[tacman7]

I read this in a post:

>>In my Volt, I'll cancel the cruise and if nobody is behind me, I'll drop it into Low at 70 MPH <<

I haven't tried using low to slow down. I ride the brakes lightly for a long time then use more right at the stop.

Afraid to slam it into low while I'm driving.

Just wondering if it is harder on the transmission, I know it's one gear, I guess the transmission is to use the two power sources together.

Thanks

 

[Mister Dave]

I haven't tried using low to slow down.

I do it as a practice. It's fun.

You can throw it in reverse even, but it'll start going backwards once you come to a stop. I didn't try that but someone else here did.

 

[Detroit80]

I use L to slow down _ALL THE TIME_. Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I seriously use it quite frequently. Especially when traffic is "rubber banding", where it's constantly speeding up and slowing down. I'll put it in L, then adjust the speed up and down with the cruise control as needed, virtually never touching the brake. Actually, I'm almost always in L now if I'm in cruise control. The only time I use D is if I'm manually controlling throttle.

As these things don't have gears in the transmission like a conventional car does, you're not slamming it into anything at all. The _only_ thing that L does is put the car into a more aggressive regen mode when you are decelerating.

 

[TSquare]

I read this in a post:

>>In my Volt, I'll cancel the cruise and if nobody is behind me, I'll drop it into Low at 70 MPH <<

I haven't tried using low to slow down. I ride the brakes lightly for a long time then use more right at the stop.

Afraid to slam it into low while I'm driving.

Just wondering if it is harder on the transmission, I know it's one gear, I guess the transmission is to use the two power sources together.

Thanks

Nothing to worry about. GM put the "L" on the shifter just to make it look like a "normal" car. There is no Low Gear. It is the way GM decided to allow the driver to switch in more aggressive regeneration when you take your foot off of the accelerator. UNLIKE a normal car, the L position has absolutely nothing to do with driving the wheels, it only increases the braking regen. In fact, a lot of us drive in "L" all the time, you can't do that in a normal car.

 

[DMC5180]

I find myself always driving in L regardless of speed. The quirky thing about it is the feeling your draging an anchor when you let up on the throttle. I kinda wish they had relabeled the L as B like In my Prius since all it does is add load braking when off the throttle, but in our case it's capturing energy.




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[Coppersnowboarder]

I think of "L" as "Retarder". A trucker or bus operator can use a Jake brake going downhill anytime. Think of "L" as a Jake brake or retarder, even though it is actually an "R" for "Regen".

 

[loborojo]

I use L for in town driving as it is a smoother and saves me all that effort to move my foot. Ha! D seems smoother at highway speeds though and it helps keep up with traffic flow. That said, I often forget to shift and use L to slow on the off ramps.

 

[freshcut]

I like to compare the feeling of slowing down in L vs. D as being similar to a good downshift in a manual car maybe from say 5th to 3rd. Since there is no real gearing in the Volt transaxle all it's doing is giving the illusion through the magic of aggressive regeneration. I don't generally use L in normal driving since I find it can be a little more aggressive than most local drivers realize and without the brake lights activating it seems to surprise drivers behind me. Not to mention I like to maximize my forward momentum anyway when possible. I do however use it when descending a steep grade with cruise control activated since it usually gives that little extra regen that D doesn't always give to maintain a consistent speed. Bottom line I think is that there is almost nothing you can do through playing/fiddling with controls and switches that can really screw the car up aside from perhaps shifting to park. Even shifting from D to R at freeway speeds is possible and it's claimed that nothing more than the backup camera (if optioned) and backup lamp activating with the accompanied hard regen to slow the car to a stop and resume in a reverse direction.

 

[llninja]

Want a thrill. Take the car up to the max speed limit, them put it into L. Don't worry, it won't hurt the volt. It might do a number on lesser vehicles.

 

[longflare]

My 2012 has demonstrated that L does, (albeit mildly), alter acceleration mapping too.
By switching bw L and D at lower, (steady), throttle settings, I've noticed a definite change in acceleration, accompanied by an appropriate change in output displayed on the dash.

 

[tacman7]

Thanks for all the input!

Ok, I'll give it a try. I've always did a lot of coasting on all my cars so I still do that.

But I did think I was using more actual brake than I want to when I have to stop quick, I'll give L a try.

This will drive my wife nuts though.

 

[hellsop]

Thanks for all the input!

Ok, I'll give it a try. I've always did a lot of coasting on all my cars so I still do that.

But I did think I was using more actual brake than I want to when I have to stop quick, I'll give L a try.

This will drive my wife nuts though.

Just keep in mind that using the wide pedal is more reliable and ALWAYS works. Regen might not work as well or at all if the road is bumpy, or slick, or you've been coming down a long hill with a full battery, or you're moving slowly, or...

 

[wizard_of-ahs]

98% of my driving is in town....I'm always in L....the other 2% is in D.

 

[leppard3]

For what it's worth, I drive my 2011 in "L" 100% of the time.

 

[Genecpu]

I hear a lot of people call "L" as golf cart mode. Low in the volt mimic electric golf carts accelerator pedal.

 

[volt spain]

Your brakes will appreciate it, since you will use them much less...Probably you will not change your brakes pads in decades LOL

 

[llninja]

Your brakes will appreciate it, since you will use them much less...Probably you will not change your brakes pads in decades LOL

I contend it doesn't matter whether you drive in L or D. When you touch the brake pedal, regen happens anyway. When you roll to the end of your stop is when the friction brakes kick in. I'm a 99.9% Noraml D driver. The only time I need L is with steep downward hills (and there are non in Illinois) and in snow packed roads with a layer of ice. I found that anti brake locks kick in on this type of surface whereas in L the car slows down nicely.

 

[hellsop]

Your brakes will appreciate it, since you will use them much less...Probably you will not change your brakes pads in decades LOL

Won't matter. The wide pedal on the Volt will do regen as much as possible/appropriate anyway. On gentle stops you can sometimes even feel the kick from regen brake fading to nothing and the friction brakes automatically engaging at about 4 MPH, especially in wet weather. This ain't a Tesla where the pedal is all friction all the time.

 

[2015 volt]

Remember, if you are in low and you use low to slow down, your rear brake lights aren't activated
in 2016 the second generation volts had this fixed

 

[Tomt]

Nope, it makes no difference to the transmission at all.

Just wondering if it is harder on the transmission, I know it's one gear, I guess the transmission is to use the two power sources together.