Gear shifting advice for manual mode in a 2008 Mazda3 4-speed automatic...?

Question

Hi there,

I just got a 2008 Mazda3 i Touring VE 4-speed automatic. For those who don't know, it has a manual mode in which I can manually change the gears if I would like (without a clutch, of course). While I know about gear shifting when it comes to rpm and speed (e.g. when exactly to shift), I am unsure about when is it wise to shift depending on the situation that I am in.

For example, I have seen people change from drive (gear 3) to gear 2 on a automatic when going downhill. Another example is shifting downward to accelerate pass a car on the highway. While I may know of these things, I do not completely understand them.

Any advice when it comes to shifting and what gear is appropriate for what situation would be extremely helpful.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Yeah, for you....just slide that bad boy back into "Automatic" mode and let the car do what it was built to do. If you press hard on the accelerator and it is necessary, the Automatic Transmission will downshift, that's why its called an Automatic.

Answer 2

People downshift when they either need power or when they want to use the engine instead of brakes. When going down a mountain, your brakes will get very hot from being used so much. If you put the car in a lower gear, the engine will not allow the car to go so quickly so, you don't have to use your brakes to slow down. When passing, you need to be able to accelerate. Cars best performance is generally around 5500 rpm. If you are in a high gear and want to accelerate but you're only at like 2500 rpm, you can downshift to a lower gear to get your rpms up to your performance range so that you can speed up faster.