A4 owners that manually shift....
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,850
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From: Hillsboro OR
A4 owners that manually shift....
Have any of you ever noticed that from a stop, with mildly spirited driving, smell something getting hot or burning? It is definitely a burning clutch odor. I take 1st gear up to 3500 - 4000 rpms and the same from 2nd to 3rd. With the same driving style I don't smell anything when I leave it in Drive. Trans temps are normal. I also keep in Drive on the freeway. Am I hurting my transmission?
Thanks,
Randy
Thanks,
Randy
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: The Villages FL
St. Jude Donor '13
Me To
When do you notice the smell? if it's after you slow down or stop you may want to be sure nothing (plastic) is stuck underneath somewhere near exhaust. That has happened to me twice now. I know you said it's only when manually shifting the A4 bt just wanted to provide another idea.
Don
Le Mans Master
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From: USA
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Racer
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Safety Car
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From: Visalia CA
Well, this may be a dumb answer, but instead of just leaving the gear selector in "D" and letting the tranny upshift automatically, you start off with it in "1", then push it up to "2", then up to "3", then into "D".
Pro
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From: Palmdale CA
Safety Car
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From: . New York
I was just thinking about this today :-)
I just leave it in D no matter what I'm doing, and have been pretty satisfied with the stock shift points and torque available. I know M6's are quicker with a decent driver, but never having been to a track, not sure I could do better than the A4 if I was shifting manualy.
So we're pretty sure theres nothing wrong (meaning no more wear and tear, aside from the higher rpms, and assuming you didnt over rev) with manualy going thru the gears on an A4 ?
I just leave it in D no matter what I'm doing, and have been pretty satisfied with the stock shift points and torque available. I know M6's are quicker with a decent driver, but never having been to a track, not sure I could do better than the A4 if I was shifting manualy.
So we're pretty sure theres nothing wrong (meaning no more wear and tear, aside from the higher rpms, and assuming you didnt over rev) with manualy going thru the gears on an A4 ?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Rockford Illinois
You can hurt the trans by manually shifting it. It wasnt buit for that, the gear selections are made for steep inclines or declines. You should just put in Drive and go.
You will end up causing more heat to build within the tranny which eventually will take a toll on the clutches and bands.
You will end up causing more heat to build within the tranny which eventually will take a toll on the clutches and bands.
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This one has been beat to death........Not a problem.....................They work just fine, do it in all my vehicles........normal driving, racing AND on road courses. A seperate trans cooler(s) will help it live a longer life if you want to shift more often 
Only smell I get is tire rubber
Trace your smell down for sure, good luck
Only smell I get is tire rubber
Trace your smell down for sure, good luck
Last edited by Allthrottleandsomebottle; Jun 26, 2007 at 07:56 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
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You can hurt the trans by manually shifting it. It wasnt buit for that, the gear selections are made for steep inclines or declines. You should just put in Drive and go.
You will end up causing more heat to build within the tranny which eventually will take a toll on the clutches and bands.
You will end up causing more heat to build within the tranny which eventually will take a toll on the clutches and bands.
When I had an A4, I just left it in drive, it was always faster that way anyhow. Its fun to pretend you have an M6 but its not ever going to be the same 
Race Director
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From: Newberry FL
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St. Jude Donor '07
This one has been beat to death........Not a problem.....................They work just fine, do it in all my vehicles........normal driving, racing AND on road courses. A seperate trans cooler(s) will help it live a longer life if you want to shift more often
Only smell I get is tire rubber Trace your smell down for sure, good luck
Only smell I get is tire rubber
Trace your smell down for sure, good luck Same here, I had a beefy tranny installed in mine and engine shifting manually too. I don't do it all the time, but I do like to have fun sometimes.
