2009 Mazda RX-8 Owner's Manual - Page 149

Driving Your Mazda Starting and Driving Your vehicle is equipped with a device to prevent shifting to R (reverse) by mistake. Push the shift lever downward and shift to R. CAUTION Ø Keep your foot off the clutch pedal except when shifting gears. Also, don't use the clutch to hold the vehicle on an upgrade. Riding the clutch will cause needless clutch wear and damage. Ø Make sure the vehicle comes to a complete stop before shifting to R. Shifting to R while the vehicle is still moving may damage the transmission. NOTE If shifting to R is difficult, shift back into neutral, release the clutch pedal, and try again. WARNING Do not use sudden engine braking on slippery road surfaces or at high speeds: Shifting down while driving on wet, snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving at high speeds causes sudden engine braking, which is dangerous. The sudden change in tire speed could cause the tires to skid. This could lead to loss of vehicle control and an accident. Be sure to leave the shift lever in 1 or R position and set the parking brake when leaving the vehicle unattended: Otherwise the vehicle could move and cause an accident. qRecommendations for Shifting Upshifting For normal acceleration, we recommend these shift points. Gear 1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4 to 5 5 to 6 Vehicle speed 23 km/h (14 mph) 35 km/h (22 mph) 47 km/h (29 mph) 58 km/h (36 mph) 74 km/h (46 mph) For cruising Gear 1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4 to 5 5 to 6 Vehicle speed 23 km/h (14 mph) 34 km/h (21 mph) 45 km/h (28 mph) 56 km/h (35 mph) 68 km/h (42 mph) 5-11