auto tranny manual shift

[ChevelleSSLS6]

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine had a v6 alero (restyled GA). Of course, if you want a v6, you can't shift it yourself. Well, he did. He started moving at '1' and onto 2, 3, and D as if he was driving a stick, but this was with an automatic transmission. Also, he did some downshifting with it that way, and I was wondering if this is bad for the car?

[litdevil316]

some will say it is bad, but i dont see any differnce in driving mine like that, BUT it does take longer to shift from gear to gear. it waits a second longer in the current gear, then the computer is like, "hey i can shift now" and it shifts.

[Lost My Keys]

its bad when you are moving and go from any gear to 1st i think

[litdevil316]

i dunno. never bumped it that far down. some ppl say it bad to bumb em down, some ppl say it wont hurt em that much.

[doobiess]

ok well im one of them.. if dont want your tranny to break down pre mature... i wouldnt recomend but if your dragging... or something like go for it.. but the downshifting is what i mainly dont recomend...

[ChevelleSSLS6]

As far as downshifting goes, I'd use it for braking going down hills. I used to do that with my old car, but back then I could choose what gear I wanted to be in and when.

On how it holds the gear for a sec then shifts, it sounds like Dodge-Benz Autostick. trust me, I worked at a dealer for a year. I like trying stuff, so I tried the autostick there at dodge. It sucks. I never shifted one, but I'll bet a Hurst Dual Gate shifter (in some old muscle cars, particulary Hurst edition Oldsmobile 442s) is a lot quicker than that slushystick by mopar.

[Lost My Keys]

^ Think of it this way when your braking...

would you rather replace your brakes or transmission? ;)

[litdevil316]

tru tru. jus gotta be carefull doing it. and i dont recomend doing it for too long.

[VanishingImage]

from time to time I will shift from 1-3 but never downshift,thats a no no on automatics unless you have that sports shift which I doubt comes on any GA's.

[litdevil316]

yea, i doubt it myself. one thing i do some myself is bump it to 3rd and stay in 3rd for like hills. also did that last night to help warm it up a little faster. my ac compressure isnt working so i kept it in 3rd so it would rev at 2500 or so insted of 1500rpm. it helped some.

[DaemonGA]

my grand am is auto tranny i used shifting in drag but dont TRY downshifting, it will chip off your teeth off the gears... trust me i have done on most of cars and never do it again... i know a guy that has chevy blazer who do downshift to 1st gear all the times and his tranny blew... auto tranny is not made for downshifting but can be upshifting unless u get racing tranny then u can do it.

~DaemonGA

[Pte Socks]

I personally shift quite often. bad habbit I guess but I end up downshifting to decrease my speed without hitting my brakes. I know its stupid but its hard to get out of, in the winter your constantly shifting to try and improve traction like shifting into Neutral while slowing down to take the drive off the wheels and shifting into 3rd to get my juice off the line.

[Xidion]

as long as you know when to shift your fine. Just dont go 80 and go hey watch this then slam it into first thats bad ;)

[SPECIALGAGT]

My '96 GA just happens to have an exact match between tach and spdomtr in 1st gear :: 1,000 rpm = 10 mph ~~~ 6,000 rpm = 60 mph.

Don't go for 1st at higher than those speeds. As for :: ".... would you rather replace your brakes or transmission? ", there also may be some rod-stretch and piston-deformation, along with push-rod and rocker disengagement at too much over 6,000 rpm; so think about an engine-rebuild while your trans is being fixed. Try out some of those new Carbon Fibre pushrods, at $75.00 EACH !!
/ / / / Hey, as to downshifting to avoid using brakes, when I pull the park-brake to slow without using brake-lights (don't ask) why do I lose my entire exterior lighting system ??

[1992grandam]

yup....rods and thier bearings dont like being pushed over 6k rpms......exactly how my 2.4 threw a rod.....had it at first and forgot about it...took off kinda hard and beofre i realized it it was already up to about 6500 rpms and i upshifted but it didnt shift untill bout 6900.....:( oh well

[litdevil316]

your lights turn off when you pull your parking brake handle. that is unless you turn them on manually. your lights turn on when you releaase the park brake.

[ChevelleSSLS6]

Originally posted by Xidion
as long as you know when to shift your fine. Just dont go 80 and go hey watch this then slam it into first thats bad ;)

I don't shift it into first when travelling at high speeds. That's cruelty to automobiles. Like this guy with a '40 Chevrolet coupe in a 1 stall garage. The garage is falling down on it and the car is supporting the garage. :(

I go from "D" to "3", I haven't had to go from 3 to 2, or 2 to 1. The rpms go from ~1300 to about 2000. This isn't "let's downshift at 4000RPM" or anything. Just to clarify my question on if my down-shift habits are bad.:)

[RocketFast321]

I might drop it down to 3rd gear on the interstate to get more speed and that about it. not drop it down to 1 or 2 when going up a steep hill

[ChevelleSSLS6]

yea, yea, you know what I mean RocketFast 321. People who go dropping it down into 1st at highway speeds is commiting automotive suicide. In adittion to dropping it from "D" (overdrive) into 3 for engine braking (max speed Ill ever do this is prolly 55, normally 40-45), and then into 2 (max speed I'd do this is prolly 40, normally about 30), and never into 1; that's for when the blizzards come.

p.s. I have an old Pontiac 321 emblem. Is that where the 321 comes from?

[Justen]

I have a 3300 with a 3sp(sucks). It has a rev limiter at 6,000 RPM. Is that just on the 3300 or is on all the V6s?

[litdevil316]

god, i'd love to see what their trannys look like after droping it to 1st on the highway at high speed.

[ChevelleSSLS6]

Originally posted by Justen
I have a 3300 with a 3sp(sucks). It has a rev limiter at 6,000 RPM. Is that just on the 3300 or is on all the V6s?

my 3400 shifts at 5800 revs or so when I mash the gas. In park or neutral the rev limiter is 3500-4000 in there somewhere.

***
devil316- there'd be no tranny left. It'd be fun to try on a sucky car like a $300 minivan and do donuts in a ice covered parking lot. Then I'd probably crash into a snowbank and abandon it. Or maybe I'd put it in 1st and just floor it doing donuts till the engine blows. It'd be fun.:lol: :lol: :lol:

[litdevil316]

Originally posted by ChevelleSSLS6
my 3400 shifts at 5800 revs or so when I mash the gas. In park or neutral the rev limiter is 3500-4000 in there somewhere.

***
devil316- there'd be no tranny left. It'd be fun to try on a sucky car like a $300 minivan and do donuts in a ice covered parking lot. Then I'd probably crash into a snowbank and abandon it. Or maybe I'd put it in 1st and just floor it doing donuts till the engine blows. It'd be fun.:lol: :lol: :lol:

god, i'd love to do that one day. kinda wish i had that old 81 subby GL still. lol. 250 for it. nice lil thing but rusted out. had some good torque in the flat4 too.