Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Li. For the correct operation of automatic transmission models when going down steep slopes, many people may think that it is enough to directly apply the brakes in D gear. But in fact, there are great safety hazards in this practice, and the brakes will lead to overheating and abnormal wear and tear for a long time, and may even lead to brake failure. There are a number of more suitable ways to do it when facing steep downhills, and applying the brakes in D gear is definitely not the most ideal option. Today, I'm going to share the correct way to do it when going down steep slopes for automatic transmission models, and I hope it can help you.
Before we can do it correctly, we need to correct the misunderstanding of steep slopes. Many people live in plain areas, and there may be some misconceptions about what is really steep. In a place as flat as Guangxi, it's rare to encounter that kind of really steep slope. Therefore, we are Xi to the small slopes of the plains, and we may not have a clear idea of the real steep slopes. The real steep slope is really very steep, like the half-slope start that we were exposed to when we were learning to drive. Beginners may think that it is already very steep, or you may also have some exposure to the entrance and exit ramps of the underground car park, which are really steep and need to be very careful when driving up. In some mountainous areas, steep slopes such as underground parking lots are very common, sometimes even a kilometre or two long. Considering such a ramp, if the brakes are applied in D gear all the time, the counter-braking power of the engine is almost non-existent. As soon as we loosen the brakes a little, the car will quickly slide downhill and continue to slide on the brakes for a kilometer or two, and the brake pads may overheat and lose their normal function. Some veteran drivers of large trucks, even if they know how to use the engine's counterforce to slow down, will still encounter brake failure. This is also the reason why emergency avoidance lanes are set up on highways, and most of these lanes are set on long downhill sections. In the downhill section of the winding road I experienced, I often felt scared, because I needed to keep pressing the brakes, and the car could only release the brakes slightly to keep the brake pads in a state of friction.
When faced with such a steep slope or a long downhill section, I can ditch D gear and switch to low gear or use manual mode to drive in 1st gear. The manual mode of automatic transmission is to have "+" and "—" gears on the gearbox, and if you need to use the car, you can switch it directly without stepping on the brakes and other additional operations. After switching to manual mode, the engine's counter-force can assist in deceleration, and the lower the gear, the better the deceleration effect. This allows us to briefly release the brakes on the way down the slope to cool the brake pads. This method is the most suitable way to automatically drive down steep slopes, and everyone must learn it.
I hope my sharing can be helpful to everyone. If you find what I said useful, please don't forget to give me a thumbs up and thank you.