Automatic Tranny Q's

you will be fine upshifting manually, with OD on or off. I just wouldn't recommend downshifting. Choose your shift points based on what you're doing, be it racing or just driving in town. It's my experience that i get the best ET's leaving the car in Drive when racing.

can you think as fast as the computer? i think not. i raced an automatic with my last vehicle and now have an auto stang. try it both ways, you'll be surprised as to how much quicker the tranny is when it gets to think for itself.

jas142 said:

Thanks guys. Its still fun shifting so I can hold it at a certain rpm.. Totally sure its fine for the tranny?

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Should be just fine. I asked Mustang Monthly the same question about manually shifting an auto tranny (AODE) and they published my letter w/ a reply saying that it was ok for the tranny and wont hurt it. Its in the Feb. 2004 issue of Mustang Monthly in the late model corral if u wanna check it out.

I have a ? as well. I have a 2002 auto GT with a 2 1/2 x pipe, kn filter,spintech/prostreets, trimmed silencer, stck tailpipes. how fast in the 1/4 (I live in hawaii)? 4:10's would knock off how much in the 1/4? Whats the apprx rwhp stock vs know?

i've been shifting manually and downshifting my car for 3 years already. not everyday, but every now and then i like to have a little fun on the streets. at the track i just leave it on D.

no problems at all with the transmission so far. just keep good maintenance.

UA2k1GT said:

you will be fine upshifting manually, with OD on or off. I just wouldn't recommend downshifting. Choose your shift points based on what you're doing, be it racing or just driving in town. It's my experience that i get the best ET's leaving the car in Drive when racing.

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I've tried it both ways and leaving it in drive always gave me the best ET's also. I never downshift mine to slow down, but I do when going down steeper grades. However ... I always force the car to downshift on it's own first and THEN pull it down a gear to hold it in that gear. Just pulling it back a gear to downshift without doing it like I said would be the same as downshifting a manual trans without rev-matching which is hard on the clutch ... the same applies for the clutches in an auto as well.

One more thing I forgot ... I always keep mine in first gear for heavy stop/go traffic so the tranny isn't constantly shifting in/out of 2nd gear. Sometimes I also hold it in 2nd gear for the same reasons, depending on the speed. That may or may not hurt anything by letting it shift like that a bunch of times in traffic when left in drive, but I don't see any reason to let it do that when it isn't neccessary. I've been driving mine this way for almost 3 years and never had any problems. I figure the less shifts mine has to make is the longer it will last in the long run ... we'll see.

I have an auto tranny on my 99 GT with a stage II shift kit and Hypertech Power Programmer III. Do any of you guys have a good idea of what I should change my shift points to? What are the stock shift points?