[lori_cohen]

and had to go through the mountains. I asked the question before I bought the '11 about the transmission with its L and D selections only and was assured it wouldn't be a big deal. We went up to Snowshoe Mountain but had to cross over Cheat Mtn to get there. Cheat is over 4000ft with a 9% grade with twists and turns. Snowshoe has 10% grades with twists and turns but not as high as Cheat. Anyway, I was having troubles being comfortable with the L as first and second, and D as third and fourth. I really needed 1,2 & 3 to be separate. I couldn't go down by step enough in the gears. When I'd get the speed back down enough to shift down (it was raining seriously) to L, it was too high and the engine revved uncomfortably. I shouldn't have to ride my breaks down the mountain. I didn't have this problem in the 06, so I'm a little concerned. On Cheat Mtn. it was snowing horribly and we needed to stay under 30mph but I could go 20-25 in L, but had to ride the breaks in D at 30 because it wanted to be comfy at 40-45. I'm really not sure what to think. Except for all that, it drove wonderfully. If it were summer and hot, I'd really be concerned about the brakes getting overheated.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

There's a little button on the side of the shifter to lock out the top 2 gears.

On EX-L and below, the D3 button locks out 4th and 5th.
On Touring and above, the D4 button locks out 5th and 6th.

 

[BigBoat]

Not sure if it would help in this case, but when I drove through steep hills a couple of weeks ago I would set the Cruise Control to i.e. 50mph the tranny Grade Logic Control will enforce the right gears to stay engaged to keep it on that speed, reducing brake tapping considerably

 

[richysh]

Not sure if it would help in this case, but when I drove through steep hills a couple of weeks ago I would set the Cruise Control to i.e. 50mph the tranny Grade Logic Control will enforce the right gears to stay engaged to keep it on that speed, reducing brake tapping considerably

that might help but the member is talking about mountains here, which

i don't think that logic can come into play a lot. I miss gear selectors

too :frown:

 

[lori_cohen]

There's a little button on the side of the shifter to lock out the top 2 gears.

On EX-L and below, the D3 button locks out 4th and 5th.
On Touring and above, the D4 button locks out 5th and 6th.

My understanding was that the button locked out 5th gear only. I know you can lock out "overdrive" and the first thing I did was take that out, but that didn't really make it any easier because the speeds were too fast for that to enter in to the equation.

 

[lori_cohen]

that might help but the member is talking about mountains here, which

i don't think that logic can come into play a lot. I miss gear selectors

too :frown:

Yeah, 50 mph was waaaaaay too fast for this situation. Even on a clear day 50mph is nearly too fast for a lot of it with a big vehicle full of kids and slow moving semis.

 

[BigBoat]

Yeah, 50 mph was waaaaaay too fast for this situation. Even on a clear day 50mph is nearly too fast for a lot of it with a big vehicle full of kids and slow moving semis.

Last time I checked cruise control can be set at any speed, not just @ 50mph. That was my setting but you can set it differently and, as a matter of fact, you can change the speed settings on the fly with the steering wheel buttons

My wife does it all the time, even at 35mph. While I think is silly, she has clocked better MPG than I do and has not been caught up speeding like me

 

[Snobike Mike]

I believe "L" really means 2nd and that it's supposed to be used when starting in slippery/snowy conditions no?

Under the conditions you were running I would have just used the side button lockout feature and forget about "L". Going uphill the trans would shift normally and going down it should use it's grade logic.













I'm sure nobody wants to hear that another brand has a fully manual selectable gear feature from gears 1 through 6 that might have been helpful under these conditions........

 

[BigBoat]

I'm sure nobody wants to hear that another brand has a fully manual selectable gear feature from gears 1 through 6 that might have been helpful under these conditions........

Yes, please, enlighten us, is it bolt-on?

 

[Snobike Mike]

Yes, please, enlighten us, is it bolt-on?

:tongue:

 

[oddy03]

There's a little button on the side of the shifter to lock out the top 2 gears.

On EX-L and below, the D3 button locks out 4th and 5th.
On Touring and above, the D4 button locks out 5th and 6th.

Yes, and D3 and D4 is the same identical gear ratio on both vehicles of 1.07
3rd gear on the 5spd is 1.07 and 4th gear on the 6spd is 1.07.

 

[oddy03]

Not sure if it would help in this case, but when I drove through steep hills a couple of weeks ago I would set the Cruise Control to i.e. 50mph the tranny Grade Logic Control will enforce the right gears to stay engaged to keep it on that speed, reducing brake tapping considerably

So you are putting the wear on your transmission rather than your brake pads.. personally I'd rather wear the brade pads, within reason... Brakes pads are far cheaper than rebuilding the transmission...

 

[oddy03]

I believe "L" really means 2nd and that it's supposed to be used when starting in slippery/snowy conditions no?

Under the conditions you were running I would have just used the side button lockout feature and forget about "L". Going uphill the trans would shift normally and going down it should use it's grade logic.













I'm sure nobody wants to hear that another brand has a fully manual selectable gear feature from gears 1 through 6 that might have been helpful under these conditions........

True, but who is manually shifting a slooow minivan to begin with? LOL! Leave the manumatic controls for the sports cars or vehicles with power.. not vans that struggle to hit 60mph in 8 seconds.

 

[BigBoat]

So you are putting the wear on your transmission rather than your brake pads..

Yes I am, and it copes very well, as it should be

 

[wild willy]

Yes I am, and it copes very well, as it should be

You are a brave man with a weak tranny

 

[BigBoat]

You are a brave man with a weak tranny

LOL, you guys are making it sound that I'm playing with it like a go-Kart. I'm not over-revving it, shifting crazily manually nor all this happens for an extended period of time. All this is done under normal conditions, and done by the car itself. So what is the next recommendation, shift to N when downhill to avoid wear?

I guess the Odyssey's tranny history has made everybody a bit paranoid, which I understand. My conclusion is: if something is going to happen, let it happen now while under warranty

 

[wild willy]

I guess the Odyssey's tranny history has made everybody a bit paranoid, which I understand. My conclusion is: if something is going to happen, let it happen now while under warranty

Oh come on now....We all know they are designed to fail shortley after the warranty period

 

[BigBoat]

^^ :nice: