Manually shifting an automatic on freeway onramps....

bluecar · Jun 14, 2010

I have an automatic. When I approach a freeway and prepare to merge, i keep it in 2 and taxi like an airplane. I then gun it and when I reach my desired speed, I put it into 3. It shifts reallllly hard, almost like slamming into gear and the car jolts. Is this bad for the car? The reason I do this is because the car is in a higher gear than I would like and it takes forever to downshift when I kick it. Thanks.

arcwcb · Jun 14, 2010

I'm not an expert, but if you are describing it as "It shifts reallllly hard, almost like slamming into gear and the car jolts" then it is PROBABLY bad for the car...

Gregor111 · Jun 14, 2010

Agree with ARCWB, maybe you should have bought a stick . . .

Greg

bluecar · Jun 15, 2010

Oh. Guess I shouldn't do it.

walter · Jun 15, 2010

Go buy a TCI shifter for your car or trade in for a manual that is all.

auburntiger8685 · Jun 16, 2010

I shift mine all the time when I dont feel like having an automatic. I agree it does shift harder and it will let you control your shift points. I don't think they would have given you the 1, 2, 3 option on an automatic if they didnt want you to be able to slap shift the car.

stanmckinney · Jun 16, 2010

I think you are asking for problems. Big ones, perhaps.

FreeRider · Jun 16, 2010

auburntiger8685 said:
I shift mine all the time when I dont feel like having an automatic. I agree it does shift harder and it will let you control your shift points. I don't think they would have given you the 1, 2, 3 option on an automatic if they didnt want you to be able to slap shift the car.

sorry... That's just funny.

TW/92LSC/SE · Jun 16, 2010

They shift harder in higher rpm/load situations by design. The fibrous disc's inside the clutch pacs would wear out quickly if allowed to slip too much from heat more than in low speed/low load applications. Thus the reason people buy shift kits to not only have shift points raised but engage the clutches faster and more firm to save burn out. The downside is it puts more strain on the hard parts in the trans, like planetary gearsets, shafts and the rest of drive-train. There's always a trade-off for performance.

Gregor111 · Jun 16, 2010

auburntiger8685 said:
I shift mine all the time when I dont feel like having an automatic. I agree it does shift harder and it will let you control your shift points. I don't think they would have given you the 1, 2, 3 option on an automatic if they didnt want you to be able to slap shift the car.

Generally speaking 2 means starting out in 2nd gear which helps with wheel spin in inclement weather. 3 means keeping it out of 4th if you are going up and down hills and don't want to over work the transmission.

Greg

Mark25 · Jun 17, 2010

Read your owner's manual...it tells you when you can use 1, 2, and 3...I wouldn't use them unless absolutely necessary...you could take your automatic out of O/D (overdrive) by hitting the button on your shifter (right side)...that would be okay, but using 1, 2, and 3 like it's a "manual shifter" is definitely going to shorten the life of your transmission...

auburntiger8685 · Jun 17, 2010

Yeah i think I am just regretting getting the automatic. I went back and forth with the manual and chose the auto because of atlanta traffic and it being my daily driver. But sometimes I really wish I had a manual. Damn no happy medium I guess.

JoeTrev · Jun 17, 2010

I'll tell you from experience, doing what you said...or what I used to ....stick the car into low 1 or 2 and rev it from a standstill and drop it to "D" while I let off the brakes....is a BAD IDEA.

I was lucky and still had warranty.

The little gears grind and start to wear out, before you know it, your tranny goes out. You can have them repair it, but its not full proof.

I was young and stupid and used to race people that way...and people wondered why all of my vehicles had transmission problems LOL..

You could simply buy a manual car, that way you can stick your car in reverse and then shift to 1st while your still going backwards for even more pleasure.

'13_ImpactBlue_GT · Jun 18, 2010

auburntiger8685 said:
Yeah i think I am just regretting getting the automatic. I went back and forth with the manual and chose the auto because of atlanta traffic and it being my daily driver. But sometimes I really wish I had a manual. Damn no happy medium I guess.

The automatic, if properly built up, can be quite fun. You ought to invest in a higher capacity transmission cooler and put some gears under that chit..............

STANGmole · Jun 18, 2010

auburntiger8685 said:
Yeah i think I am just regretting getting the automatic. I went back and forth with the manual and chose the auto because of atlanta traffic and it being my daily driver. But sometimes I really wish I had a manual. Damn no happy medium I guess.

What year car do you have? If it's pre 2011 I wouldn't be regretting it too much...the Tremec 5spd is a POS and the main reason I traded my 2008 for a 2010 (to get an automatic). My auto seems to function just fine for onramps (when left in drive) and it works even better when you're stopped in freeway traffic jams. The manual really sucks when you're in stop and go traffic.

I think if you floor your car WOT on the onramp you'll find it will perform just A-OK if left in drive. There IS an annoying throttle lag but I've been told a performance tune will get rid of that (my next upgrade) and that given a stock GT manual vs GT auto that after a tune the auto will outperform the manual. I find that easy to believe given the transmission lag due to the mechanics of the Tremec 5spd; I found that there was a considerable delay bumping it into each gear...especially if the weather was cold.

For all those people that love the stick....good for you! Glad you're happy!
I've had a 3spd 65 fastback, a 90 GT 5spd, a 95 Cobra 5spd, and a 2008 GT 5spd and enjoyed them all...except for the 2008 w/ the Tremec.

No way would I trade the auto for the manual in my current car. Every day I drive to work I'm happy and I can get in my car when it's cold and know it will shift into reverse and third gear won't clash...there's no more dreading EVERY shift now that I've got the auto. That and I can sip an espresso while blowing away kids in Hondas at stoplights (I mean hypothetically because I would NEVER endorse road racing under any conditions...).

cusp · Jun 18, 2010

Just let off on the gas some in time with putting it into 3rd. Once it snaps into 3rd, put the gas back to it.

Sparty92 · Jun 19, 2010

I've never owned an automatic in 25 years of driving. You shoulda bought a stick...girls drive automatics.

rj95svt · Jun 19, 2010

The only difference between letting it shift automatically and shifting it manually is that you control when it shifts and thats all. Now that said there can be some risk if you say leave it in third from a very low speed and go wot. As long as your not just abusing it.

If you just absolutely abuse it you will have problems no matter what.

I don't like shifting my wifes 2006 gt manually because of the delay in the shift.

tranceworld · Jun 19, 2010

Sparty92 said:
I've never owned an automatic in 25 years of driving. You shoulda bought a stick...girls drive automatics.

And people with disabilities. I've drove a stick with one hand before, wasn't to fun for me. I would love a five speed, but in the mornings when I have to get up and go, my right arm still having no feeling, would cause some concerns with driving!!

STANGmole · Jun 20, 2010

Sparty92 said:
I've never owned an automatic in 25 years of driving. You shoulda bought a stick...girls drive automatics.

Girls love guys that drive automatics...keeps one hand free to attend to them and the shifting doesn't get in the way of other front seat activities

But...if you want to keep your hand on that phallic while driving have at it big boy

Manually shifting an automatic on freeway onramps....

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