I have a quick question to those that use paddle shifters. When I am using them I don't downshift, I just let the car do it for me. Is that good for the car or should I be doing it myself? I apologize if this was answered on a previous thread

 

its ok to drive n let it down shift by itself just remember to shift when your suppose to. idk sometimes i forget n when it hits like 7k rmp im like FAWK!!!

 

It should be OK, I've used the paddles on a daily basis in my GD3 for over 13.5K and seldom downshifted with them. To this day I have not experienced a problem or quirk with the trans.

 

I downshift all the time when I'm trying to slow down to utilize engine braking. Read your manual for more info!

 

Just wondering why you would want to use your engine to slow your car down. Isn't it cheaper to wear out your $40 brake pads then to wear out your engine by making it rev higher? Just wondering about the logic in that.

 

The paddles are used just like you use the clutch and gearshift to shift into the engine range you want to be in for what you are doing.
For economy driving the paddles shift quicker than the program so you can maintain less rpm range and lower rpm (over 1500rpm).
For performance you won't use much more than first thru 3rd gears which is good to 90+ mph. On long straights you may use 4th auto but usually not for long.
Course you can also pretend to be Felipe Massa.

 

The logic is, that on a long descent, you want your brakes to still be working when you get to the bottom. It's not so much using the gears to slow down, as using the gears to control your speed.

Here in Australia, there are signs on a lot of steep descents saying "Trucks must use low gear". It is good driving practice to descend a hill in a lower gear rather than using the brakes.

A good rule of thumb I have heard is that you should use the same gear to go down a hill as you would use to go up it. My own practice is to shift to a lower gear if the car gains speed on zero throttle.

A lot of modern automatic transmissions will do this for you. If they detect excessive brake usage, and the car gains speed even though the throttle is closed, they will shift to a lower gear. Mitsubishi Magna/Diamante is one of the earliest examples.

It doesn't wear the engine out faster to use compression to slow you down under these conditions. The load on the engine is less than it would be if you are accelerating.

 

Went to field camp in Utah. We went up and down the mountains everyday. The descents are mile or more and steep. Even down shifting would not slow the van down and still needed to use the brakes. The brakes were red hot every time we got to the bottom. Having ten people in the van didn't help either. Those were interesting times.