car bogs down in 2nd gear

[Rootie524]

1st gear is great but 2nd gear is totally different. it seems like it looses power. so gun it in first it gets up and does then when 2nd comes along it accelerates much slower. i had it dyno tuned after i got my cam shaft in. didnt really help much. he threw some timing at it so i did get more power but the 1-2nd problem still kinda remained.

i know i should have ported heads with a cam..so is that where the power is going? or does the FDR in the tranny suck that back?

[86FieroSEv6]

Are you sure that it is hitting second gear? What if it's going to drive or overdrive?

[robertisaar]

how much torque management was removed when you had it tuned? that could explain a lot since the little 4t40 or 4t45 can't handle a whole lot and GM's AWESOME torque management crap reflects on it... probably saving you from burning through your clutches though.

[Rootie524]

i dont know..he didnt say anything about torque managment..or is it something that is done automatically with any tune.

and im pretty sure it was hitting 2nd considering i was manually shifting through the gears testing things out. im going to do a compression test within the week to look at that stuff. but i have a feeling its either normal and just doesnt seem right to me for some reason, a compression issue, or all in the tranny/ecm

if its not an easy fix i dont really care cuz ill have my fully built 3400 in soon w/ a built 4t45e..i was just seeing what it could be. i could post a video of it and you guy can see what im talking about.

[robertisaar]

i'm not sure what kind of FDR you have, but the gearing is VERY similar to a 4T60E, and with a L82, i pull hard into 3rd... so something is definitely up.

[Rootie524]

apparently the FDR of the 4t40e is 3.04 = shit..gonna get 3.71 (i think thats one iirc) or 3.91..

[pocket-rocket]

IMHO 3.91 would be a bit much, 3.71 would be good though. When my truck (I know, totally different kind of vehicle, but the basics still apply) went from 3.45 to 3.73 it accelerated much better and my MPG didn't really change. The other gears might have been much better for highway cruising, but the speed I drive down the highway it's still fine.

[Rootie524]

so going from 3.04 to 3.71 will be like a holy crap acceleration difference. right now with 3.04 gears i had my car top out tested on the dyno and it was redlined at 135mph about. so with 3.71 will it at least top out around 120mph..i dont want to lose too much top end speed. and i dont want to be at 3500rpms at 70mph either

[bszopi]

will it at least top out around 120mph..i dont want to lose too much top end speed

Is there something I don't know about in Pennsylvania in regards to the speed limit? Anything over 80 is breaking the law, and anything over 100 not on a track (especially in a Malibu) is retarded. If you are that concerned with speed, then you really need to concentrate on getting the car to handle those kinds of speeds (suspension, tires, brakes, etc).

[Rootie524]

speeds for at the track. closed roads. im aware of the laws. and im in the process of supporting mods. gr-2 stuts, big brake kit in front, drum-disc in back, newer control arms, sway bars (if i can find them or maybe get them from a grand am gt..idk if they are bigger though)...etc.. im not just jumping into speed or anything..im just trying to get all my info before i start buying parts and stuff..which brings me back to my 120mph question.

[95Grand-Am]

Tire size * rpm/ gear ratio * 336.18= mph
24"*6000 rpm / 3.71*336.18 = 115 mph in third gear you would still have over drive.