Postby damieG82 » February 24th, 2011, 4:45 pm
have (had) a PDF detailing the use of Mazda transmissions (it was a Mazda publication)... can't seem to find it but I'll keep looking.
For all normal driving conditions, 'D' should be used, with 'hold' disengaged. It will cycle through all 4 gears, and shift points are determined by throttle input, vehicle load etc.
'S' actually stands for secondary shift sequence (or some other word meaning sequence)... and NOT sport mode as believed by many, including me before getting the PDF. It's uses are as follows:
1) to downshift while at speed for (a) engine braking, or (b) to raise rpm's into the engine's power band in preparation for overtaking, but without an increase in throttle input
2) To disengage the overdrive gear while still retaining full automatic use of the other gears. It spoke of using this while ascending a hill, or while driving on an undulating road where overdrive is not needed, and constant shifting to and from the overdrive gear increases operating temperatures and wear. It also spoke of use in slow moving traffic. Supposed to reduce fuel consumption too under these circumstances
As for the 'hold' function, when engaged (light illuminates on dash), the driver is given manual control of all 3 forward gears. This is to be used when towing, or when automatic shifting is not advantageous (case in point I've used 1st and 2 gear only when crossing the hill to Maracas with the car loaded up with ppl and their stuff; 3rd gear decreased rpm's too much to maintain a good pace). Also when hold is engaged, and with the gear selector in 'D', the transmission will shift automatically through gears 1, 2 and 3, but upshifts occur at a set rpm (and a very low one at that), regardless of throttle inputs
Last edited by
damieG82 on February 24th, 2011, 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.