How do today?s ?performance? modes compare to those of old? - Bend Bulletin
-- returnText2 = Q: My mother had a 1995 Saturn SL2 with a four-speed automatic transmission that had a “performance” button. For example, when I would cruise at 62 mph in fourth gear and floor the acceleration, the transmission would drop to second gear, even though the engine was revving only 500 rpm shy of its max, or redline. The transmission would then hold in second gear until just past redline and then upshift and hold in third until again just past redline — exactly what I’d do with a stick shift for maximum acceleration. I know some current cars have so-called performance buttons, but do they work as well as this Saturn’s did. Your mom’s Saturn, for example, offered a different type of automatic transmission shift-mapping when its performance button was selected, causing the transmission to hold each gear longer, limiting torque converter clutch usage, firming shifts,... Most performance buttons now perform similar transmission tricks and more. Porsche performance mode allows for additional turbo boost, while other automaker’s modes may optimize valve lift and duration, increasing engine torque. Source: www.bendbulletin.com
