I have a Honda CRV with a CVT. When I’m going down an 8% incline, I like to use a lower gear to avoid using my brakes all the way down the mountain. Will this hurt my CVT or cause it to wear out faster than just driving on flat roads?
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No, it won’t damage the CVT. They are made to handle engine braking, so you don’t need to worry about it.
Reese said:
No, it won’t damage the CVT. They are made to handle engine braking, so you don’t need to worry about it.
I’m just gonna make a joke here: it can handle engine braking since it won’t have to deal with torque anymore! lol
No, it’s actually normal. My car does this automatically when I’m in cruise control going downhill to maintain speed. But, I usually turn off cruise control when I’m going downhill on the highway to speed up.
@Uma
I never thought of using cruise control for that. Thanks for the suggestion!
It won’t damage it, but it could wear the transmission faster compared to not using engine braking. Are you hauling something? Why not just use the brakes?
Nah, it’ll probably damage on its own 
Just put the car in drive and let the computer handle the shifting. There’s no real benefit to manually shifting your CVT for hills.
Hollis said:
Just put the car in drive and let the computer handle the shifting. There’s no real benefit to manually shifting your CVT for hills.
That’s not how it’s programmed. If I leave it in D, the car will just speed up down a hill, meaning no engine braking.
Hollis said:
Just put the car in drive and let the computer handle the shifting. There’s no real benefit to manually shifting your CVT for hills.
You can actually get better engine braking from lower gears… Like in the L or S gears on a Civic.
@Kendall
I’m ready to get downvoted, but if you want to change gears for performance or anything else in an econobox, just learn to drive manual.
Hollis said:
@Kendall
I’m ready to get downvoted, but if you want to change gears for performance or anything else in an econobox, just learn to drive manual.
LOL ‘performance’ isn’t the reason you use engine braking when going down a hill. Also, that’s just ignorant.
@Kendall
It’s almost like you stopped reading when…
Hollis said:
@Kendall
I’m ready to get downvoted, but if you want to change gears for performance or anything else in an econobox, just learn to drive manual.
I do know how to drive manual, but I got married and, even though my wife knows how to drive manual, she wanted an automatic. So, we have the CRV with a CVT as her daily driver and the family’s road trip car. I drive anything that isn’t flat and wide.
Hollis said:
@Kendall
I’m ready to get downvoted, but if you want to change gears for performance or anything else in an econobox, just learn to drive manual.
You got a new car with a manual? Oh, right, because automatics are more fuel efficient and that’s what most manufacturers use now. There’s nothing wrong with engine braking with an automatic/CVT on a car or SUV.
@Flynt
You must be from the USA, where manuals are rare. In most other places, there are plenty of new manual cars.
Cy said:
CVTs don’t have gears.
That’s just a technicality. Clearly, you don’t know the answer to my question.
Yeah, I imagine it does.
Short answer: yes, it will. Long answer: it can cause heat to build inside the transmission and lead to increased wear. Honda recommends a 30k service interval for a drain and fill. If you keep up with maintenance, you’ll be fine. If you’re going down a long hill and need to avoid brake fade, engine braking is a good idea. If the hill’s not that long, it shouldn’t build much extra heat, and it’ll likely dissipate. Just keep up with your routine maintenance, and it shouldn’t give you trouble.