Originally Posted by db2797

When powershifting, you don't want the RPM's to drop too far, so you keep some torque so when you shift into the next gear you have minimal time in between shifts. 10 years ago or more, manuals were much faster than automatics because you could control the torque much more smoothly. In new automatics with torque converters, they can equal manual transmissions, so now manuals have a disadvantage on the track or in performance driving, thus you want to do everything you can to shorten the amount of time you have shifting along with trying not to lose boost.

Now, with any clutch there's always "play" where the clutch engages. You actually don't need to be 100% pressed to the floor to have the clutch engage. But at high RPM's, a weak clutch like in these cars is not going to be able to support and stay engaged at high RPM's. It's ridiculous how weak these clutches are though. Although it may not entirely be the clutch. There's probably a few weak links in the chain that Ford did for whatever reason. Probably a combination of making the transmission "mushy" for everyday drivers and cutting down on cost at the same time. The problem though is they destroyed the performance aspect of the car by taking that direction. So while many of the everyday granny shifting drivers might not necessarily see those weak points, those who do performance driving will have these problems crippling the ability to drive the car at a high level. It really sucks.

Originally Posted by Flagstang

so you simply do not read the auto threads that talk about the issues with it.