I've read a few posts where many of you are manually shifting your automatic to squeeze out just a little more juice. How many 2K2 and 2K3 owners with the 3.5 auto have actually tried this????

I tried it a few days ago and will NEVER try that again! When I floor my car and its in 'D'rive, it shifts right at 6100-6200 rpm, smoothly, yes a little too smoothly for sporting taste. When I hold in in first until about 6500 rpm and shift to second manually, it shifts immediately as I would expect, but MAN!!! it slams into second like someone smacked me in the back of the head with a sledge hammer. Terribly harsh and way to abusive to ever attempt again. Is there something wrong with my car or is this what others expereince too.

My car is a 2003 (May 2002 prod) GLE with 10,000 miles.

Thanks, Todd

 

Automatic tranny's being shifted like a manual shouldn't be so abrupt... I always felt a lag whenever I wannabe manual shift like that. Dunno if its a problem but don't do it anymore, don't think your tranny likes it.

 

that hesitation is normal. it takes the comp a sec to react so this dont shift at redline, shift right below redline.

 

He is correct. It does that a lot of times. That means you hit the optimal shift point, but it does slam in HARD into the next gear. Almost feels like you have a crazy shift kit. I still do it a lot when racing...

 

I do it sometimes when I wanna get a better launch off the whole. Or if Im gonna race someone rolling. See when im shifting I let go of the gas in between gears until the next gear engages. Its worst if your manually shifting and you leave your foot on the gas the whole time in between shifts. I have to admit i kinda feel bad for my car after doing this. I know this will harm the tranny if its done constantly, but once in a while it should be ok.

Just my 2 cents..

 

If youre letting go of the gas you will lose every race. That doesnt make sense...

 

granny shifting not double cluthing like you should...

any real racer knows that.

 

Im not talking about letting go of the gas for 2 seconds dude.. lol, it only takes milliseconds for the gear to engage. This is if your fast on manually shifting. Its kinda like driving a manual car, when your shifting you gotta let go of the gas to hit the clutch and hit the next gear, its kinda the same here but no clutch.

If your statement was correct, than manual cars would lose every race.

 

i believe you are supposed to keep your foot on the gas when manualy shifting the auto...it was designed that way...taking your foot off the gas is no good for the tranny...neither is manualy shifting i believe..so good luck w/your tranny!

 

what if my upshift when i manaul shift are really slow and even when i just leave it in drive. 1-2 shift really lags a lot.

what can i do?

 

I had a WS6 and a Stang that were both stick, so I know how to shift....You dont let your foot off the gas and learn to slam the clutch and engage the gear in the split second....thats how you run 12's N/A ....

 

So your saying that its good to keep your foot on the gas in between gears. lol, your kidding right? You honestly think your tranny will last longer that way? But hey, if thats what you believe than fine, drive your car like that. We aint trying to convince you to drive a different way.

 

He is talkin about an auto... Go to the track and see how many auto's let the foot off the gas in any run ....

 

I bet you went through alot of clutches from riding that baby....

 

He wasn't talking about the tranny lasting longer.

Noob.

 

 

Probably on drive, but im talking about manual shifting........ But anyway if you wanna keep your foot on the gas then just do it. Im not asking anyone to change theyre driving style. If you feel that leaving your foot on the gas is more effective, then just do it.

 

Then what exactly did he mean by this....

taking your foot off the gas is no good for the tranny...neither is manualy shifting i believe..so good luck w/your tranny!

hmmmm lets read here... whats that say... here can you read this?
J A C K A S S

 

Here's what I've found - if you manually shift at about 6,200 rpms, the tranny will shift smoothly (and fast) at about 6,500 rpm. If you shift later than that at WOT, it'll shift beyond that point, resulting in the "hard shift" that you're feeling.

So I think what you're feeling isn't a hard shift, it's the rev limiter cutting in right at the shift point, so the engine (and therefor tranny) get lashed. I haven't experienced the rev limiter in any other mode (i.e. in neutral, or without shifting) so could be wrong, but this is my guess; other folks have described "bouncing off the rev limiter".

 

 

 

My thought was that I should get the same type of shift whether I let if shift by it self at 6200 rpm or shifted manually at 300 more RPM. I kept my foot on the floor just like you would if the tranny was in D. I though manually shifting would just hold it in gear till I shifted to 2nd at 6500 RPM. I didn't think it would produce such a harsh bang shift at a mere 300-400 more RPM. Is this the same thing most of your cars do? Or do your cars shift smoothly at 6500 rpm just like at 6200 rpm.

 

I only shift manually in the 4k - 5k range with the auto in my max.

 

That is exactly it! He IS hitting the rev limiter. Plain and simple this is a bad thing for your drivetrain. End of story.....

 

MaXBoost... reverting to outright insults is not a good thing, especially when you are new.

How does this feel:

 

I owned a Stang 5spd also and the way to go fast in it was to shift quickly with the throttle wide open. It's called power shifting and if executed properly is the fastest way through the 1/4.

 

Obviously you know what you are talking about, and know how to race...

 

I owned two 5 spd 5.0 Stangs over the past 10 or so years and put over 100k on both of them. So yes, I know how to drive a Stang...I had a racing clutch in the '94 with Koni yellow struts/shocks, Eibach lowering springs, subframe connectors, strut tower brace (factory), Motorsport headers, short throw shifter, 3.73 rear gears and many many more mods. That car was so much fun to drive. I miss it sometimes but I have a baby now so I needed a family car which is why I now own a Maxima.

I would love to pick up a 350Z and put a Stillen roots type blower on it.

 

I dont take my foot off of the gas when I shift my six speed

 

Keeping your foot to the floor while an auto transmission is shifting should do nothing to harm your car. The tranny actually dials back the torque being produced by the engine during shifts by itself (even if your foot is to the floor). That is why our auto gear changes feel mushy. (I don't think that shifting an auto transmission yourself should act any differently - the tranny still goes through the same shifting process.) I don't usually shift the thing up and down though, but if it slams into gear, it sounds to me like something isn't working right.

I was about to say the same thing. Once you learn to shift quickly, you keep your foot in it while upshifting. If you aren't that quick and you are boucing the engine off the rev limiter while searching for the next gear, you probably shouldn't do this.

 

Ouch! But seriously, that's unnecessary, especially when below your username, which doesn't make any sense because I assume you are still N/A it say newbie. Newbie means keep your mouth shut for a few months. Trust me.

 

you know what that is?? Well, when you shift in D, the auto has time to cut engine power and unlock the torque convertor. When you shift manually, usually u dont lift, so what i mentioned previously doesnt happen (read: driveline ******). My mercedes does that naturally, cause it has a vacuum controlled auto. The tranny doesnt let the engine cut power before it shifts, so u get slammed and then pinned into ur seat. Just dont do this too often while driving.

 

Here's my theory, correct me if I'm wrong. For 'spirited driving'(not talking about at the track here), wouldn't it make sense to let off the gas A LITTLE for a split second to let the clutch packs engage? I would think that holding her down while you shift would cause a lot of clutch slippage in an auto. Isn't this what the tranny valve body modifications at Maximum Tuning are trying to accomplish? I know that's not the only reason to get a VB job done on an auto, but I think that easing up a bit on the throttle would make for a less harsh engagement. As far as how this would affect track times, I'll leave that to the experienced track people.

I think the slamming into second that you are feeling would be lessened if you simply let off a bit when you shifted. I know it's not a manual, but have you ever floored a manny a bit early when shifting? Lots of slippage(with stock clutch)... Imagine doing the same in an auto, keeping in mind that an auto (if it's in good shape) won't slip nearly as much. It BANGS into gear. Save yourself some repair, be nice to your auto... Or get a VB mod Evan... no, it feels 'mushy' because of the valving and/or solenoids. Your tranny does not tell your engine 'produce less torque'.

Sorry for being long-winded, waiting for flames

 

I totally agree with you...

 

Coming from friends who are techs and rebuild trannies for a living: autos are designed for steady and constant throttle (ie no "lifting".) Varying the throttle is harder on the torque converter and clutches, as it generates more heat which is what kills autos. With this car you are also working against the computer to control the shifts. That is what the computer is there for, let it do its job like it was designed.

 

Powershifting does very little in terms of better ETs. If you're quick with the shift, clutch, and gas you'll be fine. Powershifting is HORRIBLE for the tranny, but if you insist go ahead and see how long it takes before you syncros become worn and start to grind or sheer that 2nd or 3rd gear. I've spent A LOT of time behind of the wheels of multiple 5.0s. EVERY single 5.0 that's been powershifted grinds in 2nd and 3rd. Many of my 5.0 friends have been through a few trannies also and they're not pushing massive power either (250-270rwhp).


Dave

 

isnt the whole point of an auto not having to shift yourself? my friend toasted his eclipse's tranny with his manual shift dreams. id say you give it a rest, or give your car the right transmission.

+ auto=

 

Thank You Skuccio! I'm not big into posting but after reading this thread I couldn't help myself. Your car doesn't have a clutch for a reason.....because it's an AUTOMATIC!!! If you guys want to shift so badly you should have bought a 6 speed. As for power shifting ruining the syncros in your transmission, that is completely incorrect if you know how to do it properly. I have been doing it for years on my corvette and have not had a single problem with grinding or gear noise. It's also good for 4-5 tenths of a seconds on the track. I get the feeling that many (not all) of you have never driven a manual trans or have any clue of how one functions, yet still pretend you know what you are talking about. That's all. And yes this is my first post.

 

Powershifting, if done properly, will do what daily driver says. You can shave a bit of time off of your 0-60 and ET. Thing is, its not all that easy to do if the driver is inexperienced. Also, mustang 5.0's have $hit trannies compared to a corvette. Ive driven both, and
will take the Vette's gearbox every day of the week (and twice on sunday) over the mustang. I thought that I'd try automatic on this car because I do alot of city driving (in bumper to bumper miami traffic), I regret it every single day.

Now, the reason that you would want to shift the autotragic manually at the track is because of the retarded shift point on 1st gear. It is like 500 or so rpm lower than in all the other gears (at least on my car). So, when second engages, its a bit below the sweet spot in the powerband and the acceleration feels soft. I will go ahead and use my Gtech to see if the manual shift in 1st gear actually helps the 0-60 sprint. Most people who shift their autos manually only do so when racing, not all the time.

 

if the auto shifts early, why not have one of the resident techno-geeks reprogram the tranny computer? i would rather buy a new tranny comp than replace my 2 year old tranny.

the max's auto was never and will never be strong...i have no faith in it. my friend has gone through SIX Maxima auto trannies, and while im sure its his fault, it just goes to show they dont take abuse well. i think the solution to this problem is simply a tranny "upgrade" or a computer fix. manually rowing through an auto's gears is just a bad idea, especially while racing.