From: rjwade@rainbow.ecn.purdue.edu (Robert J. Wade)
Subject: Re: Improvements in Automatic Transmissions
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Lines: 36

In article <1qugvu$ai8@quad.wfunet.wfu.edu> hagenjd@wfu.edu (Jeff Hagen) writes:
>
>Thanx to all those who responded, particularly those "never driven an XXX
>but here's what it's like:" guys...
>
>OK, we all know that new-age AT's are great in traffic, and do a satisfactory
>job in acceleration when you keep your foot buried in the carpet.
>
>My question regards downshifting.  NOT downshifting to pass (AT's are 
>good at this now), but manually moving the lever to 3, 2, or 1 at a point
>where you would downshift a manual-- e.g. approaching a red light, or a 
>curve, or just tooling around a parking lot in 1st or 2nd w/o shifting.
>This is why I'm still a Manual-Trans Bigot-- the downshifting for
>deceleration seems so natural.  When I try this in an automatic, the
>tranny doesn't seem to understand what I want.
>
>Addendum-- isn't it great, after downshifting while approaching that
>red light, when the light goes green, and you're already on-cam
>(or the turbo's already spooled up!) -- zippppppppppp!
>
>Hagen.  (hagenjd@ac.wfu.edu)
>

i have a grand am with auto and quad4.  around the gear selector there is a 
plastic strip which covers the space so you can't see inside.  anyway...i took
the cover off and cut the end of this long strip to a specific length, the 
strip curls up into a cirlce at one end inside.  anyway, by doing this the 
strip can't feed into the lip that circles it,,,,so...i can push button, pull
down and the gear shifter will only go back to 2 from drive,,,no accidental
hitting first.  i drive around town in 2 to keep the revs up.  shift to drive
above 50 and pull down to 2 when coming up to lights..if i want.  if i am
eating food...i drive in drive.  there are probably aftermarket shift kits
that will accomplish the same thing.  porsche's tip-tronic automatic can be 
driven like an auto...or put into +/- mode.  tip up...upshift...tip down...
downshift.  of course there is an override so you don't redline the engine.

