Downshifting
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Missouri
Downshifting i have a 2000 TA and I've noticed that when I press the accelerator to the floor I'm not always getting the best acceleration. It seems like sometimes the transmission will downshift pretty hard and other times it won't downshift at all. If I'm in 2nd gear and peg it, it kicks in pretty hard....but if i'm in 3rd or 4th sometimes it won't. This is sort of a dumb question, but what would it cost to go from auto to manual? (my first car so I don't wanna trade it) sorry so long.
TECH Resident
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
From: Texas
Instead of spending a couple grand on a manual, you could just learn how to drive your car the way it is now.
It does not matter what gear you are in when you 'peg it', what matters is the mph. If you are going 20-30mph and mash it the car will kick down into 1st and give you a real good kick in the ***. For second gear you need to be going at least 50 when you floor it to get a good jump. Our cars have a dead spot from about 35 up to 50. When you floor it in that range, the car drops into 2nd but the rpms are too low for you to be in the power band. Just takes some time and experience and you will know your car inside and out, not to mention how to get the best performance out of her.
Or, as onebadblackz said, get a manual valve body. Something like a TH400 would be cheaper and more reliable than a built 4L60E. (yes I have a built 4l60e, haha)
btw, a stall will pretty much get rid of the dead spots.
It does not matter what gear you are in when you 'peg it', what matters is the mph. If you are going 20-30mph and mash it the car will kick down into 1st and give you a real good kick in the ***. For second gear you need to be going at least 50 when you floor it to get a good jump. Our cars have a dead spot from about 35 up to 50. When you floor it in that range, the car drops into 2nd but the rpms are too low for you to be in the power band. Just takes some time and experience and you will know your car inside and out, not to mention how to get the best performance out of her.
Or, as onebadblackz said, get a manual valve body. Something like a TH400 would be cheaper and more reliable than a built 4L60E. (yes I have a built 4l60e, haha)
btw, a stall will pretty much get rid of the dead spots.
To determine what stall you need you have to decide what you want to do with the car, what power ranges you expect it to perform in, and a million other things.
A Torque Converter should compliment your heads/cam as well how your transmission is built.
What HP are you shooting for on the dyno?
What quarter mile time are you shooting for?
There are all sorts of things that go into account to pick the "right" stall speed. Then there is also the question of what STR you want on the torque converter...
There's a lot of reading to do on the subject, however it's much quicker to ask someone who builds/sells verters.
Even the weight of the car plays a factor in selecting the appropriate torque converter for your application.
A Torque Converter should compliment your heads/cam as well how your transmission is built.
What HP are you shooting for on the dyno?
What quarter mile time are you shooting for?
There are all sorts of things that go into account to pick the "right" stall speed. Then there is also the question of what STR you want on the torque converter...
There's a lot of reading to do on the subject, however it's much quicker to ask someone who builds/sells verters.
Even the weight of the car plays a factor in selecting the appropriate torque converter for your application.
