i just got my xA, it's ok on downhill and flat surface but uphill is a pain, i'm used to driving a 98 camry that's a V6, i know i'm comparing apple to oranges, but is there anyways to help me getting up hill with this car? i'm kindda ____ that i'm not accelerating fast enough when i'm up hill.

 

 

My guess would be to drop it in to lower gears... Not sure what the power is at lower gears in a xA, but they pull significantly more than just having it in Drive. It waste more gas keeping the car in lower gears, but that's the sacrifice you have to accept for acceleration and speed.

 

You have a tach. Keep the RPM at about 4000 for maximum torque. When going uphill, a significant grade, the xA auto will downshift from OD to third. It is a computer profile. On significant downhill grade it will remain in third. Also profile. The RPM depends on the size of your foot.

 

no clutch plz lol, i'm not too fond of my stick driving skill, i guess i have to shift into lower gear i'm i'm up the hill. thanks.

 

would taking od off do anything?

 

Good one!

-THE DON

 

Which is why the automatic with automatic hill ascent/descent control is perfect for this - you simply keep your foot in the =exact= same position (don't move it!) at the speed you want on flat ground before you reach the hill as you go up the hill and then down again.

The tranny automatically maintains the exact same speed all the way through w/o user intervention. =)

 

O/D OFF

makes a huge difference!

 

what does O/D does? is it suppose to be on? i always leave it off, not sure if it's a good thing.

 

from my understanding is that when OD is on your car would run up to 4th gear and will give you better milage while crusing, while OD off will shift up and down more often and will only go up to 3rd gear....it will also shift at higher RPM. OD off gives the car a better respose but will use up more gas. that's why they always recommend you never turn off OD for better milage. Check your manual it will actually tell you about it in there.

 

^^^^Yup what he said.


The only good time to turn off o/d is when going up a hill. Flip it back on as soon as the street is level again.

 

One more question, why is it when i'm on the highway with O/D off, @ around 80mph or so, the RPM is around 3.5k, and with O/D on i'm getting 4.5K RPM, is that gonna mess up the car? i feel faster with O/D on, but the engine gets really loud at 4.5k RPM.

 

I think you got your ons and offs backwards...

OD lowers your RPM at highway cruising speed by shifting to a higher gear.

 

Yes i did , so at higher gear the RPM is lower? and why the winning sound?

 

O/D is essentially an extra gear for automatics.

With it off, your car is in third gear.

With it on, O/D is an extra 4th gear, usualy used for highway cruising.

The "winning" sound is the sound of your engine turning.