I hope this isn't a really dumb question...but when you throttle in an auto, is it better to keep the gas steady while the gear changes or is it better to let off just a bit. i've been told and seen people do both. what do you guys think?

 

Don't let up on the throttle while the gears are changing....

 

Just put it in "D" and mash the gas pedal...thats what I do...let the tranny do the work...otherwise you might miss D when your upshifting...and go to R...

Thats when it'll get messy

 

No flame Young04, but how old are you?

 

u can't go into R as long as u don't press the button for gear change. you can push it up to N and that's it.

 

Check out his profile.

 

I let up on the throttle or it won't shift. In certain gears, it will rev to 4K RPMs and sit there until I let off the throttle, then it shifts. I think once the computer learns your driving style, it doesn't matter if you let off the gas when it shifts or not.

 

i pretty much do the same thing....

 

haha, no offense taken. but what's funny is that it's one of my dad's friends (50ish) who told me that it was better to let off on the throttle when the gears change. i just wanted to get some clarification.

 

its a totally valid question, especially because our autos get confused and will often hang between gears - even with the updated TCMs. As a rule, I let off alittle to force a shift and dont come back on throttle until the shift is done. Going back on throttle too quickly will hasten your clutch packs demise, which we are already prone to. Not sure if the 2k2+'s do this or not.

Thats just in everyday merging/traffic.. I dont street race, but if you were I think your clutches is the least of your worries. :/

 

for smoother shifts I usually let up slightly and wait for the change of gears, then I press and hold the gas pedal down again while it starts accelerating in the next gear.

fast driving ... just follow Y2KSilvahSE's advice.. mash it to the floor and hold on.

or if you want to punch it from a roll, I find that my car reacts a lot quicker when I let off slightly and jam the pedal down either half way or all the way depending on how fast I wanna go/pull ahead.

trial and error

 

when i drive my moms altima i let off sometimes when its about to shift... ive actually hit redline in the car before, so if im giving it WOT, i usually let off a little at the end so i dont rev it too far out.. its a 2001 and the car is a dog, im always flooring it because im used to a lot more power

 

Wow, cool decal work on the car in your sig pic!

 

...some of you "Auto's" should have got a 6SP

 

yeah no sh*t

other than my last gf....it's one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made.

 

I agree, I kick myself everyday for gettin an auto...

 

thats not a decal, thats a gtr rider photoshop

 

ME TOO!!!

I hate my Auto!!! Anybody wanna trade so I can be

 

drive in traffic, there is no shame in an auto. spend anytime trying to maintain 8mph and you'll hate the 6sp.

 

Yeah I know, was just messing around .

 

Like an old lady?! Wish I had the 6-sp instead of 5, but even in Chicago traffic, wouldn't trade...

 

agreed, every time i'm passing someone or racing off the line (or wishing i could downshift) i lust for that third pedal. but last night on my way home from work, for example, going 11 mph for 50 minutes straight... automatic was nice! and eating my lunch while driving today - nice!

i'm of the mash-and-dash variety most of the time, altho in recent experimenting i think manually shifting it gives me a little more pull off the line. i bump it up to 2, and then D about 500 below redline while letting off for just a sec. it seems to shift quickly while not "clunking" into the next gear.

i'd note that i do this without the use of the button on the shifter! i just tap it up to the next click-stop each time. that way, there's no chance of going anywhere past neutral. and a pretty slim chance of taking more than one at a time, or even hitting neutral by accident. plus in case i need a reminder, there's those neat lights on the dash, that 6spds don't have ....

 

I wanna know how a 22 year old student can afford an '02 GLE!!
(must be nice man...)

 

haha. it was a college graduation present (i'm in law school now). please refrain from the "you're spoiled comments", thanx everyone but seriously, with the loans that i have, this car needs to last me a long time.