Floor ratchet shifters for automatic transmissions

What's the point of putting a ratchet floor shifter on an automatic? one like this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BMM-80690/ just curious because I don't understand the purpose of them it seems like you can manually shift gears with it :16suspect which seems to undermine the purpose of having an automatic transmission am I way off on the purpose of these? Sorry if its a stupid question

 

It allows you to shift faster when racing. I shift when my shift light comes on at 5400 RPM. All I have to do is hit the shifter and it goes to the next gear. Each time I hit it it goes one more gear. It also allows the car to leave off the line a little crisper. Hope that explains it a little.

 

Because they are cool

That's the one I have. Compared to the origional small "T" handle, it feels great. Function is not a huge benifactor, but it looks so much more race ready .

 

If you want long tube headers You need to run a floor shifter. Or convert to a cable setup. The easiest and cheapest way is to buy an rachet shifter.

 

ratchet shifters allow only one upshift at a time preventing you from accidently over shiftting into neutral or worse reverse... either would be bad really bad lol

 

......I just installed one in my car...

 

bomba like..

 

What transmission? C4-AOD?

 

I understand how that would be helpful on a manual but not on an automatic especially a c-4 which unless I'm mistaken is three spd auto.

 

well..its a positive locking shift mechanism, and this aids the driver in making only a true shift as opposed to a miss shift .. and even though it is an automatic..a miss shift (say from gear 2 to neutrual ..or heavens forbid gear 2 to reverse..) could result in lots of crunchy , clangy noises ..wich as you know often leads to ..$$ flushy noises. good luck.

 

I thought it was bad to manually shift an atuomatic?

 

yes .. i do remember dad throwing me the buick keys and saying ..and don't be shiftin up that gear bag on your own..leave it in drive..he was on to me thanks to the neighbor telling pop he saw me floatin the valves for half a block in 1st gear friday night.. pulling out of wally's drive in. but i havent noticed any ill effects in any car i have driven. and the 67 c-6 had a manual or auto select shift program..i think they were called manuglide or something like that ..only for 1 yr. though..why only one year i dont know.

 

Not bad to manually shift an automatic transmission unless you abuse it.
Mine is set up so that it doesn't shift until I shift it. I don't shift til my shift light comes on at 5400. Plus I have a 4500 stall convertor.

 

Many of our tranny's/drivetrains that make use of a ratchet type shifter are set up to shift manual. Its too easy to miss a shift with a factory type floor shift and even worse a column shifter.
Some use a reverse manual so you pull the shifter back to up shift. This eliminates the chance of hitting neutral on upshift.
I love my ratchet shifter and always shift manually. Just gives me a lot more feel and control over the car and what its doing. Also cause I saved it from my teenage years Maverick build and put it in my current car. Hurst pro-matic2 circa 1990. Its a great shifter and still in production 20 years later.
I'm sure Paul S can fill you in on the specifics and trans pressures during manual shifting. I know hes answered it before so maybe you can search it?

 

The C4 can be shifted manually without damage under most conditions. In stock form the C4 actually has higher line pressure when it is in manual low or second gear - even higher in Rev. but as soon as you put it back in Drive the pressure drops back to "normal" so you should be on the gas right to the floor to keep the pressures high.
OK, you don't need to do that but it sounds cool. The C4 can be shifted up and down within the limits of the engine and transmission. The stock C4 will not downshift to low above 20-25mph and it will not downshift to second above 50 - 55 mph. With my valve body mods it will downshift to either gear at any speed your car can produce and if the engine is already spinning 6500 in high gear and you put it into 1st then you are probably going to have to buy new engine components - the C4 will be just fine spinning that fast and in most cases is a lot stronger under decelleration than your engine.