I was just wondering if it was ok to shift up and down with the auto shifter.. i have a 2002 auto SE. depending on the situation I keep the gear in 2 and shift it up to 3 or D so that I get max power from each gear. Will the tansmission be ok if i shift like this?

 

http://www.hlh0501.com./5spdconversion.htm

 

its not that bad once in a while but every time yes. and never do neutral drop your tranny will not even last.

 

Hi krmaxima,

why is it bad to drop into neutral ?
This is my first Automatic (after 20+ years of driving manuals) and I do that - I do drop into neutral when coasting to a stop, and some other times. Why is it bad for the transmission ?

Thanks for explaining.

 

I have 92k on my 2k auto, I drive it hard and manualy shift it alot. No work done on it at all,only a tranny cooler. It runs perfect still, but Time to get new tcm and and sylinoids. Good to know freinds that work at Infiniti. Some guys on here have had 2 or 3 diff trannys with less miles than mine. Just depends on the car. Its a shot in the dark. Mine was bought in Oct99 dont know if that has anything to do with it or not. Good luck have fun, NOneutral drops just trust us its a bad thing.

 

that's not what neutral drop means....

I think he's saying don't have your car in neutral while stopped, while your foot is down on the gas then suddenly drop the car into gear at a certain rpm in order to jump "off the line" faster.

that's a no no.....did that make any sense?

 

Good clarification acMAX. If u drop it into neutral to stop thats ok, but when u put it back into D make sure your foot is not on the gas.

 

that's a stupid thing to do anyways....you wear the tranny all the time by shifting it from D to N and N to D

 

92K freakin miles!?!?!?!?!? I don't even have half that.

 

I Agree

 

2K3SE - I normally keep my auto on 3rd gear like 90% of the time. On the highway for long trips I put it into D which is like overdrive but you don't have that much torque anymore.

What gear do you guys normally drive in on an automatic? Street / Highway?

 

Could you explain why?

 

I usually drive in D but since I rest my hand on the **** when I drive sometimes I shift over to 3. Is it really better to drive in 3 around town? Better gas mileage?

 

3 gives more pickup......

as for neutral...i throw mine into neutral everytime i come to a traffic light....keeps strain off tranny....

 

LOL, how is that? I put my 5 speed in neutral rather than third for a stop because it's cheaper to replace brakes than a transmission...but that is what the transmission was designed to do. An automatic on the other hand does NOT downshift as you come to a stop.

 

simple...tap it up into "N"....not hard....and you can feel the tranny "breathe a sigh of relief"

 

LOL!

 

umm.. I like my gas milage, so i leave it on D. Also, i leave it on D so the ECU can adjust to more efficient shift points of my car.. I used to do manual shifting in another auto car until the car wouldnt shift at the right point and it would shift early, or sometimes never downshift... So everyone becareful..

 

So shifting from D to Neutral while coasting to the stop light WILL NOT hurts the transmission, right? Just want to verify...as long as you don't manually shift gears (except to neutral) while the car is in motion, then it's SAFE for the auto-trans?

 

I don't get it....

If you're gonna do all that shifting, why didn't you just get a stick???

 

how many times does this come up everyweek?

If you have to ask and unsure, don't do it

 

I have a 2003 with the 'gated' auto.

I sometimes go from "D" to "3", but I don't do the whole "N" thing to coast (that just doesn't make any sense).

Driving around town in "3" gives you more torque, but less gas mileage.

And an auto DOES downshift when slowing down... just not like a manual does where you control it.

-R

 

perhaps u people misunderstood me

I don't shift into N and coast to a stop. I come to a COMPLETE and FULL stop, then throw it into neutral!!!!!

 

IMHO and I also read somewhere in an automotive column, shifting into and out of neutral for stop lights puts more wear on the transmission than just leaving it in gear and using the brake. The transmission was designed to do this. Also, I believe that the the auto does down shift itself (automatically) when slowing to a stop. When I'm driving around town, I sometimes use 3rd/od off. It keeps the rpm's up and doesn't down shift every time I put my foot on the gas. I wouldn't manually shift all the time, but I don't think you're going to hurt it by doing it sometimes. If it's a problem, why have the gated shifter? just my .02 ...

 

FYI: I often check the forum everyday and this question did not appeared as frequently as you've stated. Most of the questions were regards to power-shifting the auto. There were mixed responses on this thread which I wanted to verify. The advantage for shifting to neutral are two-folds: First, you'll help the wear-and-tear of the auto-trans since at neutral, no gear is engaged. Second, this will help with fuel economy 'cause the rev at neutral is much lower.
The concern was whether it is safe to do so...whether if this will cause additional strains to the tranmission. IMO, I don't think so.

 

when you step on the brake and come to a stop in D, the auto tranny isn't engaged anyway - the torque converter is wide open, letting it slip.

if you're going to sit in traffic for five minutes, or wait for a ferry or a drawbridge or a train, sure, pop it into neutral. but not for regular stops. the wear involving in moving around between D and N far outweighs any wear incurred while slipping at a stop. the biggest reason to shift into N is not so much for the tranny, as for you - so you can take your foot of the brake and relax. ; )

constantly popping it into N also increases the risk of accidentally neutral-dropping (putting it back in gear with the rpm's too high). so the more you take it out of gear for no reason, the more likely you are to accidentally engage gears incorrectly when you return from N. not worth the risk.

think of N as the gear below 1. you shouldn't be in N unless 1 is too fast... ie: you're going to be stopped for quite a while!

there's nothing inherently wrong with driving around in 3, especially if you're not going very fast. you probably wouldn't leave three most of the time anyway. you'll probably see better gas mileage in D, tho, as occasionally when you're rolling and not accelerating it'll drop into "4".

if you're nervous about your auto tranny, invest $60 in a tranny cooler. they're not difficult to install, and will protect your auto from it's worst enemy - heat. inspect and drain your tranny fluid regularly, too (there's a dipstick for that under the hood, too). you can see by the fluid if it's heating up (burning the fluid) or if there's metal shavings in it, etc., and get a good feel for the condition of your transmission. high-performance tranny fluid would also be a good idea (redline or amsoil).

i know we don't all have a couple grand laying around for a 5spd swap... i sure don't. especially don't have 7-8 laying around for a new tranny from nissan! so be nice to those autos, guys... they'll perform pretty well if you treat them nicely... develop good driving habits that you occasionally break when you goof off - not the other way around!

 

ive got 96+k on mine and shift manualy alot too but i think im about to have to get a new tranny soon

 

Well, I talked to my mechanic. He says there is nothing wrong with shifting into neutral when stopped at lights, or even when coasting to a stop light (in the case wheer you don't want the engine to provide any breaking). Shifting in this way is no more harmfull than letting the tranny slip while stopped at lights.

Of course, you DON'T want to shift while your foot is on the gas; or, shift when the engine RPM's are high, or otherwise rough handling. It's just common sense.

 

Hey guys, How well did this post from bababing help?

Good advice there chief , We'll go and trade in our cars now.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by maxiiiboy
[B]

Well, I talked to my mechanic. He says there is nothing wrong with shifting into neutral when stopped at lights, or even when coasting to a stop light (in the case wheer you don't want the engine to provide any breaking). Shifting in this way is no more harmfull than letting the tranny slip while stopped at lights.

I agree with you in most part. When stock at a light for more than a minute it is ok maybee even better to put your car in N. When the car is in D and you have your foot on the break, the car tries to pull forward and the break does not allow it to do so, its basically like a minor break torque. Make sure though that when putting back in D to wait for the car to fully jump into the gear and not put it in D and press the gas since you will probably get a jerk.
BTW. If you think that something doesnt feel right dont do it. Everyone should know when their car operates smoothly and if putting it in N when stopped for few minutes works for you then do so, I do it all the time and my tranny seems to be fine.