Automatic Shift Pleasure - Toyota Yaris Forums

captainm27 · 10-20-2009, 09:23 PM

I don't know about you, but I get a pleasure from shifting between 3rd and 4th gear on my automatic. For those who drive the auto, do you enjoy keeping the car on 3rd when climbing hills and when descending them? Do you fool around with the different gears, playing around just to see what effects you get?

I never had an auto transmission that just felt so good shifting. Maybe it's also partly due to the design of the shifter, with all the twists and turns, as opposed to the straight up and down movement.

YarisSedan · 10-20-2009, 09:30 PM

Its also a fun way to wear out your transmission faster.

captainm27 · 10-20-2009, 10:12 PM

Is it really? I notice the car shifts automatically between 3rd and 4th while keeping it on D when ascending and descending hills. Would it damage it if I kept it longer at those gears?

R2D2 · 10-20-2009, 10:14 PM

Captain,

I shift mine all the time. It is one of the most intelligent autos I've driven. I drop to 3rd and second almost every time I stop on slopes-and if I brake much at all it down shifts itself anyway, so any extra wear is minimal. The wear is offset anyway in my opinion when I lock out 4th on hills so it doesn't shift as much. The owners manual describes scenarios such as these, so evidently Toyota isn't too worried about it. IMO the biggest threat to the automatic transmission is the "lifetime" ATF.

I had a tiptronic type manually shiftable auto in my Mitsu Outlander that was pretty good too, but not as smooth or fun as the Yaris. I shifted the Outlander all the time too, no problems. I like a torque converter in slippery conditions. The mitsu would allow you to take of in second so you could "numb it down" and prevent wheel spin.

R2

captainm27 · 10-20-2009, 10:26 PM

That's what I was feeling, R2D2, that the transmission is made to be very shiftable. Yeah, I guess the Trans Fluid wouldn't really last forever...

Kioshi · 10-20-2009, 11:18 PM

a dealer said...trans fluid should be changed after 100k on the car, usually....

And i believe him, i did so on my Mitsu Mirage when it hit 103k....

JumpmanYaris · 10-20-2009, 11:25 PM

if u read ur manual i think it is it tells u that the 3rd gear is actually ur Drive and the D is ur over drive and i notice that when ur in 3 it starts asking for overdrive when ur about 40 to 45

Yaris Hilton · 10-20-2009, 11:45 PM

I like playing around with the automatic transmission, working with the throttle and speed to get it to upshift quicker or hold a higher gear longer as it climbs a hill, with the engine pulling harder at a lower speed. The control unit has some built in intelligence and can learn your preferences to an extent. Sure you have more direct control with a manual, but it's an interesting sort of negotiation.

birdman · 10-26-2009, 11:52 PM

Shakespeare said the highest form of sophistication is expressed simply. That's what I feel about these cars. It's a huge undertaking to develop a fine reliable seemingly simple car like this especially at this end of the automotive spectrum.

djct_watt · 11-12-2009, 03:57 PM

You leave it in D (OD on). The transmission can figure out the gears for itself. Overdrive isn't anything fancy or crazy. . . all it is is a fuel conserving gear that has a ratio less than 1.0. It means that it takes less than one turn of the axle to turn the wheel. If your automatic is struggling for power, it will shift OUT of OD and into 3. There is never any reason to use 3 except for engine braking and holding the gear for "racing" lol or climbing a hill to prevent gear hunting. Re-read your manual.

SilverGlow · 11-12-2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

Its also a fun way to wear out your transmission faster.

This is completely false!

captainm27 · 11-12-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djct_watt

You leave it in D (OD on). The transmission can figure out the gears for itself. Overdrive isn't anything fancy or crazy. . . all it is is a fuel conserving gear that has a ratio less than 1.0. It means that it takes less than one turn of the axle to turn the wheel. If your automatic is struggling for power, it will shift OUT of OD and into 3. There is never any reason to use 3 except for engine braking and holding the gear for "racing" lol or climbing a hill to prevent gear hunting. Re-read your manual.

This is exactly what I meant. Even though the Automatic is smart and efficient, sometimes you just want temporary control of it, and that is where the enjoyment of it comes in.

supmet · 11-12-2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djct_watt

You leave it in D (OD on).

Its kind of weird to put 3 more selections on the shifter if you aren't supposed to use them.. Especially in a bottom line car.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by djct_watt

The transmission can figure out the gears for itself.

Most of the time, but at certain angles it absolutely can not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by djct_watt

There is never any reason to use 3 except for engine braking and holding the gear for "racing" lol or climbing a hill to prevent gear hunting. Re-read your manual.

Engine braking and avoiding gear hunting accounts for most of my city driving. Holding gears for cornering(not racing) is another reason.

I live in a really hilly area. I'm hardly ever in D. My transmission works just fine at 76k miles now. I guarantee if you live in hills, you'll burn brakes 10x as fast, and your tranny 2x as fast without gear limiting.

Final conclusion - done properly, limiting to L, 2, or 3, does no more damage to your transmission than not limiting, and can in fact reduce wear(from gear hunting as you put it) and definitely reduces wear on brakes.

RUFFSTUFF · 11-12-2009, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

Its also a fun way to wear out your transmission faster.

False. A shift is a shift (hello! no clutch!), besides the computer won't let it shift into an out-of-range gear.

Do what you want.

MadMax · 11-12-2009, 08:58 PM

Yeah, that's BS! The auto wouldn't have the option to shift gears if it was detrimental to the transmission. People have to realize it is the 21st century, and a Toyota we are talking about here!

I shift my auto all the time, mainly downshifts but occasionally to get up a steep hill. I do enjoy it, and as I have said before, you can always shift your automatic but you can't get your manual to shift on its own!

Cheers! M2

SLIK4 · 11-12-2009, 09:28 PM

i love shifting my auto. do it all the time "racing" my best bud at stop lights.

SailDesign · 11-12-2009, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainm27

I don't know about you, but I get a pleasure from shifting between 3rd and 4th gear on my automatic. For those who drive the auto, do you enjoy keeping the car on 3rd when climbing hills and when descending them? Do you fool around with the different gears, playing around just to see what effects you get?

I never had an auto transmission that just felt so good shifting. Maybe it's also partly due to the design of the shifter, with all the twists and turns, as opposed to the straight up and down movement.

Someone is going to say t sooner or later - so I may as well do it nicely (I hope).
If you enjoy shifting so much, why not just buy the manual tranny?

Sir A.Y. Atoyot · 11-13-2009, 12:58 AM

I like the automatic because (duh) it's automatic!

If I wanted to shift gears, I'd have bought a manual.

I find it more interesting to not shift gears on a hill - the transmission is partly controlled by the usual hydraulics and partly by the computer. It's interesting how it will climb a rather steep hill without downshifting or slowing down, and without lugging.

However, it's your car - if you want to shift the automatic, be my guest.

10-20-2009, 09:23 PM	#1
captainm27 Drives: 2008 Sedan A/T Silver Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 202	Automatic Shift Pleasure I don't know about you, but I get a pleasure from shifting between 3rd and 4th gear on my automatic. For those who drive the auto, do you enjoy keeping the car on 3rd when climbing hills and when descending them? Do you fool around with the different gears, playing around just to see what effects you get? I never had an auto transmission that just felt so good shifting. Maybe it's also partly due to the design of the shifter, with all the twists and turns, as opposed to the straight up and down movement.

10-20-2009, 09:30 PM	#2
YarisSedan Drives: 08 Yaris Sedan Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: California - Bay Area Posts: 2,773	Its also a fun way to wear out your transmission faster. __________________ http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3210549

10-20-2009, 10:14 PM	#4
R2D2 Crazy Oil Sniffer Drives: MM 09 Yaris 5 Dr LB "Click" Join Date: May 2009 Location: ME Posts: 498	Captain, I shift mine all the time. It is one of the most intelligent autos I've driven. I drop to 3rd and second almost every time I stop on slopes-and if I brake much at all it down shifts itself anyway, so any extra wear is minimal. The wear is offset anyway in my opinion when I lock out 4th on hills so it doesn't shift as much. The owners manual describes scenarios such as these, so evidently Toyota isn't too worried about it. IMO the biggest threat to the automatic transmission is the "lifetime" ATF. I had a tiptronic type manually shiftable auto in my Mitsu Outlander that was pretty good too, but not as smooth or fun as the Yaris. I shifted the Outlander all the time too, no problems. I like a torque converter in slippery conditions. The mitsu would allow you to take of in second so you could "numb it down" and prevent wheel spin. R2 __________________ "The howl was the sound of God’s casting pot, the morphing of my cells into shape, the forming of oceans out of molten premordial plasma. And I could feel it. I could cry for it. I could cry with it." -The Fitful One

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10-20-2009, 10:12 PM	#3
captainm27 Drives: 2008 Sedan A/T Silver Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 202	Is it really? I notice the car shifts automatically between 3rd and 4th while keeping it on D when ascending and descending hills. Would it damage it if I kept it longer at those gears?

10-20-2009, 10:26 PM	#5
captainm27 Drives: 2008 Sedan A/T Silver Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 202	That's what I was feeling, R2D2, that the transmission is made to be very shiftable. Yeah, I guess the Trans Fluid wouldn't really last forever...

10-20-2009, 11:18 PM	#6
Kioshi Heart Up! Vitz Drives: トヨタ Vitz Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 2,582	a dealer said...trans fluid should be changed after 100k on the car, usually.... And i believe him, i did so on my Mitsu Mirage when it hit 103k....

10-20-2009, 11:45 PM	#8
Yaris Hilton Half a Bubble Off Plumb Drives: 2009 Yaris Sedan Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bristol, Tennessee, USA Posts: 1,593	I like playing around with the automatic transmission, working with the throttle and speed to get it to upshift quicker or hold a higher gear longer as it climbs a hill, with the engine pulling harder at a lower speed. The control unit has some built in intelligence and can learn your preferences to an extent. Sure you have more direct control with a manual, but it's an interesting sort of negotiation.

10-26-2009, 11:52 PM	#9
birdman Drives: '08 Blazing Blue Yaris LB Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: USA Posts: 496	Shakespeare said the highest form of sophistication is expressed simply. That's what I feel about these cars. It's a huge undertaking to develop a fine reliable seemingly simple car like this especially at this end of the automotive spectrum.

11-12-2009, 03:57 PM	#10
djct_watt Drives: 2010 NCP91 5spd Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Thailand Posts: 449	You leave it in D (OD on). The transmission can figure out the gears for itself. Overdrive isn't anything fancy or crazy. . . all it is is a fuel conserving gear that has a ratio less than 1.0. It means that it takes less than one turn of the axle to turn the wheel. If your automatic is struggling for power, it will shift OUT of OD and into 3. There is never any reason to use 3 except for engine braking and holding the gear for "racing" lol or climbing a hill to prevent gear hunting. Re-read your manual.

11-12-2009, 08:58 PM	#15
MadMax Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket) Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas! Posts: 2,799	Yeah, that's BS! The auto wouldn't have the option to shift gears if it was detrimental to the transmission. People have to realize it is the 21st century, and a Toyota we are talking about here! I shift my auto all the time, mainly downshifts but occasionally to get up a steep hill. I do enjoy it, and as I have said before, you can always shift your automatic but you can't get your manual to shift on its own! Cheers! M2

11-12-2009, 09:28 PM	#16
SLIK4 Michael Drives: 07 Silver Yaris Sedan Join Date: May 2007 Location: Clearwater, Kansas Posts: 281	i love shifting my auto. do it all the time "racing" my best bud at stop lights.

11-13-2009, 12:58 AM	#18
Sir A.Y. Atoyot Drives: '08 5-door Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Surrey, BC Canada Posts: 176	I like the automatic because (duh) it's automatic! If I wanted to shift gears, I'd have bought a manual. I find it more interesting to not shift gears on a hill - the transmission is partly controlled by the usual hydraulics and partly by the computer. It's interesting how it will climb a rather steep hill without downshifting or slowing down, and without lugging. However, it's your car - if you want to shift the automatic, be my guest.