Is downshifting tiptronic bad for motor/transmission?
03-10-2016, 07:33 AM
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Is downshifting tiptronic bad for motor/transmission?
A habit I have found my self doing lately is downshifting to slow down. Like a manual car. For example, if I see a stop sign a little ways ahead, I will downshift so I don't have to use my brakes. Or going down out of the mountains, I will lock the car in 3rd and let off the brakes because it won't go above a certain speed while stuck in 3rd gear
Is this bad for the transmission/engine?
Is this bad for the transmission/engine?
03-10-2016, 11:31 AM
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A habit I have found my self doing lately is downshifting to slow down. Like a manual car. For example, if I see a stop sign a little ways ahead, I will downshift so I don't have to use my brakes. Or going down out of the mountains, I will lock the car in 3rd and let off the brakes because it won't go above a certain speed while stuck in 3rd gear
Is this bad for the transmission/engine?
Is this bad for the transmission/engine?
03-10-2016, 11:38 AM
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03-10-2016, 11:43 AM
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03-10-2016, 12:56 PM
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Generally speaking there is nothing wrong with engine braking and downshifting to slow down the car. When going downhill, keeping the transmission in a low enough gear is preferred and avoids having to ride the brakes constantly and risk overheating them.
However, what you want to avoid are shocks to the drivetrain. Downshifting to slow down is fine if the revs are perfectly matched. In a manual transmission car that's the job of the driver. Dual-clutch transmissions all do perfect rev matches on a downshift, however, most tiptronic transmission unless they are performance tuned like in the RS7 don't rev match on a downshift and instead just let the torque converter and drivetrain absorb the blow. The fluid in the torque converter absorbs most, but there is generally still a jolt felt in the drivetrain especially if you downshift at higher revs.
However, what you want to avoid are shocks to the drivetrain. Downshifting to slow down is fine if the revs are perfectly matched. In a manual transmission car that's the job of the driver. Dual-clutch transmissions all do perfect rev matches on a downshift, however, most tiptronic transmission unless they are performance tuned like in the RS7 don't rev match on a downshift and instead just let the torque converter and drivetrain absorb the blow. The fluid in the torque converter absorbs most, but there is generally still a jolt felt in the drivetrain especially if you downshift at higher revs.
03-10-2016, 05:48 PM
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fantastic explanation superswiss, thank you! If only the Q7 came in a manual transmission like the Cayenne. I'm probably one of the very few who would buy a manual Q7 if it was available. Haha!
