I like the cars actually. I love that chevy and dodge are putting out cheap American cars that contend with the other fast 4 bangers. I wish Ford would do the same, however, I would hate for them to bring out a horrible example like the SVT Focus. IMO the SVT Focus was a joke

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As for the automatic at the track, I usually turn the O/D off and manually shift the car. I powerbrake the car just enough to get it ready so I can cut a good light (not like this matters, though this allows me to have close runs with some of the faster cars since my .05 lights help against a .35 driver

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From a dead stop, even my 3.08s will spin if I give it WOT from idle, which is why it helps for me to "powerbrake" the car a bit so it doesn't just get a sudden jolt that leads to spinning. The first 60' is the most important time in the 1/4 imo. I believe I have my 60' as low as possible with my current setup (2.140 on wal-mart cheap tires). Launching will be tricky for you at first, though just be patient and find what works best for you.
BTW- When I attempt my 2nd to Drive shift, the car basically shifts itself during it even if I do "shift" in the 4800 rpm area, it will go to 5500 (or where ever it shifts at while WOT

) I believe I could fix this with a programmer though don't have one.