Is column shifting (which is going from 1 to 2 to 3 manually) at all a possibillity for increasing accelleration? I had a friend who did it frequently in his Ford Contour, and eventually broke the tranny. He got a performance transmission and continues doing so, and seems to be doing just fine now. This is all automatic transmission BTW.

Been there, done that, don't recommend it.

I have gone thru 2 trannies doing that, and I have the HD version. The speed gain was barely noticeable (and might have even been just a perception thing). Our trannies can usually hold up really well to daily driving, but beat on them and they will go.


Note: I have since stopped doint the manual shifting. Can't afford more trannies. :?

I've never heard of ppl doing that. Doesn't sound like a good idea though.

But I do know someone who has a manual trans column shifter on his early 60'* convertible Bonne.

a friend of the family had a rusty caravan that was a coloum shift manual. looks weird when driven. but i think in a auto it would trash the tranny, dont autos have a weaker clutch? just an thought.

i dont get why youd do that on an automatic anyways...i know a kid that has a little pos car and he does that all the time...well if you acutally have tried it before...you have to like get really high in rpms or else you shift and your car doesnt yet...its not on command most of hte time like youd want it to be...i tried it in my moms car...97 mercury mystique...and unless you are WOT or get the RPMs really up there it does nothing for you...i dont recommend it at all...its pointless...plus it doesnt sound too good when ya do it...if anything put it in drive...aka 3...

The speeds 1,2,3 each have torque rating, is uses more gas when you use them. 1 has the most torque, 2 less,3 even less, Drive has the least. Column shifting is going from these various speeds as best as you can, you shift the speed not because you want to, but because at a certain speed, 1 cannot produce torque well anymore, thus 2, thus 3.

The only thing you can get out of it is Higher rpms, the engine still makes the same power it would in D, but you just hold it into higher RPMS, (and not even that many). Especially in these engines you'll benefit from being at lower RPMs anyways with more torque then the weaker RPMs....

These trannys don't like high RPM'* the engines (specially series II) are limited by the tranny..

I have had experience with doing this and losing a tranny because of the situation. Don't do this most of the reason why the lower gears are there are for instances such as road conditions and sometime towing but you shouldn't do this in a auto. The consequences are very bad when you do this too much.

so what you're saying is that even what I do, which is leave my car in 3 around town, then when I'm leaving town (55+ MPH) shift into OD at around 50? I never really thought of that as being bad on the transmission...

lol... another thing not to do... on icy roads dont down shift from OD to D to 3 to 2 to 1 really the engine/tranny dont like it... you could ofcourse if you were like needing to stop fast!