What do you guys think of this performance trick?

Did you know that Dodge employs a torque management system that drastically reduces the torque on the upshifts? By removing the ASD (Auto Shut Down) relay and installing a $3 jumper wire you can shave .2 sec. off your 1/4 mile times. This is because the PCM actually kills the engine for a split second on the upshifts to reduce the stress on the transmission. If you replace the ASD relay with a jumper wire, the PCM can't do this and you get full HP going to the rear wheels on the 2nd-3rd upshifts.

Does a Predator do this?

The only problem with this mod is that the tires will break loose on the 1st-2nd upshift and your trans. may not last as long (also potential over-reving).

It’s also possible that the coils perform better with this trick. Currently the 12V+ going to the coils has to travel through the contacts of this ASD relay before reaching the coils. By removing the relay and installing the jumper wire you eliminate a source of lost electrical power due to resistance (all electrical contacts have resistance and resistance = lost power). The contacts (points) in this relay are very small and seem inadequate to me to be supplying 12V+ to 16 coils.

 

Seems like the trans longevity would be the only downside. They probably engineered it this way for a combination of smooth driving and transmission protection. Anyone who cares about .2 on the 1/4 mile is probably willing to sacrifice some of the smoothness of upshifts, but certainly the extra shock to the trans should be considered.