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If you are driving average of 20 MPH in the snow which gear should you be in for an automatic tranny? There is "2" and "D3" and "D". Which is the proper gear to drive in for this weather? Is there stress on the tranny if you keep it in a low gear for an extended period of time?

I never "auto-shift", but some people do.... Do you guys ever do that, mess around with different gears with automatic transmissions?

 
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i have a auto.. i dunno bout the snow since i live in texas but i do shift gears n' such

 
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Is putting it in a low gear off the line any better than putting it in drive and flooring it?

Can that hurt your tranny? We need a tranny guru in here to clarify!

 
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i live in north dakota and if i have to drive through quite a bit of snow or ice i put it in 2nd. it gives you more power starting out, just don't floor it.

 
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Starting out in 2 slows down your acceleration considerably until you reach high rpms, so your better off leaving in D for your launch.

 
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well 2 is just second gear, there is no first gear in this mode nor 3rd or 4th. and u deff dont want to drag race in this gear since there is no 1st gear. u will be beat by any car in the world if u drag race in 2nd. use this when u dont want wheel spin such as driving slow on snow or loose road. it really donest matter what gear ur using going 20 mph since we do have CIVICS, so if u slam on the gas it the wheels prolly wont break loose and u wont lose control. D3 is 1st 2nd and 3rd gear but it will not shift into 4th gear. use this in traffic to prevent the engine from shifting into 4th gear. the only time u are hurting youru tranny is when ur in a gear and u shouldnt be. obviously u shouldnt be driving 40+ mph in 2 mode. apply what u know about driving manual to this. assuming u know how to .... hope this helps. also RTFM!

 
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I find that putting it in a low gear allows me to accelerate in the snow with a less chance of wheel spin, since the acceleration is slowed down by startin off in 2nd gear.

 
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Nod, 2nd gear is for those of us in snow country so we can take off without spinning the crap out of our tires!

 
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Do you guys find that letting off the gas in an automatic induces a gear change?

I know how to drive manual, but I own an auto. It seems like my car has adapted to my driving style? Whenever I want it to shift, it just does as I ever so slightly take preasure off the gas.

 
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When you let off the gas, there is a mechanism that drops the rpms after shifting. Usually around 30mph, to save gas.

 
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i have an auto, i shift gears whenever i am on a race, but not for daily driving.

 
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i only notice the gear shifting, when it shifts from 3rd to 4th or 3rd back down to 2nd. But i do notice a shift when i take the gas off. Then again it could just be the vtec, cuz i do notice a slight kick when i hit about 3000rpm, which is around 3rd gear. On the gear shifting issue, is it ok to manually shift gears like that? i heard it bad for the transmission to manually shift gears on an auto since it wasn't designed for it.

 
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EXACTLY what was thinking...


Still waiting for a tech guru to answer this question.

 
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It is not okay! Don't pretend like your auto is a manual or it will be ruined. I've heard this many times before.

 
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I do not think it is the vtec engaging. You will not be able to feel vtec engaging on the D17A2 sohc series motor, it is more or less a smooth transistion throughout the powerband.

It is not ok to shift gears when driving an automatic transmission, that is why they call it an automatic transmission, it does the gear shifting for you.

D2 starts u off in gear 2 which effectively reduces wheel spin.
D3 will stop the gear shifting at gear 3 which effectively allows you pass more easily

 
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it will hurt your transmission for sure, my buddy did that everyday to his auto 2K1 civic LX, he have to changed his auto transmission 2 times already, that's like within 2 years time, and trust me, you just don't want to got back to Honda once a every few month for repairs..

 
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D3 for driving in crazy snow conditions. Don't go above 30mph with it. I live in the snow capital (Buffalo, NY) and have been driving in these winters for almost 10 years now. Take my word. D3 or D. 1 if your stuck in ice/snow and can't move.

 
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in low traction conditions, it's best to keep it in 2 for the start and then put it back into D once you're going well.
reasons:
- it'll reduce the chance of wheelspin on start because you get less torque to the wheels in second gear
- you want to be in a HIGHER gear than normal, rather than a lower one (D3) because it reduces torque, again, giving you less wheelspin.

if you try to get out of snow in D/D3, more likely than not you'll just spin the tires. even if you are VERY good with gas control, with an auto's torque multiplication at start you'll likely spin unless you are in a higher gear.

manually shifting an auto really shouldn't be bad for the tranny, because the computer controls your shifts and won't allow anything that'll damage it.
The exception to that is shifting into neutral and then back into gear while the car is moving. THAT will damage the tranny (eventually), and the computer can't do anything to prevent that.

 
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Yeah, I shift my auto on a regular basis, usually though if I feel it go into 2nd, I'll drop to 2 so I can keep it in 2nd gear longer, until I want it to gear down to 3rd and so on ..

Other times I'll actually shift to 2nd for it, there is a computer that prevents damage to the tranny, for the most part. Like he said though, shifting to neutral, or neutral drops - VERY BAD - will eventually damage your transmission. Also, if you're doing 75 on the interstate, it's prolly a bad idea to drop into 2nd gear - trust me.

On the other hand though, if I'm going about 50 or 60 on a 2-lane road, and I want to pass somebody, I'll usually drop into D3 for that extra boost to get by the car in front of me.

The other thing is if you're on an icy road and you want to get more traction while slowing down, drop from D into D3, or D3 into 2 and you'll reduce the tire spin and slow down a lot quicker than just applying the brakes.

I have to deal with snow and ice 8 months out of the year usually - it snows as late as June and as early as September (every once in a while even in August) so I've become accustomed to driving on less than desirable surfaces.

Oh yeah, and for any idiot who doesn't already know, do NOT use your e-brake on ice to slow your car down. It locks up the wheels and your car becomes a hockey puck ...

Cheers

 
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Auto down shifts automatically if you step on the gas...or at least that's what mine does...

 
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I've Always Heard To Use a Lower Gear With Autoamtic Transmission When Driving Up Hill Cause The Engine Works harder When Going Up Hill. and When Going Down Hill You Just Leave it In Drive.

BTW. About The Snow Thing. We Only Have To Deal With Snow Every 2 or Years and
When We Do We Use A Lower Gear Like 2nd or 3rd Gear With Our Automatic's.

 
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Wow, why didn't everyone just get a manual transmission?

Low Gears = For snow or any condition where you don't want your wheels spinning in first grear.

Drive = To drive your car in normal conditions, it automatically downshifts for you.

It's not a tiptronic tranny, nor a manual tranny. There is no need to shift an auto tranny. It will break down over time.

 
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well when i'm on the open road by myself and i want to accerlate really fast off the stop sign, i wish i had a manual, but then when i'm stuck in 5pm traffic going 2mph-30mph i'm glad i have an auto. But i usually just keep my car in D, unless its down a hill then i put it to D3 or D2 to save a little on the brakes.