You mean less like a tratter
P38 Monkey
Well-Known Member
...apart from the lack of transmission whine, engine roar, draughts, oil leaks and total lack of power.
They could re-label the auto box button as "Leisurely" and "Road Rage"...
Datatek
Well-Known Member
Leisurely and slightly less leisurely LOL
TBH I find my P38 is plenty fast enough for me and I have not made much use of "Sport" mode.
A 2 .5 Ton vehicle is never going to win a drag race or win at speeding away from a traffic light, so why bother?
4.6L seems happy enough chugging up hills although I think my injectors have been replaced with watering cans considering the consumption figures.
A 2 .5 Ton vehicle is never going to win a drag race or win at speeding away from a traffic light, so why bother?
4.6L seems happy enough chugging up hills although I think my injectors have been replaced with watering cans considering the consumption figures.
Datatek
Well-Known Member
The ZF box on the diesel is always late to downshift on mild hllls and when it does down shift it drops 2 gears then promptly shift back up to third hence the manual shift to third. It does exactly the same in sport mode, the only difference is that there are more revs and noise on the flat. I also use the manual shift on descents for engine braking. The big plus of an auto is when crawling in traffic as on the A86 round Paris.
As for mileage, I used to do around 50K miles a year with my business, since retirement, that dropped to about 10K a year with a couple of long trips each year and since Covid next to no travel possible for the last 2 years.
300bhp/ton
Well-Known Member
The 4.6 is fairly peppy, esp in its day. 9.6 sec 0-60mph and very easy to deploy. So it has the means to beat a lot of 'normal' cars away from the lights. Although many modern cars are very quick these days.TBH I find my P38 is plenty fast enough for me and I have not made much use of "Sport" mode.
A 2 .5 Ton vehicle is never going to win a drag race or win at speeding away from a traffic light, so why bother?
4.6L seems happy enough chugging up hills although I think my injectors have been replaced with watering cans considering the consumption figures.
That said, Sports mode on the gearbox would make no odds. Wide Open Throttle in either gearbox mode will shift at the red line. It's the part throttle driving that is changed, making the entire vehicle feel sharper and more perky.
A bit like remapping/tuning a car. In fact many modern remaps also change the behaviour of the gearbox to make better use of the revs and power of the engine. Sports mode is just a pre-programmed gearbox remapping done by the factory.
Jon Dor
Well-Known Member
...or even Road Ra(n)ge!
Jon Dor
Well-Known Member
I was, many moons ago, Branch Manager for a major photocopier dealer in Moorfields, Liverpool.Marks heading for Liverpool so a walk round the car to make sure it still has wheels.
At the end of one working day I shall forever remember, I was horrified to find I couldn't find the keys to my house and, more imminently, to the office and my Granada Ghia I'd parked that morning out the back of the office. I had to let my boss of just a month or so know (most unimpressed), followed by THE BOSS - you know, the one I'd married! I arranged to meet the RAC bloke at the car when he announced his arrival. I duly went down to the car and he'd already opened it by the time I raced down the stairs (I could run quicker than the lift in those days).
I asked how on earth he'd got into the Granada so quickly, without setting the alarm off.
He said "with these"...he had my keys in his hand.
I'd left the car with the keys in the Granada Ghia driver's door since about 07:30hrs until he found them nearly 12 hours later...IN LIVERPOOL CITY CENTRE!
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tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
They're not as bad as they're made out.
A gang of us went to Blackpool on a lads night out,One had his brand new Granada Ghia stolen from the carpark outside the main police station.when he reported it they said the alarm is easily disarmed by removing the rear number plate and cutting two wires It was found burried in the side of a house in Bolton. Local Ford agent re shelled it My mate wasn't happy but soon cheered up when the fitter started it and it hadn't been wired up correctly and it burst into flames
Jon Dor
Well-Known Member
They're not as bad as they're made out.
And I thought I'd had a bad day Alan!
The S-type Jag has very little tolerance on the parking pawl. You have to religiously put it in neutral, handbrake on and then when secure stick it in park. The slightest movement and the gear lever is jammed in park. That's a bit of an extreme example but same principle in all cars and it is possible for the pawl to snap if on a slope.
Less of an issue but something a lot of people do is leave the car in drive when waiting at traffic lights. Always knock it into neutral to prevent overheating and excessive wear on the box.
P38 Monkey
Well-Known Member
Aah - Granada company car - I really thought I had made it when I got one of those.They're not as bad as they're made out.
The black leather interior looked like a Berlin tart's boudoir (er, whatever those places look like...)
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300bhp/ton
Well-Known Member
Like so many motoring things. I've read mixed views on this.
Sitting in D is just letting the torque converter spin. But it does that anyway when driving and at higher rpms with more load than just sitting at lights. To put it in N you'll engage the clutch packs and again to go pack to D. I believe the claim is, that while this wear is still incredibly low, it is likely significantly higher than leaving it in a D.
This is my view also. Changing D>N>D at rest causes more wear than leaving in D, assuming car is idling.
Datatek
Well-Known Member
The owners manual recommends moving to neutral when stationary. Otherwise the gearbox side of the torque converter is stationary and the engine side is rotating at 750rpm generating heat. On the move both sides rotate albeit with varying degrees of slip until lock up occurs. No clutches are engaged in neutral.
It does indeed say this, I'm not convinced it's there in interests of longevity though. The system remains pressurised in N and P though, which is why you're not supposed to rev the engine
Datatek
Well-Known Member
Go look at the ZF workshop manual, read about the manual selection bit.
Not been able to find that, only how to disassemble, which doesn't mean much to me
Henry_b
Think outside, no box required.
Idling in drive the torque is miniscule compared to cruising torque, let alone accelerating torque levels.
Shifting from Drive to Neutral can increase wear in the gearbox solenoid pack and wet clutches. Leaving it in Drive doesn't - it just warms the fluid slightly but well within the parameters which the gearbox cooling features are intended to cope with.
The biggest no no with the HP22 is free revving it in neutral, the hp22's clutch shaft's two O-rings, which let's the pressure towards "A" clutch pack. When the car is run at high rpm in N or park, "A" gets pressured slowly and starts to slide/slip and the trans will grenade.
Shifting from Drive to Neutral can increase wear in the gearbox solenoid pack and wet clutches. Leaving it in Drive doesn't - it just warms the fluid slightly but well within the parameters which the gearbox cooling features are intended to cope with.
The biggest no no with the HP22 is free revving it in neutral, the hp22's clutch shaft's two O-rings, which let's the pressure towards "A" clutch pack. When the car is run at high rpm in N or park, "A" gets pressured slowly and starts to slide/slip and the trans will grenade.
P38 Monkey
Well-Known Member
When in drive and stationary, the engine is labouring ever so slightly, and to me it seems so correct to slip into neutral and let the engine breathe easier. Even if that is not quite the right thing to do I have been driving too long in too many old cars not to do it..
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