I've never had the chance to actually drive a car with MT yet, but what I've been assuming is that in order to shift with a MT, you need to let off the gas for a split second while you change gears, to avoid unnecessary friction.

 

Would this apply to an AT too? I have made the habit of noticing when my Sube shifts, so that right beforehand I can ease off the gas a little. Otherwise it seems to me that if I just floored it all the time, the tranny would shift really hard with a noticeable jerk. This is with all cars I've driven, and not specific to my tranny.

 

Is this a feasible technique or am I doing myself no amount of good with this?

. Otherwise it seems to me that if I just floored it all the time, the tranny would shift really hard with a noticeable jerk. This is with all cars I've driven, and not specific to my tranny.

All the automatic cars you drive shift with a noticable jerk if you just floor it? I need to be driving all the cars you do. I actually have my autotranny's valvebody modified to do just that instead of shifting slowly and burning up my clutchpacks.

So you'd say that a hard shift is a good shift? It just seems to me that the faster the gears are turning at the moment they merge the more wear and tear will result.

So you'd say that a hard shift is a good shift? It just seems to me that the faster the gears are turning at the moment they merge the more wear and tear will result.

I just posted a really long post answering your question and it went poof and I couldn't recover it. Yes, a quicker shifting tranny will help your transmission last much longer.

Heat is what generally kills autotrannys. You make the most heat by letting the clutchpacks engage slowly rather than quick and firm. This is why modified valve bodies and shift kits are sold. It serves just this purpose.

 

I wanted to point you to some article on this. Trust me though, it saved my Outback Sport tranny's life by getting a valve body and tranny cooler. These things helped reduce transmission temps and the tranny is still running strong.

So you'd say that a hard shift is a good shift? It just seems to me that the faster the gears are turning at the moment they merge the more wear and tear will result.

true in a stick, but automatics will have a longer life if they spend less time changing gears, as thats the point of most wear. changing gears makes the clutches slip by design, and that makes heat which is what the main cause of wear is. longest transmission life for just about any transmission would be the result of good clean fluid thats properlly cooled.

I just posted a really long post answering your question and it went poof and I couldn't recover it. Yes, a quicker shifting tranny will help your transmission last much longer.

Heat is what generally kills autotrannys. You make the most heat by letting the clutchpacks engage slowly rather than quick and firm. This is why modified valve bodies and shift kits are sold. It serves just this purpose.

 

I wanted to point you to some article on this. Trust me though, it saved my Outback Sport tranny's life by getting a valve body and tranny cooler. These things helped reduce transmission temps and the tranny is still running strong.

darn posted the same thing at the same time

darn posted the same thing at the same time

Cool! That means two peeps posted just about the same info, at the same time. So we MUST be right. Muhahahaha!

The valve body change caught my eye. Can the valvebody be changed on a 3AT out of an '85 XT turbo fwd? I use it for drag racing on a tiny budget, and i think a faster shift would really help a lot, becuase it seems to lollygag between gears.

 

If so, any ideas where i can pick one up?

 

\m/att

So putting this into practical terms means that I should not change acceleration at all depending on if the gears are about change or not? If I have an AT all I can do is just, well, live with the fact that I can't/shouldn't influence anything?

 

I think I already know what the answer will be...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds to me like the jerk you're describing is the clutch pack dragging the engine rpm's down to the same speed as the tranny, THIS is what causes wear, so by letting off the gas as it shifts to allow the engine to match the tranny speed will reduce the wear, and result in quicker shifts, though maybe not actually quicker accelleration.

 

Another way to avoid burning up your tranny, is to not tow a utility trailer w/2 mattresses, a boxspring, 4 4X8 sheets of plywood, and a 40-foot (2 20-foot sections) extension ladder on the roof, the 2+ hour drive up to your cabin in your 3AT loyale (but I wouldn't know about that from personal experience................. )