Stangsational

Well as some know i have a 98 Automatic GT Conv. (more weight), Today i met up with a couple of my friends. One owns a 98 740 and another has a manual 328. I was in Brooklyn and desided it would be fun to tear some bmws. So we have a few races around 2 block distances. I raced the 740 first, he was on tip tronic and i was on my regular drive gear. We generaly held the same pace. Then i did another run now switching from 1st to 2nd at around 5 rpms. Got him! Then the 328 was a joke even tho its stick and along with that i missed 2nd and switched to drive by mistake.

Anyway i was wondering if i was doing anything wrong, and are there any pointers you guys can give me?

Thank you

Dan04COBRA

You should leave it in D while racing, OD when cruising. You won't be able to manually shift faster than it does by itself..

SnaZTanG

does that mess up ur transmission? cuz the gears aren't made to be used like that rite?

SilverGTV8

No shifting like that doesn't ruin the bands of the transmission, it does however make it get very hot which could damge the bands.

You are best to keep it in "D" when racing, the tranny will shift faster than you can and it won't miss.

The best up grades for a auto are a torque converter and a shift kit. You will have to be able to tune the tranny to the new setup too, but will make for one fast auto that hits real hard, almost like a manual.

Monty

lol...^^^^^^^^^ "he said almost"

ALL you need is a J mod and there wont be a manual that could shift faster than you!

Stangsational

another question i had . . . what does o/d do? and how does it work?

USAMuscle

o/d = overdrive

The overdrive gear is a gear that when you're at high cruising speed, causes the engine to turn slower than the drive wheels, resulting in better gas mileage. More often than not, the last gear before the o/d gear is a 1:1 ratio, so in o/d you're probably running between 0.7:1 and 0.8:1 ratio. In a manual 5-speed, the 4th gear is 1:1, and the 5th gear is an overdrive gear, I think 0.73:1 on a Mustang. I have heard from people that you should not use your overdrive gear at all unless you're travelling at least 50-55 MPH because it will create a lot of heat in your transmission if it's used at lower speeds, such as around town. I don't know how true it is, so take it as you will. It's better to not use o/d around town anyway so you stay in your power band so the acceleration is there when you need it.

As far as shifting your auto, the best way to get the most out of an auto is to install a manual valve body and a ratchet shifter so you have total control over the shift points. It's an extreme measure, and a manual valve body should only be used in race or serious street/strip cars, but some people like to be in control. Make sure your transmission has adequate cooling before beating on it too hard.

Stangsational

so generaly ur saying that its best to have my overdrive off wen im traveling on city streets and only turn it on wen on a highway.

2000SilverGT

I think the best upgrade for an auto tranny is a tranny cooler. Most tranny damages come from everheating.

Stangsational

i honestly felt such a big difference . . . jus by turning off overdrive. When i was comin from my girls house there was lite rain, the streets were wet. Some idiot on a civic and his boy on an old eclipse jus got raped by me and another mustang owner. Who seemed to be at the right place and the right time. We are standing on a light and all u hear is the civic farting, i look at the fellow mustang owner and me and him both laugh. I rolled down my window and added, ****en civics. It was honestly a Kodak moment.