I have a 2005 Cadillac STS V6 with about 130K miles that’s a lot of fun to drive. It has an automatic transmission, but I like to drive it in ‘sport’ mode where you push the gear selector to the right and then can control when the car shifts by pushing the lever forward to upshift or pulling the lev…

My I.Q. is that of room temperature measured in Celcius, but here is my suggestion. Try driving your Cadillac non-aggessively for a month. Don’t downshift and see if your oil mileage improves. When you downshift, you create a higher vacuum and are probably sucking oil in around the valve guides. …

Mmmm The CTS-V…isn’t that the 550Hp monster of a Caddy? Now that looks fun…even the wagon with the same engine.

You said it, Blackbird. CTS-V coupe base model = 556 Hp, 0 - 60 in 4.0 seconds… Like I said — I could get into some REAL trouble with that kind of muscle. (drooling…)

Aw YEAH I think we could all find ways to get into “trouble” with that many Ponies…and a shapely body to boot. I have ALWAYS wanted to sample the CTS-V… I have driven almost EVERYTHING else… I was a Bell Boy/Valet in San Diego in another life…when I was 20yrs old… That’s when I could say that I…

Downshifting and engine braking are NOT bad for your automatic transmission. Bad for gas mileage? Sure. Is spirited driving harder on the car than driving sedately? Of course it is. Is hitting a bump while going fast harder on the tires and suspension than hitting the same bump going slow? Obviously…

CTS-V…The only place you can really have FUN with it is screaming around an abandoned airport, where most of the “performance car” footage is shot…Sideways at 130…eeeeeEEEEEhhhhHHHHAAAAWWWWWWW!! SMOKE them tires!

JayWB6:44PMReport " Downshifting and engine braking are NOT bad for your automatic transmission." Yeah, the rougher you treat a transmission, the longer it will last.

"Yeah, the rougher you treat a transmission, the longer it will last. " As a matter of fact Elly, there is some truth to that. If you make a transmission shift harder there is less slippage of the friction materials. So the harder it shifts the longer the clutches and bands will last. It’ll snap …

Is engine braking (downshifting) bad for your vehicle?

Maintenance/Repairs

EllyEllis December 19, 2011, 4:39am 21

I do agree that downshifting does put more strain on the entire drive train. I also believe that pushing an engine creats a larger vacuum and could cause it to burn some oil. Now, I expect a lot of flack for this statement, but I believe it is true.

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Is engine braking (downshifting) bad for your vehicle?

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