Hill Descent Control

[Donasdhu]

​I have purchased a new Forester TOURING model. WE have a steep hill nearby which I must use. The hill is 2.4 miles in length and can be as steep as 20%. In my old car, I simply stuck it in low and applied brakes occasionally. The Subaru in low just acts as if it is in drive. I cannot use x- mode because this limits my speed to 18 mph which would make me unpopular with other motorists. The only way I can drive down the hill is to use my brakes constantly and I feel that's dangerous.

Any ideas? Dealership has no answer.

[Suzam]

It's a true oversight on Subaru's part by providing paddle shifters on only the Forester 2.0XT premium and touring.

If using low on the shifter doesn't give the desired engine braking, I fear you're out of luck.
 

[Fairtax4me]

Hill descent control X mode is only for controlling downhill descent on off-road surfaces. That's why it limits the speed to 18mph.

 

Low on the shifter is basically the same as shifting any other car into 1st gear. If you start in low, the transmission will not shift out of low until you move the shifter back to D.

The transmission control computer will only allow the trans to shift into low gear if you are going slow (like under 20mph). You can move the shifter over there going any speed, but it won't change if you're traveling too fast for low gear.

[Donasdhu]

This is a video about the hill about which I was referring  

   copy and paste and see what I'm talking about. In my Rav4 and in my Sienna van I just stick it in low gear and use the brake occasionally. In the Subaru Forester Touring, in low gear I have to ride the brakes and this is a bad idea on The Old Priest Grade.

[DaveT]

I don't know if your car will work the same as mine - older loyales. I found that if I want to "downshift" the automatic earlier, I can move the lever down a gear. Then blip the throttle, the engine spins up, and it engauges. Don't try it the first time in extremes. See how it deals with a closer to normal shift first.

[golucky66]

So, first of all, if it is actually a NEW Subaru (2016/2017) or even like 2013 and up. They are all CVT transmissions.

So throwing it in "low" doesn't really put it in a lower gear. All it really does is tells the TCM (or PCM, not sure if they have a TCM still) that the driver wants it in low. It's up to the TCM and it's software to manually changes the gear ratio in the CVT transmission.

 

So if it's not programmed in to be used at moderate speeds on hill descends, It's not going to do a damn thing to help you.

It's not like a traditional transmission where putting it in a lower gear (sorta) physically changes the gear it's it.

 

The thing about CVTs is they're all run off of variable gear ratios. Anywhere from like a 4.5 to 1 up to like a .65 to 1. And literally anywhere inbetween.

 

Even on cars or other subarus that have the paddle shifters in an "automatic" transmission. Upshifting and downshifting doesn't really change the gear of the transmission from 2 to 3rd.

 

The engineers program in shift points and specific gear ratios that are around what you 1st through 5th gears would be. So when you up or down shift. All that's happening is the variable clutches that are in the transmission that the drive chain rides in, get bigger or smaller to a pre programmed ratio to give the driver a sense of a lower gear.

 

 

As for your issue.

 

Realistically, the brakes are designed for very extreme driving patterns and road conditions.

They should have no issue at all even down a steep hill.

You should not experience brake fade, brake pulsations, or any other issues you can think of. (besides a slight smell in extreme situations where the rotors got so hot you can smell them)

 

In which case,of you are still worried about your brakes experiencing issues and causing you concerns about your safety. You can put "performance/heavy duty" rotors on your car that will help disapate the heat that is generated much much better then stock ones.

 

And if you don't want to do that or are still concerned, unfortunately you might need to buy the upgraded model (stupid I know) as another member brought up. Or buy a different car.

 

One last thing you could try.

 

Because the "low" position is completely controlled by the TCM (or PCM) there might be an update to it that the dealer can perform that MIGHT give it that feature.

Sometimes when the car leaves the factory it has one software version. But the manufacturer decides something needs to changes from the build date to the present date.

 

I wish you the best of luck. And hopefully something will give you peace of mind driving down that crazy hill.

Edited November 29, 2016 by golucky66

[Donasdhu]

Thanks for all the input and solid information, I appreciate it very much! I have good news, we met with our Subaru dealer head honcho today, he is a kind and sensitive man. We now have a new Outback tucked away in our garage, in place of our Forester Touring. The Outback, complete with paddles for shifting, works well on our hill and I'm sure, on all the other hills in these excited states. WE were treated well and very fairly by Modesto Subaru, kudos to them!

Amen, all done!

Bye Bye!