1998 Lexus SC 300 Owners Manual - Page 180

STARTING AND DRIVING To use the braking power of the engine, downshift the transmission in the way described below: 1 Shift into the "3" position. The transmission will downshift to the third gear and engine braking will be obtained. When the cruise control is being used, even if you downshift from "D" to "3", engine braking will not be applied because the cruise control is not cancelled. If you need to decrease the vehicle speed, see page 172. 2 Shift into the "2" position. The transmission will downshift to the second gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower than 119 km/h (74 mph) and more powerful engine braking will be obtained. 3 Shift into the "L" position. The transmission will downshift to the first gear when the vehicle speed is or becomes lower than 56 km/h (35 mph) and maximum engine braking will be applied. CAUTION Be careful when downshifting on a slippery surface. The abrupt change in engine speed could cause the vehicle to spin or skid. (c) Using the "2" and "L" positions The "2" and "L" positions are used for strong engine braking as described previously. With the selector lever in "2" or "L", you can start the vehicle in motion as with the lever in "D". With the selector lever in "2", the vehicle will start in the first gear and automatically shift to the second gear. With the selector lever in "L", the transmission is engaged in the first gear. NOTICE D Be careful not to overrev the engine. Watch the tachometer to keep engine rpm from going into the red zone. The approximate maximum allowable speed for each position is given below for your reference: "2" ...107 km/h "L" ...56 km/h (67 mph) (35 mph) D Do not continue hill climbing or hard towing for a long time in the "2" or "L" position. This may cause severe automatic transmission damage from overheating. To prevent such damage, "3" position should be used in hill climbing or hard towing. 163