Ive had my first MINI (Clubman pepperwhite) for a couple of months and getting ready to take her out on the first road trip. Were heading to the mountains in Colorado and was wondering if anyone can tell me what gear i should be driving in while coming down the mountains on steep grades? My MINI is an automatic, and i know how to move the shifter to the left while in "drive" and it displays "DS". If you move the shifter back or foward it moves through M1-M6. Is one of these gears what i should drive in, or is that for something else? Please help!

 

Going down the north end of the million $ highway last year I carried it in 3rd and it spun a little above 5K RPM with an occasional jab at the brakes (never rode them). That and a couple of hills on the road up to Winter Park MAY have been responsible for blowing out a little oil and throwing a CEL. The folks at Schomp were kind enough to sort everything back to rights and there's been another 10K miles since with no worries. Just watch the RPM and be judicial with the brakes. Most of all, enjoy the heck out of drive.
One last thought. Don't be shy about shifting down on long uphill pulls, that is where torque is especially needed. It will prevent lugging the engine which can cause catastrophic problems. I'd say shift down to keep your RPM at least above 3K.
One last edit: New MINI owners and first time posters are always encouraged to include pictures.

 

I just got back from Colorado. I kept the car in 5 or 6 and used the brake.
I have a Countryman. It is light enough that braking was not a worry.

I must confess that I'm a bit fo a speed junkie though. There was a Corvette on the way up the mountain that did not like the thought of a Mini passing him on the straghtaway. As soon as the road got twisty though he couldn't keep up :-)

 

Good idea to remember the old addage: "Brakes are cheaper than transmissions".

 

Depends on what you want to achieve.

To maintain good decent speed and not use the brakes too much, use whichever gear that keep the revs about 3-5k perhaps a little higher. If the speed does increase, use the brakes to slow it down.