Automatic gearbox thread!

phoenix_nights

mike65 wrote:

I am going to have the fluid and filter changed as I have no record of a recent change. On the D or N at idle, the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (yes such a thing exists!) says leave car in D, neutral actually causes more wear.

Mike.

I researched that once and no leave it in D. Its destroys the torque converter. One guy kept destroying his auto boxs as he would throw it into nuetral whilst driving to save petrol.

As regards auto not being for real men.......gotta try the DSG VW gearboxs or even better the new Audi multitronic transmisson box. More performance and more economy.

Your idle should not change. Sounds like air mass or something. Wouldnt throw it into 3 or 2 as its not triptronic either.

Diamondmaker

Tiptronic AT rules!

Merc Mad

..............seems rather awkward that you would have to 'kick' the gear lever to the left. Most cars nowdays you can just use your hand !

Bloody BMW's

Yeah yeah yeah.....:D

Dumb ass Merc Drivers:D Posers, we All know the Beamer is the drivers car of the 2:D

Guy:Incognito

Also forgot. I have 2 buttons 9one each side of the gear stick) one is for cruise control , a great advantage for auto's and the other is a snow button, for use when its snowy or icey and the car takes off in 3rd.

dubtom

unkel wrote:

Yep. A computer can be programmed to be as fast as possible, so it will shift up at optimal points. The only reason the 0-100km/h times are very close for modern cars, is that a professional driver that knows the optimal moments has clocked that time. Most other humans will find it impossible to get the same acceleration as per the tech spec

Autoboxes do not come with a huge weight gain anymore either

The vast majority of cars will be automatic within a decade imho

It's amazing really when you think that auto has been the norm in the states for 50 years, probably 90% of cars sold have been auto. I'd say it was down to money, the extra that an auto would cost was a luxery few could afford over here.

mike65

Exactly, ditto ABS, airbags, air-con and everything else that makes life safer or easier.

Mike.

lomb

unkel wrote:

I've a 5-speed steptronic box.

does that drop a gear when u press the brake?
my mums new 1.6fsi golf autos only fly in the ointment is that there is zero engine braking in drive. some engine breaking in sport but only by default in that it is always one gear lower than drive at normal speeds. the 99 sl im considering i believe is connected to the brake pedal and when u press the brake it drops a gear/gears depending on deceleration.

colm_mcm

Henry Ford III wrote:

Freewheeling in an auto is a big no no, as is towing with the driven wheels on the ground. Both destroy the torque convertor.

Apart from that you are right on the money.

I'm too busy to be shifting it into D every time I wanna go forward! Didn't think coasting along at very low speeds damaged torque convertor, thought it was changing from D to N and back into D while moving at speeds over 10mph did that,

unkel

dubtom wrote:

It's amazing really when you think that auto has been the norm in the states for 50 years, probably 90% of cars sold have been auto. I'd say it was down to money, the extra that an auto would cost was a luxery few could afford over here.

Autos have only really matured recently. Even as late as the 90s, some 5-speed manual cars had the option of 3-speed automatic, which was incredibly expensive to run and a lot slower than the manual. I suppose the cheaper the petrol (like in the US) the less the MPG matters

lomb wrote:

does that drop a gear when u press the brake?

Depends on speed and deceleration. As I described a few posts ago, it brakes on the engine nicely on steep descends by shifting down a gear or two. Not much need to brake on the engine on the flat though these days, is there?

dubtom

Autos have only really matured recently. Even as late as the 90s, some 5-speed manual cars had the option of 3-speed automatic, which was incredibly expensive to run and a lot slower than the manual. I suppose the cheaper the petrol (like in the US) the less the MPG matters

I have a 3 speed auto Mustang, a 72, it is expensive to run but it aint slower than a manual, oh no:D

Diamondmaker

Hey do you drive into dundrum Bus Park sometime where John Pauls is...Im sure there are not too many 70s Mustangs about!

We were to hire a new one in Miami in Jan but they were all gone, got a Chrysler Sebring instead.........Thats like a megane Cabriolet when you were meant to get a 4300cc Mustang GGGGRRRRR:mad:

colm_mcm

Best Auto I've tried is the Prius, really smooth and shift pattern is completely idiot proof:

Diamondmaker

Hey Colm, your Aygo quote who and were is it from and the context?

Johnny Storm

Stark wrote:

It's an improving technology afaik. As in not ready for primetime yet but should be once new developments go into production. In theory it sounds very efficient as the engine is always at optimal revs for fuel efficiency. I think new developments will probably be to determine when the engine should be revving at higher than optimal to give extra "oomph".

FWIW CVT has been around for quite a long time. Remember the DAF cars from the early seventies? The belts kept breaking and I understand that the newer generation of CVTs were bought out a few years ago only when new materials becmae available for the belts. AFAIK a CVT transmission is essentially an autobox with an infinite number of gears.
I've never driven a CVT car but the idea sounds great and I'd like to try one.

EDIT: I looked on Wikipedia (so it must be true :rolleyes: ) DAF intoduced their Variomatic CVT back in 1958! WTF ?!?! :eek:

colm_mcm

Take a drive in a Prius Johny Storm, great use of CVT gearbox, also Lexus GS450H, Nissan did a cool one on the old shape Primera, had 7 pre-set gear ratios, which can be fun!

Squirrel

When I was working with cars I generally left them in drive, then again I was rarely driving more than 200 metres before I was getting out and changing cars. Auto's are great for traffic, but I'm one of the "real men", by that I mean I've just started driving and like being in control, in 10 years I'll be wanting an Auto

unkel

Squirrel wrote:

I'm one of the "real men"

You're only a boy, sonny

mrbungle

Regarding autos, DSG in my GTi.

End of. Please close thread Mods.

Squirrel

unkel wrote:

You're only a boy, sonny

A boy in my big, bad, manual Micra*

*big, bad - small and bad in the literal meaning

MercMad

FWIW CVT has been around for quite a long time. Remember the DAF cars from the early seventies? The belts kept breaking and I understand that the newer generation of CVTs were bought out a few years ago only when new materials becmae available for the belts. AFAIK a CVT transmission is essentially an autobox with an infinite number of gears.
I've never driven a CVT car but the idea sounds great and I'd like to try one.

These CVT boxes are nothing like autos at all !

The Daf system, also used by Volvo was unreliable, corrct about the advances in belt technology !
The CVT uses pulley sets which vary the ratio infinitely. One pulley drive diameter reduces whilst the other one increases and vice versa. With modern technology the electro-mechanical switching is nowdays much more reliable and with computer control they can programme in fixed ratio's !

In still hate them !!