Retarded question - how many gears?!

[captain]

I have a 96 4.2, when in tip, I have the option of 4 gears.
Sometimes the rev's dont quite add up correctly when I'm doing about 45mph or so, it'll be doing 2500 rpm or similar, so I knock it from auto to tip and the light shows its in 4th?!!!!!!! Knock it back to auto and a few yards it feels like its changed to a 5th gear!

This sometimes is the case when I think I'm in 2nd but knock it into tip and it shows I'm in 3rd.

Christ knows, maybe I've got a hidden gear or the screen is wrong.

[PsYcHe]

Is it not just the torque converter messing with your head? It will slip to give engine revs best match for power and stuff if I remember rightly..

Though I have been known to talk nonsense in the past.

[Dezzy]

Could be you have a splitter box or overdrive in 3rd & 4th

Or as PsYcHe says the TC is playing with your mind.

Mine does it too, almost feels like a half gear. I notice it more in 4th at low speed as you accelerate slowly it gets to a point and the revs will drop off amost like changing into 5th it doesn't have

[captain]

I'm new to autos, audis and converters.

I think its definately playing with me. Not in a sexual way.

shame.

[roboblob]

My old Honda box used to have a lockdown in 4th where it would ,as it says ,physically lock to the shaft to give an impression of another gear change but all it was doing was removing the fluid transfer of the power to a physical transfer. Not sure if the Audi box's do that.

[PsYcHe]

I'm pretty sure I've read that they do, which is one of the reasons for the hunting on the DTD/DTE boxes.. I know the auto in our XC90 does the same thing..it'll sit about 3000 revs until it hits that point in the gear/engine ratio and lock up.