aikitect Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Still getting used to an automatic tranny. I notice that it does everything it can to stay below 3,000 rpms, unless the car is at WOT.Trouble is, WOT takes a while (relatively) to kick-in as the tranny has to think and then shift.So, in situations where I know that I am going to go to WOT (like passing someone), is it OK to manually move the shift selector to the 3rd or 4rth gear positions and then to manually upshift as I move thru the rpm's? (My car has a five speed automatic)I did this some yesterday, and it seemed to do OK. I noticed that I was able to reach higher rpm's. I also noticed that the engine fans ran longer when the car was shut-off - I guess becasue the turbo had worked a little harder.I am trying to be a responsible dad with the Volvo wagon and all, but I guess that I am just a gear-head at heart. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che'_Moderator Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Your going to get some added wear doing that. How much I am not sure. I guess a lot depends on your driving habits. Have you though about an upgraded chip? It’s going to add wear also but it will be more predictable. Just a though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Weird... mine shifts pretty quickly. And doesn't it take longer to shift between "modes" (L,2,3,4) than to think about going WOT and shifting down anyway? I know I played around with the AT for a while, but in the end just stepping on it ended up providing the best performance (for I think obvious reasons I was too dumb to realize before I played with it). Then again, it is a different transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvo850r Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 It is completely safe and is actually ment to be used that way for passing only. If you are racing and trying to shift maually you are just wasting time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamaica2G Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 I used to to this in my 93 940 turbo wagon when I had it... eventually some overdrive microchip got fried. I would be driving on the highway and the orange UP arrow on the dash would appear and disappear... after a while when it appeared, the car would downshift for no reason and then go back to 4th... ended up costing about $50 for the chip plus labor.I dunno if it would cause a problem in newer cars...Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 It is completely safe and is actually ment to be used that way for passing only. If you are racing and trying to shift maually you are just wasting time.Uhhh... Are you sure about this? The kick-down feature of the automatic transmission is what is meant to help you pass, and it works in D. The best way to pass is to slightly release the gas then swiftly push the pedal to the floor, thus engaging kick-down (you will feel a little button like thing on a lot of volvos though maybe not all when it is truly to the floor - the button triggers the AC compressor cutoff). You can also shift back up on the 850Rs simply by slightly releasing the gas pedal while in kickdown.Generally the ability to shut out certain gears (particularly shutting out 4 and 5 using the 3 and 4 positions) is for the purpose of towing, and also provides engine breaking and control over the gears when ascending or descending very steep hills.And it's not completely harmless. While damage is minimal by shifting a lot you can overheat the tranny fluid if it's not in prime condition.Note: the only reason I always release the pedal slightly when I want to kick-down is because it makes it easier to kick it down past the AC kill button w/ more momentum - you don't actually need to do this, but the AC kill nub in my car seems a little tough sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopper Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 I used to to this in my 93 940 turbo wagon when I had it... eventually some overdrive microchip got fried. I would be driving on the highway and the orange UP arrow on the dash would appear and disappear... after a while when it appeared, the car would downshift for no reason and then go back to 4th... ended up costing about $50 for the chip plus labor.I dunno if it would cause a problem in newer cars...Adrian4th is OD on a 940, so if the switch was bad it may randomly switch between 3rd and 4th as you described. Nothing wrong with the acutal transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 It event states that in the owners manual that its safe to downshift a gear down for passing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvo850r Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 That was I in the previous post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Oh it is safe, you just shouldn't overdo it.Which manual is that, btw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad max Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 I used to do this all the time in my 93 850, when i was driving fast in twisties etc.. but I tried it in my dads 95 one day and I put the tranny into limp home mode. I would say shift 'em if u get no warning arrows, as there is a reason that they put selectable gears on an auto, (if it wasnt meant to be shifted it would just be D, N and R) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Oh yeah, there's a reason. See this post: http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?s...t=0entry17438 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che'_Moderator Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 I used to do this all the time in my 93 850, when i was driving fast in twisties etc.. but I tried it in my dads 95 one day and I put the tranny into limp home mode. I would say shift 'em if u get no warning arrows, as there is a reason that they put selectable gears on an auto, (if it wasnt meant to be shifted it would just be D, N and R)Yeah the reason is so if its snowing or something you can start in a higher gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenhoeve Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 Oh yeah, there's a reason. See this post: http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.php?s...t=0entry17438*error* This cell contains a circular reference. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che'_Moderator Posted April 7, 2004 Report Share Posted April 7, 2004 All these and all questions ever asked were already answered in another thread. For those of you who missed it though here:Previously Answered Questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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