2004 Mazda RX-8 Owners Manual - MyMazda

J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 14 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PMDriving Your MazdaStarting and DrivingManually shifting down(M4→M3→M2→M1)Sudden Engine-Braking:Shifting down while driving on wet,snowy, or frozen roads, or whiledriving at high speeds causes suddenengine braking, which is dangerous.The sudden change in tire speedcould cause the tires to skid. Thiscould lead to loss of vehicle controland an accident. Do not use suddenengine braking on slippery roadsurfaces or at high speeds.NOTEWARNING• When driving at high speeds, thegear may not shift down dependingon vehicle speed.• During deceleration, the gear mayautomatically shift down dependingon vehicle speed.• When depressing the acceleratorfully, the transmission will shift to alower gear, depending on vehiclespeed.To shift down to a lower gear with thesteering shift switches, press either of theDOWN switches away from you oncewith your thumb.DOWN switchesWARNINGHand Position When Using SteeringShift Switches:Putting your hands inside the rim ofthe steering wheel when using thesteering shift switches is dangerous.If the driver air bag were to deploy ina collision, your hands could beimpacted causing injury. Keep yourhands on the steering wheel rim whenusing fingers or thumbs on thesteering shift switches.To shift down to a lower gear with theshift lever, tap the shift lever forward (-)once.5-14Form No. 8R65-EA-03C