DBinAL Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have a general driving question. I currently have a 2010 ES350 and used to have a 2001 ES300. I live in an areawith plenty of small to steep hills and valleys. In order to save wear and tear on my brakes, I often shift from D to 4th, 3rd, and sometimes 2nd gear while traversing the hills. I was able to get 180,000 miles on my 2001 ES300 using this driving technique never having any transmission problems, and didn’t even change the transmission fluid. Am I hurting the transmission by driving in this manner or should I continue this method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexBob2 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I don't know about wear and tear on the transmission, but the old saying goes "it's cheaper to replace brakes than transmissions. Hopefully someone will weigh in on your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13IS250C Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I was thinking the same thing LexBob, but I really don't see the harm in downshifting, especially if you have paddle shifters. I don't see where it would be any difference in downshifting for a hill or a tight curve. I have the same situation on a piece of road I travel almost daily. It is a long slight decline in a 40 mph speed trap. I used to ride my brake all the way down till I figured that a ticket was probably a lot cheaper than a brake job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBdenny Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Old country saying Brakes pads are cheaper than transmissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbill.32 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I have always did this with my 2007, put 180000 mi on it and never changed trans fluid and never had a trans problem. just traded it in on a 2014 cpo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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