Johnny
Lwin asked who drove in D, who drove in 3. Might have been better served by a poll, but most took the trouble to answer and say why they use whichever method.
You are "new" to the Forum, long after, I think, the technical discussion Trevor mentions.
Two philosophically opposing arguments apply here:
(1) The box is auto. It is optimised to make changes at the best possible times for progress/longevity/consumption/smoothness/torque/your mother/etc
(2) I want it to do what I require when I want/need it.
I fall into bracket (2), even though I bought this, my fiirst automatic, to take the stress out of urban gridlock driving.
Most people in bracket (2) will drive floor shifts, as I have done, but the millions of declutching actions in city traffic is playing hell with my left leg and hip.
So I want an auto that will push on the car when I require it, not too much to ask.
Interesting some of the respondents use D to allow the T/C to slip and heat up the oil in cold climates, would not be needed here.
So you see which method you use will be dictated by what response you want, as you note yourself, and what the ambient temp is in your local climate.
Not really a black and white argument, but depending on where you are, what you expect your car to do. Both methods are valid, but I stand with Trevor in saying top [4] is a really high gear, and the tranny should not select it till 60+ comes up on the clock. The shift map is optimised for different reasons than those that caused me to buy a 230 hp car.
Joe
