Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Actually that is a pretty good question, a lot of people i know just toss their automatics in neutral whenever they fancy (i cringe a little) and also, i was told that should i drive any manual car unless i'm going to a complete halt, i should keep my car in gear, is that absolutely necessary/recommendable
 
gaasc, for a manual transmission it really doesn't matter - it's a question of personal preference.

For automatics, I know it has to do with the cooling of the fluid in the torque converter, but I'm not familiar with the details.
 
Is it okay for the automatic transmission to be shifted into Neutral when slowing down to a stop? Will that hurt/damage anything? (Spectre?)

I can tell you the manual for my car is highly specific that this is a bad idea and not to be done. Whether that's true for all transmissions, I don't know. What? Of course I've read the manual. Women read directions. :-D
 
Turned the traction control completely off for the first time today, in the wet, just to see what would happen. Where did all this low down power come from?
 
In the early 90s my mom drove a Safari van. I vividly remember going to the dealer and test driving one that had half Safari badges and half Astro. They were EXACTLY the same. I'm still not sure why they were so hung up on having the Safari.

Heh, half and half badging... Must have been a Monday car, good old UAW kwalitee there...

After changing my ATF, I took a 240 mile drive to see if it improved anything, and it has! The shifts are a lot smoother.

However one problem remains, and unfortunately unrepairable. It's the solenoid that controls the pressure in the transmission. As a result, when the fluid is warm and I'm coming to a stop, the transmission drops out of gear, until I step on the gas again. The only way to get a new one is to get a new valve body...which means a second transmission. And I'm not doing this.

Now, two people told me what they've been doing to avoid the dropping out of gear. Every time they are braking to a stop, they shift into neutral and coast till stop. After that, put back in Drive and it goes in without any clunks or noises.

Is it okay for the automatic transmission to be shifted into Neutral when slowing down to a stop? Will that hurt/damage anything? (Spectre?)

I commend this thread, from the linked point onward, to your attention.

Actually that is a pretty good question, a lot of people i know just toss their automatics in neutral whenever they fancy (i cringe a little) and also, i was told that should i drive any manual car unless i'm going to a complete halt, i should keep my car in gear, is that absolutely necessary/recommendable

gaasc, for a manual transmission it really doesn't matter - it's a question of personal preference.

For automatics, I know it has to do with the cooling of the fluid in the torque converter, but I'm not familiar with the details.

There is no mechanical reason not to coast a manual, but per the linked post above, there are safety reasons.

I can tell you the manual for my car is highly specific that this is a bad idea and not to be done. Whether that's true for all transmissions, I don't know. What? Of course I've read the manual. Women read directions. :-D

So do men who know that a transmission replacement can cost more than some new small cars. :p

Turned the traction control completely off for the first time today, in the wet, just to see what would happen. Where did all this low down power come from?

The cold/dense air and not being chopped off at the knees to avoid wheelspin by the computer.
 
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Is it just me or do people seem to be exceptionally brand loyal when it comes to trucks though? I'm not sure why it is, but I can imagine a "chevy man" would never buy a GMC even if it was identical except for some stickers.

This "Chevy" fan doesn't care if it's a Chevy or a GMC. Hell, my "El Camino" is a GMC. For any given model year, I prefer whichever looks better. Some years I'd take the Chevy, others (like the current model) I'd take the GMC.
 
Is it just me or do people seem to be exceptionally brand loyal when it comes to trucks though? I'm not sure why it is, but I can imagine a "chevy man" would never buy a GMC even if it was identical except for some stickers.

It's just you. I was raised a "chevy guy" buy that doesn't mean I hated anything without a chevy badge. I always loved plenty from the GM stable.

Chevy seemed to be the generic term for GM, presumably because there was no actual car with a GM badge other than trucks. Gotta look at it from the perspective of a Mopar fan. They like it so long as it came from a Chrysler/dodge/plymouth dealer. Same goes for Fords, it could be a mercury or a lincoln (though usually the good stuff was the former 2 performance wise).
 
This "Chevy" fan doesn't care if it's a Chevy or a GMC. Hell, my "El Camino" is a GMC. For any given model year, I prefer whichever looks better. Some years I'd take the Chevy, others (like the current model) I'd take the GMC.

I'm the same way. I was raised a chevy guy, and it's more or less anything you can buy at a chevy dealer. That goes for mostly anything GM IMO. (minus some of their newer aquisitions such as Saab and Opel, not to say I don't like those, but you get what I mean)
 
Fuel pump in the Mustang has decided to squirt fuel out the bottom in addition to pumping fuel normally. This would also explain why my last fillup tallied up 9.9 mpg versus the normal 12-14mpg.
 
I used to a Ford guy when we had our '88 Taurus, but then we sold it for a 1996 Chevy Lumina and I (being a naive and overenthusiastic child) became a turncoat.

Now that Ford is building awesome cars and GM in general is basically crap in comparison, it's getting harder and harder for me to change sides again. It's like learning a new language late in life.
 
Got pulled over for doing 84 in a 65...and guy let me off with nothing but a verbal warning to slow down. Can the Jaaaag take credit for this, or was it just me being really apologetic?
 
May have been both, but the Jag should get most of the credit. Aren't these cars fun? :D
 
I used to a Ford guy when we had our '88 Taurus, but then we sold it for a 1996 Chevy Lumina and I (being a naive and overenthusiastic child) became a turncoat.

Now that Ford is building awesome cars and GM in general is basically crap in comparison, it's getting harder and harder for me to change sides again. It's like learning a new language late in life.

Im just about the same way. My whole family has always been GM supporters. Then, I got a 2010 Focus rental last week. Oh god, massive case of DO WANT!...
 
Im just about the same way. My whole family has always been GM supporters. Then, I got a 2010 Focus rental last week. Oh god, massive case of DO WANT!...

A 2010 Focus? Go try a 2010 Fusion or a 2010 Taurus. You'll shit bricks. Ford's entire lineup is sexy.
 
Got pulled over for doing 84 in a 65...and guy let me off with nothing but a verbal warning to slow down. Can the Jaaaag take credit for this, or was it just me being really apologetic?

Probably you, I got pulled for 83 and the guy was a jerk. Jag owners have all the fun. <_<
 
Probably you, I got pulled for 83 and the guy was a jerk. Jag owners have all the fun. <_<

I got pulled for 86 in a 65 driving a high-roof conversion van. Stupid enormous forward surface area. The cop was a capital D-bag, anyway.
 
So I just had a thought. Now bear with me on this one....

What if you take a supercharged blown American muscle V8, extend the blower so that its taller than normal, and then mount it in the back of a 911 so that the blower is high enough to clear the roof..

:bangin:
 
Got pulled over for doing 84 in a 65...and guy let me off with nothing but a verbal warning to slow down. Can the Jaaaag take credit for this, or was it just me being really apologetic?

43 in a 25 with a warning.
I drive a yellow car w/racing stripes. Entirely has to do with the cop and whether you get a nice one or an asshole.



Wait, did you get pulled over on 93? How do they pick out who to pull over, everyone goes that fast :blink:
 
43 in a 25 with a warning.
I drive a yellow car w/racing stripes. Entirely has to do with the cop and whether you get a nice one or an asshole.



Wait, did you get pulled over on 93? How do they pick out who to pull over, everyone goes that fast :blink:

Well, I wouldn't call them "racing stripes", as those go front to back. Yours are more like bumblebee stripes.

I was on I-84 in New York; seeing that it was Thanksgiving weekend, he might've just wanted to let a safe-looking driver go and keep an eye out for a real problem.
 
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