Auto Tranny Performance - Not satisfied
 

Is it common for the MKIII non-turbo to run thru the gears so quickly? I notice it gets to overdrive before I even hit 40 mph. That is even with my tranny engaged in power mode.

I also noticed this car does not downshift to high RPMS for that extra boost. For example at 40 MPH when I hit the gas I would expect a down shift to 2nd gear, but that does not happen. Is that normal on a non-turbo MKIII.

The car could do so much more with performance.

Yes it sounds like what mine does all the time. The power mode helps but I still find it a little wait to get to the power band that kicks in around 3 to 4k. I don't think there is much you can do besides swap in a manual tranny.

There's also a possibility that the kickdown cable can be out of adjustment. My first supra never downshifted properly at full throttle, found out the kickdown cable was a couple mm off

Thanks guys, yeah I think that is the deal. I did not expect huge performance from the tranny or anything, but at cruising speeds I would expect a sports car to shift a little better for passing. Sure wish I had a manual. Just dont have the cash and cant do anything on cars beyond basic tune ups.

I don't think it will get any better. If you are at highway speeds I don't think it will go to 2nd with only 4speeds to choose from, mine never does. Even on the 7th gen celica forum they always say how a GTS with an auto is slower than a GT with a 5speed.

yeah I dont expect 2nd at 60 or 70 mph. It moves well in 3rd at those speeds. But at say 40 mph it chooses low rpm 3rd gear instead of a brief 2nd gear push like most cars. Or at 20 mph it wont drop to 1st gear like I would expect for the initial thrust.

Maybe the cable needs a slight adjustment as suggested. Maybe I should be happy with what it is. Just think it should be a little easier to pass you common sedan out there.

I have found a satisfying acceleration when I "manually" shift and take my rpms up to 5000 before going to 2nd, then drive..... I get a nice kick going into 2nd gear. But I dont want to do that all the time. My car is totally stock and has a factory head gasket with 60,000 miles on it, so I need to be careful.

I guess I should just be happy with it. Afterall it is 20 years old. Car runs well and I paid 2000k for it. It's not like I paid 30K for a newer supra or anything. Just got that need for speed you know?

Any ideas on the cost to swap in a manual tranny?