autostick option: gas saver or gas sucker?

[pppt03turbo]

joe - i don't think a little "engine-braking" will do any harm.

i do have another transmission saving tip i learned years ago ---

during extra-long stops, place the shifter in neutral. this will let the transmission cool. keeping it gear [even at idle] with your foot on the brake - for long periods - builds up tremendous friction and heat - two key deals that will ultimately breakdown your transmission fluid's cooling and lubricating properties. my 2 cents.

[emr131]

quote:Originally posted by pppt03turbo

joe - i don't think a little "engine-braking" will do any harm.

i do have another transmission saving tip i learned years ago ---

during extra-long stops, place the shifter in neutral. this will let the transmission cool. keeping it gear [even at idle] with your foot on the brake - for long periods - builds up tremendous friction and heat - two key deals that will ultimately breakdown your transmission fluid's cooling and lubricating properties. my 2 cents.

Did not know that, thanks for the tip.

PS, I engine brake all the time. So I hope it is okay on the engine. I try to do that in traffic as well, so I don't even tap the brakes.

[durgin]

In medium to heavy traffic, the autostick is way too much of a hassle for me.

OTOH . . . Light traffic suburban conditions seem a lot better suited to autosticking. The pace is often unhurried, so the low RPM upshifts seem to be even a bit earlier than the auto on it's is doing. This under light loads, down hills, with a tailwind, etc. Coasting along in the sub-2000 RPM range, never lugging the engine. And the autostick is slow to downshift from 2->1 at a stop, so often I can restart in 2d. Gets kind of mellow and serene, saving gas all the while for S1 payback time.

On the highway, I most always autostick to lock it in the OD gear. This prevents it hunting down a gear for a hill in the middle of nowhere on longer trips. So maybe I go up it a bit slower, or slightly dip into the throttle. Big deal. Plenty of torque. Gas mileage is really impressive. I generally get over 25mpg at 80mph on longer trips.