dakman96

Hey all, I own a 2001 Mustang GT with an auto transmission. I plan to race autocross in May and wanted to know if it safe/NOT harmful for the transmission to be kept in 1st and 2nd gear. I also want to know if forcing a downshift from 2nd to 1st is okay. Thanks in advance!

mustangman02232

Never had a problem with my 02 doing it it will not hurt anything, there's actually a program in them that If you go from d back to "2" it firms and quickens the shift up

Even from the factory it's programmed to start off and hold second or first when in those positions

dakman96

Really? I'm only asking because when I leave my car in first and I get into the higher RPMs, the car makes a weird whine sort of sound that doesn't happen when I'm in first in D. It doesn't sound BAD or anything, just different

swarthyfellow

The whine is normal in 1st, if u are at part throttle. Atleast for me. I used to down shift into 2nd to slow and then a blew my 2nd gear. It was nice to already be in 2nd gear for leaving a corner but brakes are cheaper then a trans i found out. But as far as driving in 1st and 2nd should be fine especially for a few laps of auto-x.