Driving your vehicle
Downshifting
Good driving practices
CAUTION
Downshift when you must slow down in
heavy traffic or drive up a steep hill to
prevent engine load.
Also, downshifting reduces the chance of
stalling and can accelerate when you
need to increase your speed again.
When the vehicle is going downhill,
downshifting helps maintain safe speed
by providing brake power from the engine
and enables less wear on the brakes.
• Never take the vehicle out of gear and
coast down a hill. This is extremely
dangerous.
• Don't "ride" the brakes. This can cause
the brakes and related parts to over-
heat and malfunction.
When you are driving down a long hill,
slow down and shift to a lower gear.
Engine braking will help slow down the
vehicle.
• Slow down before shifting to a lower
gear. This will help avoid over-revving
the engine, which can cause damage.
To prevent damage to the engine:
• When downshifting from 5th gear
to 4th gear, be careful not to inad-
vertently push the shift lever
sideways engaging the 2nd gear.
A drastic downshift may cause
the engine speed to increase to
the point the tachometer will
enter the red-zone.
• Do not downshift more than one
gear at a time or downshift the
gear when the engine is running
at high speed (5,000 RPM or high-
er).
• Slow down when you encounter cross
winds. This gives you much better con-
trol of your vehicle.
• Be sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before you shift into
R
(Reverse) to prevent damage to the
transaxle.
• Exercise extreme caution when driving
on a slippery surface. Be especially
careful when braking, accelerating or
shifting gears. On a slippery surface,
an abrupt change in vehicle speed can
cause the drive wheels to lose traction
and may cause loss of vehicle control
resulting in an accident
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