These runs start in third gear...
yes you can downshift while rolling...
500 at the rears seems to be ok for me for now...but others have had failure at 500...
Yes it's A4

 

You are not going to get a concensus on this. It is a message board, everyone has an opinion.

I got an A4 to not shift. therefore I leave it in D, forever until i stop, then in P

If I want to have a little fun, then in 3 it goes, T/C button gets pressed, and I leave it there.

 

I'll drop it into 3rd or second on an exit ramp to save some heat on the rotors....
once in awhile 1st just to make some noise.

 

once in awhile 1st just to make some noise.

LOL. I also ran my tranny with over 500rwhp with no issues at all. I didn't do it for long though. I changed to a RPM stage V tranny when I bought a stall converter.

 

No offense, but you need to take driver's ed again. This is true for any remotely recent car with an automatic transmission:

1) Putting it in a lower gear will cause the transmission to switch to that gear, as long as it is below redline (sometimes more like 1000rpm below redline, depending on the programming). Should you do this? There's no reason most of the time. Given the GTO's fast disposition, yes putting it in 3 will drop you to third and allow you to goose it back & forth for a while without having to worry about it shifting to 4th.

2) There is zero reason to put it in neutral at stops. With any car. Period.

3) Foot on brake. Start engine. Move from P to R or D. After shifter is in R or D, release brake. Before moving to R, D, or P again, come to a complete stop.

Seriously man.... :stickpoke

 

No offense, but you need to take driver's ed again. This is true for any remotely recent car with an automatic transmission:

Believe it or not, in my home country, you cannot pass the driving test with an automatic car, it has to be manual. I owned a dozen or so cars in my life and love cars but never owned an auto before.

And as far as question #1; well, a lot of people are apparently misinformed about this because there were discussions on this here on ls1gto.com and people with hundreds of posts were still debating as to whether it is OK to shift while in motion; so I don't think it is as straightforward as you make it sound.

And #3; I don;t think you understood my question. If I were not aware of what you already described, I wouldn't have been able to move the vehicle and instead would be forced to call a tow truck.

 

I'm glad to hear you aren't native and that they make you drive stick - the prevalence of the automatic transmission has led to the downfall of driving abilities here....

Anyway - yes you can shift while in motion. The computer is smarter than the driver - if you try to put it in 2 at 100mph, it will only go to 3 (if that). Point being it won't let you over-rev. Now if you do a huge RPM jump, it may unsettle the car some, just as if you were to the car into 2nd at 60mph - I don't have an A4 GTO so I don't know how well it rev-matches, but it is a concern. As said before, it is an automatic, so let it do the work!

As for #3, I did understand your question. You don't have to keep your foot on the brake while moving the shifter. But you should. Why? Because it is good practice to keep your foot on the brake when you're not moving and not in Park, regardless of transmission. While that is the best practice, feel free to get used to your own driving style and do as you please. Just don't try to switch between R and D while moving the opposite direction.

 

As for #3, I did understand your question. You don't have to keep your foot on the brake while moving the shifter. But you should. Why? Because it is good practice to keep your foot on the brake when you're not moving and not in Park, regardless of transmission. While that is the best practice, feel free to get used to your own driving style and do as you please. Just don't try to switch between R and D while moving the opposite direction.

Thanks a lot for your answers. Just to clarify what I mean in question 3:
You are in N, then you put the foot on the brake and shift into R. At this stage you have 2 choices:

1- Keep your foot on the brake for an additional 1-2 seconds after you shift. If you do this, the car will "dive"; then you lift off the brake and you start going forward. The only concern I have is that this car makes a little noise while squatting and you feel as if there is strain on the drivetrain (I asked my buddy to sit in his BMW with an auto tranny and tried the same in his car; the BMW gives a very similar reaction in the same circumstances)

2- Your other choice is to take your foot off the brake as soon as you put the car in R. In this case, there is no squat and yo go smoothly. Is this a better choice?

(WHAT I WROTE ABOVE ABOUT GOING FROM "N" TO "R" ALSO APPLIES TO GOING FROM "N" TO "D". SAME NOISE, SAME STRAINED FEEL. HOWEVER, IN THAT CASE, THERE WILL BE A DIVE INSTEAD OF A SQUAT OF COURSE)

Now will your tranny fall apart if you don't pay attention to the ridiculous detail I have obsessed about above? I really don't think so, but I was just wondering and wanted to hear opinions...

Thanks again for the feedback

 

That noise is just the drivetrain & suspension being loaded. In fact, I hear most of the noise is caused by the crappy differential bushing that most people replace. Regardless, it will not hurt anything either way. Go about your business however you please

 

Thank you Good Sir...
Much appreciated. Have a great L-Day Weekend

 

You too :attachment:

 

Down shifting just to move to a lower gear without a big rpm increase is fine, but to down shift an automatic trans to slow you down(using the transmission as a brake)is no good...unless the trans is built for it!!

 

If the transmission has positions other than P, R, N, and D, then it was built for manual downshifting. If the manufacturer didn't want you downshifting manually with the automatic, they would not give you the options.

 

If I just miss a green light and I know the wait will be long, I'll sometimes put it in neutral.

 

Why? There's no practical reason...just curious

 

I can't believe they would put a "Light" tranny in a musclecar

 

you'll be hard-pressed to hurt the 46L0E, unless you just shift from D to R with your pedal to the floor repeatedly.

you can downshift while you're driving, just beware that you can break the tires loose. we don't want another wrecked goat. they car won't let you 'manually' downshift so far as to hurt the car, it'll engine brake sometimes, though, to keep revs down.

i've gotten so used to manuals that i will put an auto into neutral at almost every stop, it's just a habit. i had 120k miles on my old truck with this practice, sold it without any major problems. i've got 58k on a Camry and i do the same with it.

you don't have to hold the brake when you shift in a parking lot (from forward to reverse), it's just good practice so you can better avoid hitting stuff. but, aside from an occasional lag in the shift time, nothing will happen.

don't worry, nothing will happen to your tranny. just don't do any reverse burnouts (reverse fast then slam it into D), and you'll be okay.

 

I throw mine in neutral when I want to rev at other cars and hot chicks walking by... I downshift to help with braking coming off a high speed run... also put it in 3rd from D when getting ready to race from a roll or dig...

 

i have been waiting and searching for this discussion for awhile now, i have an 05 A4 GTO. thanks gentlemen for the infos.

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that "D" should only be used on the highway. If you keep it in "D" while driving around town, you'll wear out your OD clutches/bands. I've got plenty of horror stories, some will say nothing bad will happen, it's all on your driving. Your best bet is to leave it in "3" drive the car. If you plan on getting on the highway, get the car up to speed, once at cruising speed, bump it into "D".

Another rule of thumb I always went by was if I maintained a cruising speed of 2300 - 2500 in "3" I would bumb it into "D"

What your avoiding is the car shifting in and out of overdrive. Driving in "3" will also give you that little bit of muscle to climb that hill without it downshifting.

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that "D" should only be used on the highway. If you keep it in "D" while driving around town, you'll wear out your OD clutches/bands.

Is tis true for all automatic cars or does this apply only to high hp/torque cars such as the GTO?

 

First of all, someone please tell me if it is OK to shift while the car is in motion.

Yes, you can shift to 3,2,1,N while the car is in forward motion. When moving foward, never try to shift to Reverse.

Secondly, should you put the car in neutral at the traffic lights?

With an automatic transmission, you do not have to put the car in N at stop lights. If for some reason, you are going to be stuck long at the traffic light, you may put it in N.

Finally, and I know this is splitting hairs, shall you keep your foot on the brake until the gear completely shifts from N into D or R?

Keep your foot on the break, until the car fully engages. Never assume the car is in the correct forward or reverse gear.

 

I also had the same kinda questions. Im a newb here and was just wondering if it was ok to daily drive the car shifting throughout all the gears, upshift and downshift, rather than using D. I have 43,xxx miles on my auto tranny no probs.

 

Manual shifts are fine. But the best performance and times can be found in D or OD with the right tune for shifts and reasonable performance shift kit

 

No, I am not kidding. I really need to figure out how to use the automatic transmission on my 2005 GTO.

First of all, someone please tell me if it is OK to shift while the car is in motion.

Yes that is fine, the computer will not let you over-rev. There really is no point to do it though as the car will downshift by itself when you need it.

Secondly, should you put the car in neutral at the traffic lights?

You can, it doesn't matter. Mostly you just keep your foot on the brake to keep from rolling forward.

Finally, and I know this is splitting hairs, shall you keep your foot on the brake until the gear completely shifts from N into D or R? Let me explain: When I am trying to park and am going from D to R and then back to D, I can keep my foot on the break pedal until the car dives or squats following the engagement -or, I can shift into D (or R) and as soon as I shift just take my foot of the brake pedal; this way the car moves smoothly but there is sometimes a lag and I am wondering if that will be harmful to the drivetrain over the long run.

Just don't shift into [D] while still moving backwards or [R] while moving forward. Your car moves when not on the brake so you use it from moving while changing from forward to reverse or vise versa. You can shift to [D] or [R] without the brake if you are in [N].

 

Have Superchips tune and my A4 took a dump at 22k miles. Lost 3rd/4th. Cause was a broken retainer clip. New tranny under warranty. I frequently downshifted mine on the highway, in traffic and put it in N at lights too (so I could relax). Would also hold 2nd often to hear my exhaust. I also had over 30 passes down the 1/4 in that one year. So either the Superchips tune or my driving habbits killed it. So for now on I won't manually shift it, unless I put it into 3rd from a dead stop (drag racing, or spirited driving).

I've seen quite a few other A4s die on here (some 100% stock) so I'm guessing mine will die again as well, since I am not easy on her If it dies after warranty, I'm getting a built tranny with a nice stall. I actually am looking forward to that day

 

Stall does sound like fun....