So I read from the manual that it keeps the car from shifting past gear 3 correct? It is generally used for going down steep hills and in the manual it also says that it is good for stop and go driving. So does that mean I should keep it on when I'm on the freeway when there's traffic or just cruising through the city? I've been on gear 2 and 1 before because I needed the extra boost but someone told me it'll ruin the tranny if I do it too much. Just trying to clarify things up. Thanks
2006 CIVIC lx auto

 

Ok for one, you can 'shift' as much as you'd like with an auto tranny and it won't harm it. Look in the owner's manual, it clearly states you can 'shift' the auto tranny to act much like a manual tranny.

As for D3, I think that's really only used for towing and if you need a boost of power. I only ever used that when I was on the highway and needed to pass. Other than that, you should always just leave it in 'D' unless you wanna mess around and "run through the gears".

 

Usually, all D3 means is that it won't let the trans shift into the overdrive--or top gear. I assume the auto civics have a 4 spd transmission. Put it into 2 and it won't let it shift beyond 2nd gear.

Its not an extra power boost, it just keeps the car in the lower gear.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by d16dcoe45 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Usually, all D3 means is that it won't let the trans shift into the overdrive--or top gear. I assume the auto civics have a 4 spd transmission. Put it into 2 and it won't let it shift beyond 2nd gear.

Its not an extra power boost, it just keeps the car in the lower gear.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually, they have 5 speeds.

When I said 'extra power boost' I meant it in the way that it'll automatically drop you to 3rd gear (if you're in 4th/5th) which will equate in extra passing power.

 

Lol yeah pretty much. Just sometimes trying to pass someone and D just isn't doing it. So your saying it's ok for me to just shift around all the time to gear 2 and 1 and it won't hurt my tranny? Because my coworker said his brother did that with his new civic not sure what year, and his transmission gave up on him pretty fast. But it was still under warranty so no problems there.

 

Just make sure you are not on 5th with 6k rpm when you put it to D3

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 20ls01 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just use D. your putting extra wear on the engine when it is not necessary. my dad used d3 on his 88 civic since it was new. burns oil and only has 137k miles. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Owners manual on my 06 LX A/T SPECIFICALLY states you can 'shift' the lever to operate much like a manual transmission.

 

i shifted to D3 a few times only going up a steep hill,my car still runs good and strong

 

I talked to one of my friend who works in a Honda dealership and he says D3 is best used when you're in stop-and-go traffic (ie traffic jams on the freeway).

 

thats exactly how i use mine. every time i hit traffic and it becomes stop and go, i usually put my gear into D3. i actually thik it saves me more gas, seeing that since i know i will be braking often, my gears will only stay in 1, 2 and 3. doesnt the rule go, the higher the gear, the more gas youll use? i dont know for sure but its been working fine for me lately and ive had no tranny or oil problems to date.

 

[QUOTE=20ls01]
thats what the dealership told my dad back in 88. now the engine burns oil/smoke

if i were you,leave it in D, where it can utilize all gears for most efficiency(better gas mileage and cruising at lower rpms)

but wasnt the question in regards to stop and go traffic? he cant cruise if he's in stop and go traffic yenno. plus, its '07, dont you think if honda would of worked out the kinks in comparison to '88? just a thought.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by j@y &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I talked to one of my friend who works in a Honda dealership and he says D3 is best used when you're in stop-and-go traffic (ie traffic jams on the freeway). </TD></TR></TABLE>

I really don't see why that would be the case. All D3 does is lock the tranny into the first three gears. Why would you need to do this in stop-and-go traffic? The ONLY time I could imagine really needing this is if you need to drop a few gears to pass someone, or you need a lower gear for towing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Cvicex609 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thats exactly how i use mine. every time i hit traffic and it becomes stop and go, i usually put my gear into D3. i actually thik it saves me more gas, seeing that since i know i will be braking often, my gears will only stay in 1, 2 and 3. doesnt the rule go, the higher the gear, the more gas youll use? </TD></TR></TABLE>

You'll actually burn more gas in stop and go traffic than you will at normal highway speeds. A higher gear doesn't necessarily result in worse gas mileage. If you look at the factory sticker on a new car the city mpg is always worse than the highway mpg on 99% of vehicles.

I think the Toyota Prius is one of the few cars that actually gets worse mpg on the highway than in the city.

 

I always thought D3 was used when going uphill or hauling a heavy load to keep the transmission from shifting back and forth between 3rd and 4th.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlaqkAudio &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I always thought D3 was used when going uphill or hauling a heavy load to keep the transmission from shifting back and forth between 3rd and 4th.</TD></TR></TABLE>

D3 is also used primarily for engine braking when going downhill to avoid excessive wear on the brake pads. If you're going uphill and the hill is steep enough D3 won't help out because the transmission will automatically shift to the lower gears to maintain acceleration.

And since the more your transmission shifts the more gas you waste....D3 is also helpful in slight stop and go driving to prevent it from accessing 4th and 5th gear pre-maturely.