I tend to coast where possible, but ever since I've moved to the west coast my travels take me on steep roads where even without any gas the car picks up speed. Obviously I don't want want to be riding the brake...

I've never tried engine breaking but have read about it, but am also afraid of potentially causing damage/issues.

Let's just say I've started a downhill - I can switch from D or S... but then WHEN can I switch to a lower gear? From my very limited understanding of manual transmissions you have to switch gears at a specific speed/RPM?

On top of this, I would think that automatic driving is the most smooth transition, but will it be jerky if I manually downshift? I will be pulling a trailer in my near future (For the first time!) and obviously don't want to cause sudden jerks...

Sorry for the extremely basic question but I want to fully understand it and even moreso don't want to cause any damage!

I believe if you are too fast the trans will not shift to a lower gear. Not 100% on that though so to be sure.

I live in CO and have had no issues going down mountain roads in 4th or even 3rd at 70mph. I even descended from Pikes Peak in 1st @ 4000+rpm on the steepest bits....

When towing I always try to downshift near the top, IMO it is easier on the transmission that way and you'll use less brake. I also tend to blip the throttle like you would with a manual which helps match rpm when engine braking.

You could always practice downshifting around town without a trailer first....

Yes, engine brake. It will default to 4th gear, I think. It's not really going to do anything but limit the top gear, so don't expect an auto down shift.

My commute to/from work involves a 12 mile 6% grade.
My cruise holds 65 mph just fine (both ways).
Two miles from the bottom it drops to 55 mph, I shift from Drive to Manual (4th gear). It gently brings me down to the speed limit.
One mile farther it drops to 45 mph, I downshift to 3rd until I'm about 45 (everyone else is still going 65, some getting pulled over).
Once I'm at 45 I pop it back to Drive as the speed limit is 45 all the way through town.
At no time does the engine get close to redline.

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Shifting over to "S" just limits the max gear and is not really a shifter. So default for S is 4. Lower it to 3, then 3rd gear is your max. That being said, the transmission wont shift down even when you select a lower a gear if the car is moving too fast. Makes a few beeps if you try. I normally use 3rd gear when trying to slow down from 55-65ish to around 35-45ish going downhill. If I want to go lower than that, Ill drop into 2nd which I normally do when driving down steep switchbacks like the 198 in Sequoia National Park.

Pretty much sounds like you would be moving the gear selector to the left only and keeping the trans in 4th gear for your downhill excursions even with a trailer, there is a decent amount of engine breaking at higher than cruise RPM in my humble opinion and the front brakes on these trucks are large, more than adequate to scrub off your speed on the downhill straight you don't have to ride them constantly, even application - come back to the speed you desire or slightly lower and continue on, dragging them isn't the best idea of course - give them a chance to cool back down but you'd really have to use them hard to heat these up and cause concern, once again they are big rotors and calipers built for strong applications, don't worry.

What color was the cat.? lol

I actually threw a check engine light doing something similar in a different truck a few years ago.

I engine brake daily. No issues. The ECU won't let you do anything that's going to harm the drivetrain.

I used to engine break daily. Until I took my 4Runner in at 50k and the mechanic said the trans oil was dark. He said that engine breaking and running in 4WH on steep roads (recommends using 4WL) is hard on the transmission. Using the break on hills should be ok but I used to use the engine to slow down before a light.

If you live in the mountains you engine brake.

Not really sure how it would damage the transmission when it's the engine doing the work.

Not really sure how it's damaging the engine, for that matter.

I used to do the same, downshifted to slow down all the time. Then I started doing my own maintenance and realized how cheap and easy brakes are to replace than a transmission.

A long time Toyota mechanic that now only works on 4x4s told me that. He has a great reputation in the Dallas area.

He did a 2 quart swap on mine and asked me to come back at 75k to do it again. He said I should be good for a while after that. He showed me the oil, it was dark.

I live in a hilly area and engine brake on a daily basis with 2013 SR5. No issues so far. The trans won’t let you shift into 1st if you’re going to fast. It will make an audible beeping if you try. Save your brake pads and engine brake.


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Brake. Brake. Brake.

NOT break.

What would you rather service - your *brakes* or your trans?

My guy also seems to think that the color of the ATF has something to do with how bad the AT is doing.

I dunno. In CO you could cook your brakes and die on the way to work if you lived in the mountains. Not a real issue in the Bay Area.