Hi im 17 and i recieved a 93 corvette for a present but i love it only prob is its auto i want stick but i have a question. when im messing around with my friends is it bad to use 1 and 2 then to squard D?, whats the difference between the squard D and just the D? i can go to higher rpms then letting it go automatically and no i dont nutral drop that bad lol.

 

You can manually shift it with no worries.

 

is it built for that lol because i did it to some rice burners auto civic and messed it up lol but ya its ok when i launch and when im going slow i can drop it also.

 

D = 3rd gear
D w/ square = 4th gear/overdrive

If you're just cruising around town at 55 or less just leave it in D; your tranny will thank you. Driving on the freeway at higher speeds put it in overdrive when you won't be shifting.

 

ahhhh when my parents use to drive it they use the one with the square every day arg on normal streets is that bad??? ohh and to make suure is it ok it i use 1 to lauch and then 2 then to 3 on auto lol i dont want to blow my trany i just want to beat rice bunners lol

 

I don't have empirical evidence about how much worse it is to leave it in overdrive vs D, but think about how many more shifts your car has to go through when you're driving around town. Fighting stop lights, speed limit ranges from 30 to 55, etc. That's a lot of extra shifts for minimal RPM reduction.

With an auto at 30mph, it's very easy when accelerating to make it downshift in overdrive.

 

i mean like will i mess up my trany if i keep messing around in 1 and 2. also going at 2 droping it at 1. and launching at 1?

 

I think it would be better to just leave it in 3rd ( D ) when you are going to be accelerating quickly because it revs higher and remember to shift to OD when you are nearing the redline.

 

I think downshifting from 2 to 1 at higher RPMs (or more agressively) will hurt you much more than upshifting. You shouldn't have any problem with launching in 1 and shifting to 2.

I recently posted this but will say it again: sometimes I just cruise in 1 if at or under 20mph (for the sound!); sometimes will cruise in 2 if under 40mph. Even at 40mph my RPMs are 2700 at most and it sounds cool as hell, plus you can stomp on it without it downshifting. I can't possibly see anything wrong with this except a slight degredation in fuel economy.

[edit] I've shifted from 2 to 1 at around 15 mph and the tranny makes a big chug...don't like doing that to her!

 

ohhh and also on 1 or 2 when u punch it it pulls like crazy i love it but it seems slower when i leave it in d and punch it so i use 1 and 2, and cause i can go to higher rpms. and u said it make a clunck noise thats bad lol mines doesnt.

but dude u got a zr-1 thats sick i want one

 

do you have the borla exhast system i has the org lol i was thinking of putting glass packs

 

I think you'll find that if you just stick in in drive and punch it, it will accelerate just as fast as going through the gears. just put it in OD before you redline it. Oh, and glasspacks belong on '73 Novas, not on Corvettes. When you get the money, put some 3.54 gears in the rear and install a higher-stall torque converter. It will scream.

 

It's "only" an LT1, though I certainly wouldn't mind a ZR1. It's a Corsa exhaust, too. I love it!

 

ill find one lol and another thing u have the color i want HUMMMM lol

 

No offense intended, but try to use large case letter when needed and use punctuation. It would make your posts a lot easier to read. And drop the "lol" in every sentence. Otherwise, WELCOME!

 

Before you beat your car to death get to know it first.Get a Factory Service manual.Read,read,read the posts here to get educated on what works on these cars and what does not.The info you can get here is invaluable.

 

There is a reason they call it an "Automatic Transmission". There is no need to pull it down to second or first gear to "launch". As has already been said, leave it in drive if cruising below 50mph. Shift into overdrive when you get on the interstate.

Having said that, IF you autocross you will most likely find that you will have better lap times if you leave it in 2nd (depending on the course layout) it will help slow the car going into the turns and keep the revs up for your launch off the turn.

I know with you being 17 that driving a Corvette is a huge ego boost but don't let it go to your head. There is a time and place for everything and losing your license or your life at 17 isn't cool. Be careful.

Just a little friendly advise. Don't take offense.

Mike.

 

i also . What is the rear end ratio in it? If its not kicking back a gear when you floor it, either your TV cable is out of spec and requires adjustment or your throttle cable its self isnt getting you to WOT. If you want to take off as fast as you can, put it in D and as long as the above items are properly adjusted it wont shift from 1st to 2nd til its almost right on the redline anyway, and by the time you are ready to get into 3rd gear youll have allready beaten the rice burners. Holding gears and upshifting wont hurt anything, downshifting will only cause quicker wear and tear on your drive train and the sprag element in the transmission. The idea of the D and the boxed D are this,

"D" is 3rd gear which is 1:1 ratio or a direct drive,

"OD" (or the D in the box) is 4th gear which is 0.70:1 (i think) or OVER drive...

 

Also have to totally with you here too Mike. Remember youre driving a car with 300 BHP and 340 ft/lbs of torque, and this can very easily get well out of hand and all in the time it takes to snap your fingers. I know you have traction control but this wont save you when you decide to turn it off!! First learn to respect the power and learn to handle it.

 

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your new '93 Vette.

There is two important features about your A4:
1-heat is the tranny's enemy
2-every shift wears the clutch pack involved

1) The '93 A4 uses a lockup torque converter (TC). During "normal" driving the TC slips till cruzin speed is reached and then the ECM locks up the clutch (TCC) and the tranny behaves as though it were a stick shift, with no slippage. The TCC will remain locked in 2-4 gears till you touch the brake pedal or force a down shift of the tranny.

When drving in 1st gear or accelerating or getting on the brakes the TCC unlocks and there is slippage within the TC. This slippage is the major cause of heat build up. When the tranny fluid gets too hot wear is accelerated. But it takes a little while for heat to build up so a little intermittant "play" shouldn't be a problem in this area.

2) The stock A4 does not use hardened clutch plates and the shifts are not very fast so there is wear at each up/down shift as these clutches slip. A TransGo shift kit will increase shift speed which reduces the amount of time the clutches slip and so extend their life. For real performance driving hardened clutches are the way to go.

Now let me say that I'm well over 17 and still enjoy up/down shifting too. I've found that launch in any gear gives about the same results in the 1/4 mile. But, with a stock A4, you may find that you get a little better performance if you hold the tranny in each lowe gear till close to red line.

Also I like to occasionally roll out while holding 1st hear and then drop the hammer to see the nose rise up.

I too down shift when rolling to a stop or going down hill but tap the brake pedal to unlock the TCC, giving a little more slippage and less force on the internal clutch packs.

Also you can learn to match engine speed to the new RPM as you down shift, which will reduce wear on the clutch packs.

My original A4 had over 100k miles and shifted smoothly before the 1st rebuild 5yrs ago. This spring I lost the 3-4 clutch pack and needed a complete rebuild, this time with performance parts to the tune of $2,100. Of course I drag race my Vette, and "use" it occasionally too.

Enjoy your new Vette as you get to know how it performs. In time you can install a higher stall TC for tire scorching launches and a Trans Go shift kit for tire chirping 1-2 upshifts.

BTW, try doing a little brake stand before you launch, but be sure there are no "Leos" around.

Oh, and you used good judgement on not "dropping the clutch" on launching your A4, else you might be doing a preformance rebuild sooner than you had planned.