Fortunately, I'm hardly ever in that type of situation, but the few times it's happened I have noticed it in 1st gear - if we're talking about the same thing. Couple thoughts:
1. The jerkiness at those really low speeds can be made worse by 'driver induced oscillation'. The jerkiness causes your foot to, perhaps imperceptibly, push on/off the gas pedal which makes the problem even worse.
2. Any manual transmission car is prone to this, to some degree, in 1st gear at low speeds.
3. The smart's 'crawl mode' (which is unlike any other manual transmission), probably makes the problem worse as well.
My solution in these situations:
1. If possible, leave enough space in front of you such that as traffic starts/stops, you don't have to stop. They go from 0 - 20 - 0 - 15 while you stay at 6-7 mph most of the time.
2. Put the transmission in manual mode (if it's not already) to force it into 1st only, and give it just enough gas to maintain a pace a hair faster than the crawl speed so it's smoother.
3. If it starts jumping, take your foot off the gas pedal and let it settle down before smoothly applying the gas again.
Those are my thoughts, but someone who drives in that type of traffic more frequently, may have other/better suggestions.
this is an excellent answer, I could'nt have put it better, I have a smart roadster 04 so it is a bit different, but it does exactly as you stated in the first post and this answer is what I have come up with over the near 5 years of ownership, i think the clutch plates get hot if there is a lot of stop start driving, so follow the above post and it cures it.
Ellis
I get "a buck" on occasion but my driving style rarely gets it to keep bucking. I don't know whether I let off the pedal, keep it steady expecting the car will smooth out, or push harder, but one of those approaches should clean up past the first buck.
I drive in auto most of the time. When I get into traffic like that, "stop and go", I just slip into neutral and coast. When space opens up, I go into Drive and move. When I get close I go back into neutral. . . and there is NO bucking whatsoever. . . I hardly ever touch the gas either, unless traffic speeds up.
Mine did the same today (and other times) at a creeping speed. I like to visit some of the nicer neighborhoods and admire and get ideas on landscaping. Will try using the manual mode next time.
Change your driving to manual mode and this problem will be a thing of the past. Since the smart doesn't have a foot operated clutch there is very little learning to do to use manual mode. All you need to know is when to shift and what gear you should be in. Basically, the important factors are - don't lug the engine (revs below 2000) and don't over rev it (above 6000) - when upshifting the computer won't let you over rev, just don't shift down until the revs are below 3000 and you will have no problem. Also, shifting when the tach gets between 3500 and 5000 are good and safe shift points for power and engine safety. You will learn how low to go in each gear and what rev and gear is appropriate for any given circumstance.
Just use manual mode and learn from using it. Eventually you will also learn how to make the shifting very smooth too. To do that make you shift then immediately release the throttle and gently reapply it.
Having a tach is almost a necessity for manual shifting.
this is an excellent answer, I could'nt have put it better, I have a smart roadster 04 so it is a bit different, but it does exactly as you stated in the first post and this answer is what I have come up with over the near 5 years of ownership, i think the clutch plates get hot if there is a lot of stop start driving, so follow the above post and it cures it.
Ellis
Agreed. 5-10mph is bad for me in auto mode unless I time things like rfernatt said. Stop and go, slow and not so slow... it's mechanically a manual transmission and the computer does its best to adjust, but basically you're right at the threshold of the 1-2 shift and it gets confused. Solution, shift to manual mode and modify behaviors so you're either fully engaging the gear or fully disengaging the gear. Parking brake will disengage, and so will Neutral. Engaged, you don't need much speed, just enough to keep the clutch in place. My clutch used to have a burning smell until I got the hang of it.
Note, the 08s and 09s act slightly different, and the 2.0 upgrade for the 08 transmission also makes a difference in behavior. Get the upgrade if you haven't, but you'll have to relearn the 5-10mph behaviors. Practice in an empty parking lot.
It should not buck. have the dealer check it out. Most of all, don't let people tell you you need some mystical power to get it to work for you. Enjoy
karl
...Having a tach is almost a necessity for manual shifting.
I learned to drive in manual gearbox cars and none (that I could afford) came with tachometers. Kangaroo starts and the occasional grinding noise never hurt anyone ;-)
But seriously you get to be able to tell shift points based on the sounds from the engine.
I learned to drive in manual gearbox cars and none (that I could afford) came with tachometers. Kangaroo starts and the occasional grinding noise never hurt anyone ;-)
But seriously you get to be able to tell shift points based on the sounds from the engine.
Sure you can, but unfortunately the smart engine is revving at over 6000rpm when it sounds like it's may be time to shift. Redline comes pretty quick in first gear. It's difficult to tell when it's at a more suitable rev range than most other engines since the gears are so low and the engine revs so freely.
It has nothing to do with "Kangaroo starts and the occasional grinding noise".
It should not buck. have the dealer check it out. Most of all, don't let people tell you you need some mystical power to get it to work for you. Enjoy
karl
It most certainly will buck in this case.
I can make mine do it easily - at certain speeds, it will shift between 1 and 2 repeatedly. Dropping to manual mode fixes the issue... it's not a "problem" per se - more that the transmission is trying to stay within the programming constraints when conditions do not match.
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