Down Hills

[MotoAce51]

Is it just me or does the Vibe downshift when your braking going down hills? It is a little annoying. I would prefer the car glides at lower R's and saves a little gas....

[Bastranz]

Yep, that's definitely a feature of the Vibe. It downshifts a bit to do some "engine braking" to reduce your need to use your physical brakes all of the time. What you may not be saving in gas will surely save you in brake replacement costs.I may abuse this feature a tad on certain steep hills, though, like when I was driving in some mountainous terrain by Jim Thorpe, PA. However, I haven't needed to change my brakes yet, so that's a good thing for now.

[KITT222]

Actually, I intentionally downshift the car (turn off the OD to keep it in 3rd) to keep at a certain speed, and keep my feet off the pedals. At times I put it in 2nd going down the hill into my neighborhood so I don't have to hit the brakes too. If you don't hit the gas pedal while going down a hill, you'll save gas, probably a minimal and negligible amount compared to if you would stay in the higher gear down the hill.

[MotoAce51]

I would think you'd save more shifting into neutral and gliding more...

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by MotoAce51 »I would think you'd save more shifting into neutral and gliding more...You will save more gas by shifting into neutral and coasting but you will use more brakes. It's a trade off, there is no way to win both.

[KITT222]

Uh... maybe. I have looked into this mildly. While coasting in D the revs stay about 800RPM, but in N the revs are about 1500RPMs.

[MotoAce51]

I never noticed this. I was just thinking less resistance when in N. Just makes sense. Esp where you can glide for a ways without needing to brake.

[KITT222]

When in D the car coasts normally, with maybe a little bit smaller of a distance than in N. Just down my hill at least, where I don't go above 25. I don't think it's that big of a difference. Plus when you get going really slow, the car keeps moving, since you're in D.

[beemerphile1]

I've never noticed my 2009 1.8L four speed auto downshift on hills. I do often downshift manually to save the brakes.The fuel consumption doesn't change at all. The throttle is closed irregardless of what gear you are in. With a modern fuel injected system the throttle is closed while going down hill. Coasting in neutral might actually use more fuel because the engine management system has to supply fuel to keep the engine running at idle.

[ou.grizzly]

I let go of the steering wheel, wave my hands in the air, and go wheeee as I imagine I am on a roller coaster.

[kostby]

ou.grizzly +1And if you do that in front of the traffic camera, you can purchase a nice photo at the end of the ride. Oh, wait...

[NascarXprt]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »I let go of the steering wheel, wave my hands in the air, and go wheeee as I imagine I am on a roller coaster. as do i! we need to ride a big steep hill in the same car!

[KITT222]

I got one of those! With a curve in it and everything! And if you miss the curve, it's a big drop! How can you not put your hands up when coasting down a hill? It'll be more fun when I can open the moonroof.

[DressedInBlack]

what's a hill?

[NascarXprt]

Quote, originally posted by DressedInBlack »what's a hill?i think its this thing thats in the road that slightly goes up then slightly goes down, though im not sure....