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When I'm driving it hard, I shift the tranny like a stick. I always have it started out in 2nd so that the 1-2 shift happens automatically and quickly (you want it out of 1st asap so as not to damage anything), then I take it up to approx. 5500 rpm's before shifting into the next gear. I always let off the gas slightly when making the shift so that the torque converter slows down a little. Again, this is only for 2-3 and 3-4 shifts.
When downshifting manually, I will not do the 4-3 shift at speeds higher than 85 mph. I think it makes the torque converter have to spin way too fast too quickly at higher speeds. I rarely (if ever) engage the "kick-down" feature to occur mainly because I feel the higher-output that the re-mapped ECU is putting out is too much for the gas pedal to be pushed to the max and to allow the tranny to make that downshift on its own.
I never do any jack-rabbit starts (again, you don't want to damage 1st gear), I change the fluid regularly at 12K mile intervals (full change, not just what's in the pan, and I use normal ATF not synth), and I watch my auxilliary VDO oil temp gauge to monitor the temp of that fluid. Granted, the two fluids are in different areas, but you can basically get an idea of the ATF temp by knowing what the engine oil temp is. I tend not to drive the car hard when that temp gets up there.
What kind of wastegate are you using? You changed out the one that came with the T25 turbo? I don't think that will make any difference if it's hooked up like the stock unit would be (using the BPC and related hoses). The ECU can then open and close the wastegate via the BPC at the programmed intervals. If it's a manual style, then I would recommend using caution since you're now applying much greater hp and torque to the tranny and engine, and overriding the programmed Saab safety features (the BSR and SQR ECU's maintain these features).
Joe
'98 84K
'93 900TC 134K
posted by 67.86.63...
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