Tips for 'downshifting' on Bronco Sport Big Bend 1.5L 3-cyl?

[fleasnavidad]

https://thebronconation.com/news/what-does-the-“m”-or-“l”-button-do-on-the-sport-t.19254/

have not utilized the "L" yet
interested to hear what others have to offer
link posted states "or hold lower gears, if equipped with the L "
curious about the Hold Lower Gears

Hey Kong! Been using the L and wanted to report back. While going downhill, steep enough where your foot is on the brake pedal, you can push (and release) the L button while the dial is in D. It will drop a gear or two and find itself in a comfy (at least in my experience so far) RPM range for engine braking! It's been awesome to use, but I wish there was something that displayed which number gear I'm in. I've only used L at speeds around 30mph but others have said it works at any speed. I have also found that being in Sport Mode before my descent (vs flipping into Sport when I'm already going too fast downhill) will also allow the engine to rev higher and do some engine braking as well.

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[fleasnavidad]

I’ve only used the low button in one area, the bottom section of Mt. Rose highway in Reno, which is a long straight steep hill with a 45 speed limit. My BS 3 cylinder would get up to 65 really fast without me touching the gas, when I hit the low button it dropped a couple of gears and I needed minimal brakes the rest of the way.
With cruise control it would struggle to slow the car down with engine braking, and didn’t seem to use the brakes enough to keep me at 45 mph, unless I had the low button engaged.
I’m not sure what gear I was in at 65mph or how many gears it dropped, I would guess it went from 6th to 4th or 3rd when Low engaged. Definitely not 1st gear. Sure wish we had an indicator. But the car was very stable in snow, ice and rain. Love it!
Don’t use sand or slippery modes on dry pavement.
Hope that helps.

Very helpful, thank you Me3! I have not tried using cruise control alone as an engine brake but it sounds like it only works well in that scenario on less steep grades like "normal" highways/freeways. I sure wish we had an indicator too for which gear the trans is in! I've been using L a few times now in the 30mph range and it's very helpful. I will not be using sand or slippery modes for this purpose since L has been a good solution. I also found that being in Sport Mode before my descent (vs flipping into Sport when I'm already going too fast downhill) will also allow the engine to rev higher and do some engine braking.

 

[fleasnavidad]

This post was on my mind last eve. when I took a back road type route, that had a couple mile long downhill grade. I don't know the percentage but steep.

Cruise set to 35mph. at the bottom, the speed had crept to 37. The trans downshifted on it's own at least once.

It wasn't close to over revving or anything like that and a single, light application of the brakes brought it back to 35.

Thanks for the heads up, Dave, and for experimenting on our behalf! Sounds like setting cruise control at a non-runaway speed worked for you for some engine braking. I wonder if it has a similar or same electronic signal in cruise control as it does when engaging the L button? Someone else mentioned on their steep road that the cruise control didn't work as well as pressing the Low button, but I expect that to vary by % grade and other conditions. The good news is that it seems there are many variations for the solution! Whether it's engaging Sport Mode before the descent, using the L button to drop a gear, and/or setting cruise control to keep a specific speed.

 

[fleasnavidad]

Perfect. I use the Adaptive Cruise everywhere and push buttons more than I push the accelerator.

I will try this on my road, too! I've used Sport Mode, Low gear, but not cruise control yet. I'll try setting it around 30 and see how it flows on my mountain drives.

 

[fleasnavidad]

Howdy Navidad...
Just got a used 2023 Outer Banks and, being a long time "manual" shifter, I had the same question as you. My previous car was a 2017 Escape and it had "paddle shifters" so I utilized "down-shifting" EVERY time I had to go from highway speed to a city speed limit. IT WORKED AWESOME and I never replaced the brakes on that Escape and it had 230,000 miles when I traded it in.
When I saw the "L" on my shift dial, I wondered if that might do what I wanted, but couldn't find any info on it until your post!! According to the next post, we can shift into "L" at any speed and it will apply the engine brake effect.

As soon as we're down below 50, we can turn it off!! This is great news and I'm already looking forward to tomorrow when I can test it out. My job has me on the highway over 3,000 mile / month so the engine brake will continue to be the best way to go from highway speed to city speed without "laying" on the brakes. Thanks again!

Thanks Charlie!! Let us know how it all plays out! Sounds like there are a few solutions that can work depending on the situation at reasonable speeds: (1) Setting cruise control to keep the BS at a set speed will automatically drop gears for engine braking when going down most hills, (2) Engaging sport mode before the descent (vs flipping into Sport when I'm already going too fast downhill) provides some engine braking, and (3) Low gear button on the dial will also drop a gear or two to find a comfy RPM zone. So between those 3 options I think we've got some good coverage for most circumstances where a BS driver would want some engine braking.

 

[Davexxxx]

Thanks for the heads up, Dave, and for experimenting on our behalf! Sounds like setting cruise control at a non-runaway speed worked for you for some engine braking. I wonder if it has a similar or same electronic signal in cruise control as it does when engaging the L button? Someone else mentioned on their steep road that the cruise control didn't work as well as pressing the Low button, but I expect that to vary by % grade and other conditions. The good news is that it seems there are many variations for the solution! Whether it's engaging Sport Mode before the descent, using the L button to drop a gear, and/or setting cruise control to keep a specific speed.

Our BL doesn't have the L button.

It does have paddle shifters but I wanted to see if the cruise functioned as it does on my truck and it appears to.

I've towed a 7K lb. camper across the Rockies and back with it and while I have manual shifting available on it too, setting the cruise, was all that was needed.

I do agree about having a gear indicator. It shows for a few seconds, when using the paddles but I'd prefer a full time indicator.

 

[Me3]

Very helpful, thank you Me3! I have not tried using cruise control alone as an engine brake but it sounds like it only works well in that scenario on less steep grades like "normal" highways/freeways. I sure wish we had an indicator too for which gear the trans is in! I've been using L a few times now in the 30mph range and it's very helpful. I will not be using sand or slippery modes for this purpose since L has been a good solution. I also found that being in Sport Mode before my descent (vs flipping into Sport when I'm already going too fast downhill) will also allow the engine to rev higher and do some engine braking.

Cool. I forgot I used sport mode as well. It definitely helps with engine braking even on moderate hills and saves on brake pad wear.

 

[Bill G]

Our BL doesn't have the L button.

It does have paddle shifters but I wanted to see if the cruise functioned as it does on my truck and it appears to.

I've towed a 7K lb. camper across the Rockies and back with it and while I have manual shifting available on it too, setting the cruise, was all that was needed.

I do agree about having a gear indicator. It shows for a few seconds, when using the paddles but I'd prefer a full time indicator.

BL has “M” button in center of shifter, press that and trans becomes “manual” — will hold gears and display gear until changed with paddle shifters — at least mine works that way.

 

[Bill G]

Yeah, I don’t think it will let you over rev a gear, but if you don’t use “M” mode it will change back to auto gear changes every time you press the gas pedal.

ADD ON: To be honest my post is from my memory (fades faster and faster) as I don’t often run in manual mode, or even use the paddles in auto mode.

 

[Mark S.]

According to my owner's manual:

It's hard to imagine that Ford would design an automatic transmission that allows a driver input to cause damage. With that in mind, I don't believe you can do anything with the buttons or paddles that would cause the engine to exceed redline RPM.

 

[Bill G]

According to my owner's manual:

It's hard to imagine that Ford would design an automatic transmission that allows a driver input to cause damage. With that in mind, I don't believe you can do anything with the buttons or paddles that would cause the engine to exceed redline RPM.

Yup, if I remember correctly, when I did put my BL in “M”, it would hold a gear with/without throttle but when rpm’s got too high it would up-shift and drop them to a safe range. As I said, this is from memory as I don’t often do anything other than put it in “D” and go. ?