Thanks a lot. As well mentioned condition of the road and traction would give the choice I think . I've drove for many years a manual transmission and I can say from my experience that engine breaking is the best first for incrementally slowing down the speed on icy slippery roads where otherwise traction would be lost on the first touch of the brakes regardless of ABS . Yes I would use conventional braking after being sure speed was reduced so skidding risk is minimum when applying conventional braking.
I've drove a lot in icy and snowy conditions but since I have this automatic I have never tried downshifting during driving as I was afraid of transmission malfunction so what I usually do is either drive like a snail or stop and then change to a lower gear depending of the road conditions ...
So I understand that downshifting while in drive in speed range of 35miles/hour wouldn't harm the transmission? Doing this only occasionally and if necessary of course...
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FIRST - let me reiterate -
I can't imagine ANY situation when engine braking
would be "better" than ABS brakes on icey/snowy/slippery roads -
this goes for both automatic trans or stick -
either front drive or rear drive -
with that said - keep this in mind -
BRAKES were designed to STOP the car -
a TRANSMISSION was designed to PROPEL the car -
BRAKES are a fast - cheap and easy to replace DIY project -
premium pads cost around $50 -
a TRANSMISSION rebuild runs around $3500 -
why put ANY extra wear and tear on the trans -
if there is a BETTER - SAFER - method of stopping the car -
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oh - for the record -
I also recommend AGAINST downshifting a stick-shift car -
for the sole purpose of slowing down the car -
reason being brake pads are cheaper and easier to replace than a clutch disc -