How to drive an Auto?

[Johnnyboxer]

Well, after 35 years of solely driving manuals and never driven an Auto................I have now purchased an Auto

 

So...............how do you drive them?

 

It's a new 3.0 Hilux Invincible, so not that sophisticated with Tiptronic/Steptronic/DSG and all that malarkey

 

It's a 5 speed box, as pictured below

 

Naturally it has D for Drive and R for Reverse and P for Park

 

Yep, yep all that is fairly simple

 

But it also has numbers ~ 2/3/4 and a L for Low (presumably 1st)

 

What do these numbers mean?

 

I find that in town in 20's/30's/40' it's very easy to be in too high a gear in D mode and for it to 'run-on' - so you tend to exceed the posted speed limits in built up areas

 

Can I go from D to 4 to 3, by knocking the lever into those positions whilst in town and then back up to D (via 3>4>D), once back out on the open NSL roads or Dual Carriageways

 

If I do that, will it damage the autobox to switch between D and the numbers?

 

Or is it ok to do that?

 

Only talking about 2000rpm, as the motor has bags of torque around town

 

Yours in hope................. for an Auto numpty

[aspenarb]

Help is at hand Johnny

 

[ame]

[/ame]

[skc101fc]

Yep nothing essentially wrong with using those gears manually. Intended more to control engine braking on hill descents and to stop it trying to change up on ascents, realising it got it wrong changing back down and losing torque and speed in the process.

A BIG help is to tuck your clutch foot under the seat or sit on it to stop you jabbing at the brake thinking it's the clutch.

Auto's are spectacular for suppressing wheelspin off road.

Shaun

[GardenKit]

Help is at hand Johnny

 

Classic!

Thanks Bob.

[josharb87]

The numbers is to hold it in gear for engine braking on decents or stop it changing up when climbing hills when towing For example 2L being the Lowest

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Owners manual?!

[Johnnyboxer]

Owners manual?!

 

Limited to half a page and doesn't yield much info:001_tt2:

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Limited to half a page and doesn't yield much info:001_tt2:

 

So manufacturers can't write anymore either?! What an illiterate generation!

[Paul Jenks]

One of the things with driving auto's is that they do tend to run on a bit. Getting used to this and using the gears where appropriate to hold a speed makes driving so much easier. Once you have worked out how quickly or slowly the old bus slows down after lifting your right foot you learn the distances you need to leave between you and the car in front.

You should also look at the vehicles beyond the one in front and the wally's in the inside lane who dap out into the gap and then brake.

Working out the lag in pick up when pushing the right foot down is another lesson that can have an adverse effect on underpants when pulling out in front of trucks.

Does the hilux have traction control. This can be great except when pulling out quickly from a slippery drive. My shogun sometimes goes into crawl mode which is embarrassing and sometimes a bit scary in heavy traffic flow.

[Peter]

Put it into launch mode in those scenarios.

 

Apply the foot brake with your left foot, rev it up to about 2500 and release the foot brake to launch.