2009 Mazda RX-8 Owner's Manual - Page 151

Driving Your Mazda Starting and Driving Automatic Transmission Controls Various Lockouts: Indicates that you must depress the brake pedal to shift (The ignition switch must be in the ACC or ON position). Indicates the shift lever can be shifted freely into any position. NOTE l l l l The beep sounds to indicate engine overrev when the tachometer needle enters the striped zone. The display of the variable red zone in the tachometer changes according to the temperature of the engine coolant. To protect the engine, when the engine coolant temperature is low, the engine does not run at high speeds. The fuel supply will be cut at an rpm lower than the red zone. Refer to Tachometer on page 5-37. The gear shift-up point may move to the high rpm range temporarily while the engine is warming up in order to shorten the warming-up period. This Sport AT has an option that is not included in traditional automatic transmission - giving the driver the option of selecting each gear instead of leaving it to the transmission to shift gears. Even if you intend to use the automatic transmission functions as a traditional automatic, you should also be aware that you can inadvertently shift into manual shift mode and an inappropriate gear may be retained as you change speeds. If you notice the engine speed going higher or hear the engine racing, confirm you have not accidentally slipped into manual shift mode (page 5-15). 5-13