If you want to get the most out of your auto this is a fairly simple guideline that I use whenever I'm behind the wheel of an automatic.
Firstly, just to outline what the RAV4 auto transmission is like.
P: Park
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
D: 4th gear (O/D OFF when lit, will not engage 4th gear and stay in 3rd gear)
2: 2nd gear - only used for engine braking.
L: 1st gear - only used for engine braking
The RAV4, being a 4-speed auto transmission, you would probably want to practice a driving style as follows:
It's best to leave the transmission in the D position and only change the following.
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O/D (overdrive)
This mode should always be set to ON unless you are driving in the following conditions:
1. Driving uphill and the transmission is constantly riding between 4th and 3rd gear
2. Driving downhill when you are constantly riding the brakes - gives you engine braking power to assist your braking
3. When driving on a road that constantly requires you to brake, then accelerate, than brake. This in turn gives you more engine braking power, and acceleration power as it will not change to 4th gear.
4. during low speed driving conditions
Other than that, all other driving conditions will be fine to drive with O/D set to ON. For peace of mind, even though the transmission will not shift to overdrive (4th gear) when the engine is cold, I always like to switch O/D to OFF when the car is going to be parked.
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ECT PWR / MANU MODE
This is a fun little button only if you know how to use it. Misuse of this button can cause transmission / engine damage. But never fear, it can easily be avoided.
ECT PWR
This little button when pressed, makes the gear shift gears much later than usual. The car is also more prone to downshifting to gain more power.
For example, your on the highway doing 100kmh or 60mph and you are climbing a hill on the highway. If you were to squash this button during this time, you will probably notice that the car will go bonkers and drop it back 2 gears and a sudden burst of torque will come from it, causing you and your lovely RAV4 to fly up the hill in due time.
This mode should only really be used on highway runs and during steep mid-speed highclimbs (such as mountain valley roads).
MANU MODE
Fairly straight forward, this mode HOLDS your gear and will not release the gear until this mode is off.
For example, you are travelling along at 60kmh or just over 35mph and you are driving with O/D set to off (3rd gear), if you decide to press MANU it will hold 3rd gear just like a manual car holding its gear and not drop the RPM unlike normal auto driving conditions when you release the gas.
This mode should only be used if you need to maintain a gear during hillclimbs or high-speed overtakes.
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What combination of settings should you use when and where you ask?
O/D OFF + PWR OFF + MANU OFF
When your car is cold, during hillclimb conditions, during peak traffic, during low speed driving conditions
O/D ON + PWR OFF + MANU OFF
Normal, everyday driving conditions
O/D ON + PWR ON + MANU OFF
During highway runs, during high-speed overtaking and during any high-speed conditions.
O/D OFF + PWR ON + MANU OFF
Extremely steep hillclimb with a heavy load with lots of variations of speeds in the road. (eg. steep mountain valley roads, scenic routes)
O/D OFF + PWR OFF + MANU ON
Whenever you need to hold a gear for a certain condition (overtaking a million cars)
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If you are finding that your car has become rather sluggish in terms of changing gears, power delivery and response, you are best off resetting your ECU. This can be done by unplugging the positive battery terminal and leaving it unplugged for approx. 30 minutes. After this, just plug it back in, start the car up, let it warm up and take it for a spin around the block a few times. During this drive around, You will probably want to floor the gas a few times from stand still to get the ECU really edging its performance. To top it off, go for a cruise on any highway at relatively highspeeds (100-130kmh or 60-80mph). As you enter the highway, you should really belt it to the desired speed then cruise the remaining of the highway for about 15 minutes. When you come off the highway, you'll notice that the car is really responsive By doing all this, you are re-teaching the car your driving style so it can adapt to it.
I hope that helps you!
From me! Have a good one! 作者: NewLynnHse 时间: 2014-11-21 15:01:44