said was that if it is shifted down at the following speeds, it shifts down.

I'm very confused by that sentence.

That was my suspicion. Sometimes on a downshift I get pronounced engine braking.

:D

 

If you are in the manual mode and floor the accelerator, the transmission will downshift. I'm sure this is a safety feature - if you were in fourth in traffic, and floored it to avoid trouble, forgetting you were in manual mode, you WOULD be in trouble. Also, in the manual mode, as you slow, the transmission will downshift - 4th to 3rd at about 20, 3rd or 2nd to 1st at 8 mph.

 

In trouble how? The downshift would give you more revs.

 

Downshifting to accelerate faster in the automatic is fine. Downshifting to slow the car down (instead of using brakes) in the automatic - is a different story.

I usedto do that a lot actually - and then I had to get my old tranny replaced (it was free) and havent tried anything like that ever since w/my current one. That doesnt meanthat engine braking was the direct cause of my first automatic transmissions downfall - but Im sureit was a contributor. (Incase you are wondering - my previous transmission started slipping when changing gears and going from park/neutral intodrive.)
Basically I was almost treatingthe car like it was a clutchless manual - and I guess the last transmission wasnt thrilledabout that too much.

 

How were you downshifting to slow -- downshift and take foot off gas?

 

To answer your first question, no.
I am pretty sure you cannot downshift improperly in the 8. It is an automatic, not a sequential. The computer will change gears, or not allow you to change gears, if it doesn't agree with your choice.

 

True, it still controls many of your choices. It won't let you downshift from fourth at 100 mph, for instance.

But I am wonder if I am causing excess wear when I feel engine-braking.

 

.....if it stayed in 4th, and didn't downshift.