I have a TF 4speed auto. First automatic I have ever had and to be honest its taking me a while to get used to it. (You don't drive autos, you just steer them... Also spent 3 months trying to find a manual before I gave up)
cutting it short I find myself increasing trying to drive it like a manual. I approach a redlight I drop it into 3rd, then 2nd manually to save the brakes a smidge. Theres a very steep hill near my place (Flagstaff Road for any South Aussies) that I always drop the car into 2nd to go down. (3rd still picks up to much speed)
Just wondering if this can cause any long term damage to the auto transmission? My dads mate is a mechanic of 30 years and says treat the Mitsubishi gearbox with care as in his opinion Mitsubishi can not build a decent automatic.

well you're putting more strain on the transmission rather than your breaks... i see it.. what you rather replace, breaks or transmission? I know what i'd be choosing :P
The lower gears are there for a reason, but I wouldnt use them constantly.
I'm lazy, so I never use them... i only use D, P, R :P

Yeah that can ware out the tranny because of strain and excess shifting. If u wanted to do that anyway why not get a sports tippy?

i have a tj 4sp auto and i drive it like you, and i cant see a problem with it, id much sooner be doing a mt run and no my gear is selected and not going to change half way round a corner. i cant see a problem with it, no different to tiptronic really.. as long as ur not changing down too early and putting excessive load onto the lower gear then i cant see why it would be a problem.
i just got new brakes put on and the guy at the brake plays said to my mum who drives it alot and rides hell outa my brakes to use the gears.
thats just my opinion

I may be wrong, but I would think the tippy has a heavier duty (and possibly differently designed) gearbox.

And from what I've read, many people have worn out their gearboxes by doing this. Personaly while driving, the only thing I do is pop it into N at the lights sometimes.

And from what I've read, many people have worn out their gearboxes by doing this. Personaly while driving, the only thing I do is pop it into N at the lights sometimes.



Thought that was common with autos. Save fuel.

Yup, an auto is an auto and a Tiptronic (clutchless manual) is a whole different kettle of fish, so to speak.

Dunno if this will help or not but many years ago, I owned a 3-speed auto Nissan 280XZ. I took it to an auto gearbox mechanic an he 'tricked it' (dunno how) into acting like a manual, ie., 1st stayed in 1st, 2nd in 2nd, 3rd in 3rd, until you manually shifted gears.

VR-X II

I may be wrong.
I got tiptronic\sorts auto or whatever mitsu call it in my vrx, and its alot different to an auto magna. I wouldn't recommend down\upshifting in an auto magna often, correct me if im wrong, but you'll fock your flywheel?
I believe auto's have a softer less durable\intended to be messed with by humans flywheel\clutch plate?

the only thing i do approaching lights is drop it into neautral and leave it in neautral then slip into D when i take off (ur meant to for long stops at lights instead of putting ur foot on brake and leaving in D put it into N and brakes or handbrake)

mitsu autos are nice n smooth compared to many other autos (ever driven in a commy?) its not the fact that mitsubishi cant build a good auto, they build fussy autos then need the right care

the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different, so yes, shifting up and down in a tippy would be the same as selecting gears in a auto... the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different.

but as someone said, i wouldn't try to shift down at too high RPM, as the magna auto's arent really that great. but if it was at a reasonable RPM i can't see there being any problems, as most auto gearboxes will do this themselves anyway.

the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different, so yes, shifting up and down in a tippy would be the same as selecting gears in a auto... the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different.

but as someone said, i wouldn't try to shift down at too high RPM, as the magna auto's arent really that great. but if it was at a reasonable RPM i can't see there being any problems, as most auto gearboxes will do this themselves anyway.

Your right about the shifter, Ive spoken to the engineers at mitsubishi and they said it is actually better the shift using the gears + its not doing any damage to trans or engine. but you cant just peak out 1st then let the car slow down continously as that is not good for the trans. Ie in peak hour traffic. And when shifting from 4th to 1st when in go from 4th to third to second then to first. :cool:

the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different, so yes, shifting up and down in a tippy would be the same as selecting gears in a auto... the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different.
First you say "the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different"
Then you say "the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different"

The Tiptronic transmission is a sequential gearbox.

Yeah I do it all the time I don't think its any different from a tiptronic. The car won't let you downshift anyway at too high of a RPM.

I do sometimes leave it in a certain gear and play around. I think thats bad for the tranny. Its better to upshift or downshift. Later.

i hope the tippy box is different to the auto box

cos i give my tippy Hell sometimes... :badgrin:

I also drive mine like a manual.

I may be wrong (& if anyone knows please confirm or advise otherwise), I believe Mitsu's factored in this sort of driver behaviour in their design of the transmission.

It is not out of the ordinary if a car has a semi auto mode, some people would prefer it in this configuration permantly. If it was going to cause problems, a simple warning/caution of some sort would be included in the manual.

Has anyone have experience of excessive gearbox wear due to downshifts?

I have a TF 4speed auto. First automatic I have ever had and to be honest its taking me a while to get used to it. (You don't drive autos, you just steer them... Also spent 3 months trying to find a manual before I gave up)
cutting it short I find myself increasing trying to drive it like a manual. I approach a redlight I drop it into 3rd, then 2nd manually to save the brakes a smidge. Theres a very steep hill near my place (Flagstaff Road for any South Aussies) that I always drop the car into 2nd to go down. (3rd still picks up to much speed)
Just wondering if this can cause any long term damage to the auto transmission? My dads mate is a mechanic of 30 years and says treat the Mitsubishi gearbox with care as in his opinion Mitsubishi can not build a decent automatic.

dont do it, i drove my TR like a manual using the gears and putting it in Nutrel etc and sure enuf the trans comp died. listed to ur dad his probably wise.

but thats a tr not a third gen.............

yeah true, ok lets c wat happens to his trans if he keeps driving it like a manual. :redface:

First you say "the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different"
Then you say "the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different"

The Tiptronic transmission is a sequential gearbox.

The Tiptronic is not really a sequential gear box. It's just a tricked up auto box. A true sequential gear box would be a clutchless manual i.e. no torque converter.

Check it out at:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/sequential-gearbox.htm

As mentioned above, there is very little difference between the Tippy and a standard auto. Manually holding onto a gear to rev out should be no problem but I think down shiffting to slow down is a mistake and should not be done. You are putting a hell of a load onto the gear box and will shorten it's life. I would rather pay to replace brake pads/rotors than to replace a gearbox.

My understanding is that you can have the gear box strngthend to handle heavier loads which would allow you to use the auto gear box to slow down but I am not aware of the cost. Probably pretty expensive.

In the user manual, Mitsu also warns against throwing a moving car into neutral. Not too sure why though. Can anyone shed any light on this?

First you say "the auto and tiptronic boxes would be exactly the same, only the shifter inside the car is different"
Then you say "the "clutchless manual" i heard mentioned is called a sequential gearbox, and yes, they are veeery different"

The Tiptronic transmission is a sequential gearbox.

No they aren't :) tiptronic is an automtic with a gear selection lever that operates in a sequential style, the sequential gearbox has a clutch and uses a drum type setup for gear selection like in a motorbike and although it can be operated electronically(bmw smg) it is never an auto.

Captain, use the gearbox as you see fit, make sure you service it when it's required, the only thing that manual shifting(ie: chasing engine breaking by downshifting) does is wear the bands/clutch packs possibly a little more, but they fail eventually anyway - so you can get an extra 5k from your auto and have a dull car or use it the way you want :)

Matthius

I was just saying the 3rd Gen Mitsu tranny with the tiptronic and 3rd Gen Mitsu tranny without tiptronic are the same trannies except one of them has a option of levers. They both have torque converters and such, same model number. I would not recommend holding the car in one gear [it heats up the tranny quick], would not recommend downshifting at too high of a rpm [for example if u were going from 2nd to 1st I'd downshift at 35mph].

OFF TOPIC:

I recommend a tranny cooler. It will extend the life of ur tranny.

As for BMW, thats a different world.

Side Note: On that site, howstuffworks, there is article on CVT trannys. Read it, its interesting.

so whats the general consensus here?

Do it but don't over do it. :D

I think its not a good idea, they already overheat and brake toooo often so i dont think extra work on them is a good idea.

What about the other way round using the gears to get the car off the line faster? I have found much less lag going from low then up through the gears rather than just keeping it in drive. I am assuming this doesnt really matter or is it the same as going down?

the only thing i herd about doing that is, you use more petrol in shifting gears yourself... putting you out of pocket in the long run because of the high petrol prices...

u can never drive an auto like a manual.......and if u like to pretend u have a manual....then maybe u shouldnt have got an auto to start with......

u can never drive an auto like a manual.......and if u like to pretend u have a manual....then maybe u shouldnt have got an auto to start with......
My brain stopped working when I took my car for a test drive from the dealership... it could have been a 2 speed auto for all I would have known at the time... all I know is that I was wrapped and I wanted it right there and then! lol

But yeah I do tend to manually drive my auto... I know it's bad and I will probably pay the price for it one day.

My brain stopped working when I took my car for a test drive from the

mate i think yur brain stopped working way before then..... :bowrofl: lol

u can never drive an auto like a manual.......and if u like to pretend u have a manual....then maybe u shouldnt have got an auto to start with......

In 3 months of car hunting I found 2 manuals and both were thrashed:(

I only change into 2nd at 60kph for the steep downhill plunge, the rpm only goes to maybe 3500 max.

the only thing i herd about doing that is, you use more petrol in shifting gears yourself... putting you out of pocket in the long run because of the high petrol prices...

In the long run its not like you would bother doing this. Just if you are wanting to get off the line quick.

mate i think yur brain stopped working way before then..... :bowrofl: lol
Mate, I don't want to admit these things ok! lol

In 3 months of car hunting I found 2 manuals and both were thrashed:(

I only change into 2nd at 60kph for the steep downhill plunge, the rpm only goes to maybe 3500 max.

I do this all the time to keep at the speed limit.

And does anyone noe if it will wreck the auto box if i back off, then change gears then back on the gas again, see i really drive it like a manual :nuts: i can actually rips 2nds changing gears this way :D

u can never drive an auto like a manual.......and if u like to pretend u have a manual....then maybe u shouldnt have got an auto to start with......

Your wrong there buddy if ya wanna good launch the best is an auto. Manuals are hard to take off with you either get too much wheel spin or bogg it down and if luck a wicked lauch. But when under pressure i think chances for a good launch are slim.

']mitsu autos are nice n smooth compared to many other autos (ever driven in a commy?)
So true. Commodore transmission is shocking, the one i'm driving atm jerks hard into 1st and 2nd.

In the user manual, Mitsu also warns against throwing a moving car into neutral. Not too sure why though. Can anyone shed any light on this?
In the old days (pre EFI), idling engines could stall if you used too much vacumm
to power your brakes... which meant you lost power brakes and power steering.
This could be a dangerous situation if you didn't know what to expect.

Also not a good idea to tow an auto car on its driven axle/s for long.
CVs are turning the outdrives but the rest of the auto isn't moving and
the ATF (=coolant) isn't being circulated and pumped thru the cooler either.

Your wrong there buddy if ya wanna good launch the best is an auto. Manuals are hard to take off with you either get too much wheel spin or bogg it down and if luck a wicked lauch. But when under pressure i think chances for a good launch are slim.

I don't know about that...my friend has a sentra with a 6 speed and it consistently gets better 60 footer times than me. Of course the Sentra has a viscious limited slip differential.

But I have added something to counter that- a higher stall torque converter. Now I'll be able to pull a better 60 footer than him or most manual cars.