How to drive efficiently an automatic transmission car?

[KinKyHOOTER]

Generally, in areas with uphill roads, simply turning off the O/D (overdrive) would be enough. There isn't need to manually shifting to "2" in most cars.

But in some older A/T cars, the tranny will "hunt" between gears in certain specific conditions. To avoid that, drivers simply shift down to 2 or even L.

So unless you can feel your A/T tranny "hunting" between gears, simply putting it to D (with OD off) will be good enough. It will shift by itself to a lower gear when it is needed.

Thanks for the extra tips sir.

Yup, when I did feel the hunt of the engine I shifted it to 2 and L just to gain some momentum and D again while OD is off to let the tranny decide between gears 1-2-3

Question# 1:
But it is bad for the AT to be on 2 and L for a long period of time right? Like for example; all the way up that Talisay to Tagaytay route even in slow speed?

Question# 2:
Is it useless to turn the OD off if my gear is in 2 and L?

Thanks in advance.

[ghosthunter]

Question# 1:
But it is bad for the AT to be on 2 and L for a long period of time right? Like for example; all the way up that Talisay to Tagaytay route even in slow speed?

Not bad but it will burn more fuel. I am assuming the car is not overloaded.

But in heavier loaded cars, it will result in the tranny oil heating up. In cases like those, if you do it often, best to install an oil cooler to your tranny.

Question# 2:
Is it useless to turn the OD off if my gear is in 2 and L?

Yup, because your tranny cannot beyond 2 or L. O/D switch will only have an effect when you are in "D".

[marvinix]

hindi ba masyadong overkill na yung palit A/T fluid every year or every 3 months? sa manual ng Vitara 1st gen ko, around every 80k kms ang naka-specify, hindi years... any insights?

[niky]

hindi ba masyadong overkill na yung palit A/T fluid every year or every 3 months? sa manual ng Vitara 1st gen ko, around every 80k kms ang naka-specify, hindi years... any insights?

Heat and contaminants. Sitting in traffic, with our humid environment and rainshowers and flash floods, the ATF picks up contaminants and water over time. And the heat of traffic can shear the fluid and make it less effective at protecting your transmission. It's a good idea to change fluid right away if you've been driving through floods or to change fluid at earlier intervals if most of your driving is in traffic.

On some newer cars, suggested ATF change is 40,000 kilometers.

[emms1121]

Hmm dami ako natutunan sa thread na ito. Kala ko ako na pinakamahusay magdrive .

[ghosthunter]

Hmm dami ako natutunan sa thread na ito. Kala ko ako na pinakamahusay magdrive .

Always assume that there is someone else better than you out there.

You never know, we might accidentally meet sometime.

[marvinix]

thanks niky.
i checked my Vitara owner's manual now, 160k km ang nakasulat nga na ATF replacement interval doon eh for normal driving conditions hehe
pero sa severe driving conditions nakasulat doon na 20k km or 12 months. so maybe by December magpalit nako ng ATF after the rainy season

[alwayz_yummy]

always treat metro manila driving as "severe".

basta ako, D lang...and a light foot, unless gusto ko maglaro... uphills--well, di masyado hirap sasakyan kasi 2.5L, pero dapat alam mo din nasan ang power ng sasakyan at shifting habit nun, dun pinaka efficient ang AT. newer electronic ATs matalino na kahit paano sa everyday situations...

downhills-- mabagal ako--maintain ako sa 60 lalo na kung zigzag...although kaya ng xtrail beyond 60, pero di kaya ng stomach ko,e... plus nakatingin si kumander. (downside of center-dash console!).. kaya either 2 or OD-off ako... sobrang kupad na ng L

[Mguy]

with the CRV, it has a computer that displays if you are driving economically or not. So basing on this, i devised a way to use the A/T to be fuel efficient, but it also depends on the traffic.

1. Accelerate gradually to reach 50-60 kph.
2. Once attained, don't step on the gas pedal. Let the vehicle coast.
3. If there is traffic in front, slightly slow the vehicle down far away yet from the traffic just to maximize coasting of the vehicle.
4. Try not to use OD not unless you need to when overtaking.
5. I've notice that if you punch it to attain 50-60 kph quickly, it doesn't really effect much on FC, as you get to coast longer than usual.

Of course, coasting gets nullified when there is bumper to bumper traffic. For this situation, just be light on the foot.

[mazzipino]

For city driving, would it be advisable to turn O/D off? Would it make much of a difference?