shifting into neutral at stop lights wouldnt hurt it. it would probly be better cuz you dont need to keep your foot on the brake unless your on a hill. when i had an auto, i shifted into neutral all the time at stoplights, and in my manual now i leave it in neutral at stops so that it doesnt wear out the throwout bearing as fast.

 

The only reason to shift into D2 or D3 is if your pulling a load or something like that. For normal driving, it is unneccisary. The transmission's computer is designed to shift the transmission at the optimal time depending on the throttle position, IE if your full throttle it will shift at the top of the power band. Also, the computer will most likely shift faster than you can move the lever. When you move the lever, you basically tell the computer when to change gears. When the computer changes gears, it does it automatically and the computer can do things much faster than you.

 

around town I tend to leave my car in D3, distance/highway driving I'm in D4... i only use D2 when dealing with getting going on a hill in the snow...

it's not good to do it constantly, but the D3-D4 shift shouldn't mess anything up, as it just changes the final drive gearing...


the Low or 2 position keeps the motor in 2nd gear

 

The Civic auto tranny isn't designed for max performance or economy. It's designed for decent economy and more convenience. Shifting it manually won't get you to accelerate much faster, if at all. Most can't manually select for 1st, so you miss the torque that gear offers for the holeshot. Most autos will rev outto near redline if you have the accelerator slammed to the floor, and they will automatically downshift when you accelerate to pass. The only times you really might want to select gears manually is when starting off and traction is scarce (snow or ice) so D2 or D3 may send less traction-breaking torque to the wheels...OR, when coming down a steepgrade (in the mountains) and you don't want to roast your brakes trying to keep it down at a sensible speed.

Beating on an auto tranny with neutral drops and the like will not just damage the tranny. You can also destroy your axles, CV joints, crank, differential, mounts, and probably several other components. If you want to accelerate faster, build your motor. You may even be able to build the tranny a little with better clutches, ratios, valving, cooler, and/or fluid. A good manual would still generally be a better choice for a performance build though.

 

Actually, I've read that putting it in neutral at long stops (ie, stop lights, railroad crossings, what have you) is actuall better for the transmission than leaving it in gear since it allows the tranny to cool down a little. Just dont' get too aggressive when you go to pull away and do a neutral drop. Neutral drops will destroy your transmission!

 

This is true. It also helps to keep your engine's oil pressure up a little. Long idling can be tough on an engine. Doing the same with a manual actually does help the clutch assembly and throwout bearing too. If you ever disassemble one you'll see how.

 

What is the easiest build you can do to make your auto tranny better?

 

Depending on how you want to use the car, rebuilding the tranny with better clutches and ideal ratios would be a start. Experimenting with different fluids might get you better acceleration and firmer shifts. If you're running it really hard, a big tranny cooler would help with longevity. It still won't perform as well as a good manual setup with a limited-slip diff though.

 

When you rebuild the an automatic trans, you want to install more and better clutches. What you can do is is replace the stock clutches with more clutches and steel plates so they can "grab" better. You may also want to use a better clutch material. However, I don't think many people build civic transmissions for high performance. I'm actually not even sure if you can easily find parts for a performance rebuild. You are much better off using a manual trans if your hopes are for high performance. I think that Pete's trans was wearing out quickly after his turbo build. He eventually swapped in a manual trans.