reball Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I'm hoping someone with an Edge can answer this question, regarding downshifting for engine braking. If you are traveling in Drive at say 30-40 mph and encounter a long steep hill that would otherwise require continuous application of brakes to control speed, and you shift the selector to L, what will result? Will trans shift to first, or second gear, and what will be the approx rpm--is the downshift well controlled or does it stress engine or trans? If you allow car to coast, will it downshift to a lower gear if it did not select the lowest initially. What is motivating this question is that, altho I like the Edge a lot, its transmission selector does not seem to have been designed to allow much driver control.. I'm drawn to the Mazda CX-7, one reason being its auto trans with + or - ratio change options. However, maybe Ford engineers have designed a downshift protocol into the D-L transition that is fairly workable. Just wondering if anyone can shed more light on this. Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reball Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 I'm hoping someone with an Edge can answer this question, regarding downshifting for engine braking. If you are traveling in Drive at say 30-40 mph and encounter a long steep hill that would otherwise require continuous application of brakes to control speed, and you shift the selector to L, what will result? Will trans shift to first, or second gear, and what will be the approx rpm--is the downshift well controlled or does it stress engine or trans? If you allow car to coast, will it downshift to a lower gear if it did not select the lowest initially. What is motivating this question is that, altho I like the Edge a lot, its transmission selector does not seem to have been designed to allow much driver control.. I'm drawn to the Mazda CX-7, one reason being its auto trans with + or - ratio change options. However, maybe Ford engineers have designed a downshift protocol into the D-L transition that is fairly workable. Just wondering if anyone can shed more light on this. Thanks in advance! Well, it seems nobody wants to do the experiment. Let me ask it a simpler way--what does the Edge Owners Manual say about the use of the "L" selector position in terms of engine braking or descending hills. Is there at least an overdrive lockout button that helps in this regard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Well, it seems nobody wants to do the experiment. Let me ask it a simpler way--what does the Edge Owners Manual say about the use of the "L" selector position in terms of engine braking or descending hills. Is there at least an overdrive lockout button that helps in this regard? I have a Fusion with the same shifter and I'm sure it works the same. The computer won't allow a downshift that would cause damage so no worries there. What L will do is downshift and keep the RPM around 4K with engine braking. It will still shift up and down as necessary. In my limited testing it seems to be sufficient for a moderate downgrade but a steep descent may require some braking. I have one long hill near my house - I'll try it there. The mazda manu-matic would definitely work better if that's something you do a lot. For occasional use I don't think it would matter much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OAC_Sparky Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owne...als/default.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reball Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 (edited) https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owne...als/default.asp Thanks AKirby and OAC Sparky, The Owner's Manual was most helpful--If I read it correctly, the OD lockout gets the box down to 5th or maybe even to 4th for higher speed braking and the L postion has automatic speed restrictions. The Fusion box seems to also have a "smart" L postion but no OD lockout button. It does appear that the Ford engineers have set up good protocols for engine braking. I agree with AKirby, these features may not be used often, but it's good to know what to do when the occasion presents itself. Thanks again--I now feel much better about planning an Edge purchase when the time comes. Edited February 7, 2007 by reball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.