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1999 Honda Accord Going downhill

Tiny
MUSICOLLECTOR
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 HONDA ACCORD
  • 1.3L
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 40,000 MILES
Is it okay for me to place my Honda in 3rd gear going down a hill. Of course, I will switch back to 4, thereafter, before I proceed. Everyday I come down this hill and by the time I get to the bottom, I am at a high speed and might wear out my brakes. But, if this is unsafe, I don't want to mess up my transmission, as well. :)
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 AT 11:10 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,754 POSTS
You probably won't hurt anything but while the brakes are designed to slow a car going down a steep hill, coasting in a lower gear adds to internal engine wear and can promote oil getting sucked up past the piston rings, and burned. Regardless, you don't want the engine to run faster than what the manufacturers recommends. If you have a tach on the dash, you'll see the numbers in red that you mustn't exceed.

As far as wear, I can help you replace worn brake pads when the time comes. You won't be doing your own engine work if that becomes necessary. Brake pads and rotors are fairly inexpensive so don't worry about wearing them out.
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 AT 9:31 PM
Tiny
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Thanks for your helpful response, gentlemen.

I don't want any engine problems whatsoever. Yeah, compared with a piston job, pad replacement is inconsequential. So, I think I will stop this downshifting practice because the tach does not even approach the red zone - in fact at the highest speed point downhill, it is still under 2000 rpm.
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Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015 AT 7:10 AM

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