Good morning.

 

I am the proud new owner of a 2013 Impreza 2.0i premium 5DR with auto. transmission.  While there is a full time "Manual Mode", you can also stay in auto mode but use the paddles to manually downshift or upshift at times.

 

My instinct is to leave it in auto mode but use the paddle to downshift as I slow down to approach stops and turns, in order to save wear on the brakes.

 

My question is whether this is a good idea or bad idea---am I helping the brakes at the expense of hurting the transmission or gas mileage or....?

 

I asked this question of the good folks at Subaru and their reply was that they would not say one way or the other, which seemed a bit odd.

 

Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Andrew

Brakes are a lot cheaper to repair than a transmission.  You're also somewhat increasing wear on the engine.  You're not likely to affect gas mileage one way or the other as the ECU will cut fuel during engine braking.

 

Don't bother downshifting for stops and turns to save on brake wear.  Downshifting on a long, steep, hill is a good idea to keep the brakes from overheating.  And of course downshifting for the fun of it so you can punch it out of the turn, by all means.

Thanks, presslab, for your post and advice.

 

Andrew

Consider using this mode in winter driving to keep better control over traction when slowing vs using the brake such as on ice. Should it snow in texas.

Thanks, Miles.  We do get a little ice around here in the winter, especially west of Austin where I am, so I appreciate the suggestion.

 

Andrew

If its anything loke the old models, the manual mode will allow you to start off in 2nd gear such as trying to start off on slippery road if 1st gear breaks traction from the torque. 

 

Try playing around with it according to your driving style. It doesnt hurt the engine to have some engine braking now and againa s it allows the engine to wear evenly against the bearings and cylinders vs all the load being from one way all the time.