Something that I've been thinking about...
That's been covered before as well about shifting it. I don't remember the reasoning but the gist is, yes it's bad for your transmission and no it doesn't make you go faster.
Only Down shifting at higher RPMS on an Auto is bad since it grinds the gears....but up shifting whenever does not do much as long as you let off the gas and the rpms drop before you get back on the gas....and....our automatic cars are slower than 5 speed manual since our gear ratios tend to be longer...i lost to a 5 speed focus with 3 people in it, because he downshifted to something over 3k and hit max horsepower relatively quickly and i was at like 3k.....he kept pulling....the only mod he has was an exhaust....so sad...I think he has the 160 hp version though..that maybe the reason....oh well...its not worth getting a ticket over so i quit that ****....whats the point of screwing around if you know youre one of the slowest around...LoL 
I dont think it matter to upshift like stated ^^^.......if you have a turbo especially, having it spooled at around 3k rpm then mashing it will be instant power. may be able to beat some fast cars by doing that.
Last edited by mitsuozboi; Sep 26, 2005 at 06:21 PM.
Overdrive is really a misnomer. No car has had true overdrive since the mid 80s as far as I know. True overdrive refers to a gear in the drive axle of a MANUAL car that changes the gear ratio so the engine can turn slower while maintaining consistent high speeds. Modern autos just use the term to define the gear which allows the engine to turn slower than the axle. First and last time I ever drove a car with real overdrive was an 84 Volvo. What a trip, but still just a glorified 5th gear if you ask me.
what this young gentleman is noticing is in fact, as other ppl stated, peak torque. instead of looking at your speedo, next time look at the tach when you feel the extra 'umph'. you will notice it is relatively the same rpm in 1st and 2nd gear. next look at a dyno graph of a stock or lightly modded lancer and you will see that the little torque line peaks at or around this time. i can understand why you might think this was MIVEC-esque since MIVEC engaes at high rpms, but i assure you MIVEC has less than nothing to do with it.
