Shifting an automatic transmission

[ccs v2.0]

Anyone driving up the mountains in an underpowered car with an auto transmission has needed to "encourage" downshifts. That's just the way it was with vacuum controlled transmissions. Electronics have pretty much solved this, but old habits may be hard to break.

Come to think about it, every underpowered four banger rental has probably had "manual" shifting done ti it.

 

[Dieselbob]

I have done a LOT of manual shifting, but only between Overdrive and drive, and drive to 2nd. Several of the older cars I have owned lock up the torque converter WAY too soon and then hunt in and out. I always left all these cars in drive until I was at a sustained 45 mph. The cars accelerated better,and drove smoother that way. I also have used 2nd for passing, because in transmissions like the 700R4, that was the most effective way to force a downshift AND unlock that blasted converter. It works fantastic in our old 87 Camaro. Even with the paltry 155 HP, I can wind up and blow by most anything in short order. I shift back into drive right about time I pull even, then back to overdrive once I pull ahead.

 

[TallPaul]

My motorhome needs to be manually shifted in the mountains and often up a grade I would manually lock out OD because it would want to shift back into OD too soon.

I have a bad habit with auto transmissions of trying to firm up shifts by letting up the accelerator quickly, then pushing it back down, but a bit less that it was. This often will give you a nice simulation of a manual transmission shift.

Sometimes I reach for the stick shift in an automatic car because I am used to driving my manual.

 

[ccs v2.0]

TPaul, that and the clutch pedal..

 

[LouDawg]

Kestas, that was pretty much my suspicion, but it was anything but scientific. It's not something I really ever do, except as some have said taking it out of OD to prevent gear-hunting in certain situations. The CD4E transmission on my Escape is a notoriously weak link, and many of my forum buddies say to take it down to 3 during in-town driving and leave it there.

 

[Kestas]

I do that a lot with my 91 Grand Marquis. It has the 4-speed FIOD transmission. It doesn't take much for the transmission to downshift to 3rd at 70 mph. It also does a lot of hunting between 3rd and 4th on many roads.

 

[Stainless]

i have a 98 Lumina with the 3.1 & a 4 speed auto.

i dont shift between gears, but i DO drop it down into "third" or "drive" when i am going up hills.

when i am driving up a hill in overdrive,the transmission has a tendency to lock up the TC then unlock, then lock again, then unlock. I get sick of it. "JUST PICK A SETTING AND STAY THERE." so when i am about to drive up a big hill or mountain, I just drop it into 3, (AKA: drive), and leave it there. It keeps the revs at 2,800-3,000 the whole way up the hill, rather than shifting between 2,200 and 2,800 over and over.

 

[TallPaul]

Quote:

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TPaul, that and the clutch pedal..

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That's right and it can be a bit startling if you catch the edge of the brake pedal!

 

[Gary Allan]

Some of the older automatics didn't care what selector indent was chosen. If you exceeded governor pressure limits, they would shift anyway. What would happen is that, once out of WOT, the trans would shift back into the lower gear. This was the case with TorqueFlites. Fords, OTOH (depending on vintage) would start and stay in 2nd when 2nd was selected. Others would start in 2nd and shift to 3rd and others would start in 1st and shift to 2nd.

Chrysler's "Slapstick®" shifter made the Hurst "DualGate®" shifter obsolete overnight.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Yes, in the cummins, no need to down shift with just the truck; but when hauling camper/boat/gear, etc going up a steep incline, I'll not only lock it out of OD, but down-shift too, if need be.

My 3.2L V6 Rodeo, with 170k on original GM transmission, I tend to baby it a little extra then my other vehicles, it's now the oldest in my gang, and aside from it's own heavy weight, it carries a lot of extra gear when we're going through a mountain adventure.

It's been a while, come to think of it, that I've manually down-shifted to 3rd, but I do lock it out of OD permanently once we've started into the mountains.

There have been times, pulling the boat with the V6 that I'll leave it in 3rd during anytype of grade.

Around town though, I leave it in drive, which is a 4-speed with overdrive.

 

[55Test]

I'll haul the column shifter on my Safari down into D when I'm going up some hills that normally, when left in drive, would constantly go from 4th and lockup, to unlocked, to 3rd, then back into 4th then 3rd again.. I am told that gear hunting like that would cause far more wear and heat buildup than hauling the gearshift down a gear manually ever would.

 

[Earl Filter]

Generally speaking, manually shifting your auto won't hurt anything, if you're doing it at relatively sane RPMs. In other words, shifting yourself when the trans would have anyway. Holding gears to higher RPMs could accelerate wear on your internal and your gas card. Manually downshifting early (as in coming to a stop, and pulling down the gears) would also accelerate wear. Back in the day, it was said that every manual downshift would equal one less upshift in the life of the trans, but it's probably an old wives' tale.