Originally Posted by elripster

Dont' sweat it. The torque required to spin a coasting engine is nothing compared to that which is required to accelerate the truck. Every sticks shift does this all the time.

What kills trannies typically is heavy torque loads for long periods of time. For example, when towing, it is FAR easier on the tranny to let the engine rev but at say half throttle than nearly full throttle at a lower RPM.

In our trucks, switching out of OD to downshift has the added benefit that the torque converter locks up which shears the fluid far less and keeps transmission temperatures down. You can save fuel as well as wear and tear by manually shifting to 3rd and climbing a hill with much less pedal than you would if you floor it to kick it down where the torque converter will remain unlocked (in OD setting but in 3rd)

I do not shift to 3rd to hold down speed unless descending a long and steep grade where you can get the brakes quite hot. In that case it is a good idea to use the engine because you can keep the brakes relatively cool in case you really do have to stop quickly. That is not often though.

Frank

Originally Posted by infiltrator

i dont know how bad it is...

all i can say is im almost at 200,000 and i have used it most times to stop
i live in cali, and stopping asap can be a must, sometimes on the freeway/ 50mph road. i use my "emergency combo", shift auto down to 2nd o/d off and brake when i have to!

i dont know how bad it could be, ive NEVER replaced the tranny or had to.
one time (well many times)

i have a hard time stopping downhill especially, and it sucks, my buddies runner does a LOT better than mine. and had to swerve to the shoulder lol.

im a good driver though dont get me wrong ive never had a ticket/accident.