At 09:43 AM 8/26/2009, Marc Perdue wrote...

>So, who the heck designs an automatic transmission that, when the
>pedal is to the floor, kicks down to 2nd at 45 and back to 3rd at
>55?!?

On a "ACW" 4 speed tranny, 45 MPH in 3rd is about 3570 RPM. 55 MPH in
2nd is about 7350 RPM (way above redline).

No doubt you meant to say it's bouncing between 3rd and 4th. 45MPH in
4th is about 2500 RPM. 55 MPH in 3rd is about 4400 RPM.

The transmission is obviously designed to keep the engine running at
the high (more powerful) end of its "comfort zone" (the green area of
the tach between 2K and 4K RPM) under full throttle.