Because starting in 1st takes so much concentration to keep from smoking 'em, I tried 2nd. As long as there are no crosswalk stripes on the road, I can take off pretty hard witout wheelspin.
Which is harder on the trans: banging the 1-2 shift, or starting in 2nd?

 

i would imagine banging the 1-2 shift would be harder on the trans since starting in 2nd would only be harder on the clutch.

 

It's a 4L80E, sorry I didn't mention that.

 

Get sticky'er tires and launch like a man

 

o i c ..... the way you said it, it sounded like you had a 5 speed.... lol +1 for stickier tires and maybe some caltracs, and manually shifting an automatic=tranny death, unless it has been built for it.

 

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'll probably try something sticky when I'm ready for the strip. I just don't want anything for day to day use that will wear faster than these truck tires already do. Oh, well, launching like a "not man" saves money on gas, anyway.

 

DONT MANUALLY SHIFT YOUR AUTO, its ok to do it on occasion, but if your forcing it into second every time you leave a light you will burn that sucker up

 

I'm not sure how exaclt you're launching in second, but if you're sitting on the converter at all it's bad news. Because the gear ratio in 2nd is a lot higher than first, that converter is going to create a ton more heat as it will probably stall a lot higher. It's also a good way to roll the sprag.