Great post from Clean MPG forum.

[micmou]

This guy has great post about transmission and the cars performance.Sorry if it's been posted before.



http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9201

[Dave777]

That is a good post. Thanks.

[meaux61]

Great post, but did I understand correctly. WHen you take off, you should floor the gas pedal until it goes through all five gears???

Meaux

[SmartCard]

I think the in passage you're referring to, I believe he is suggesting not to floor it, but to place your right edge of your right foot against the carpet coming up from the floor to insure a constant throttle position to get the best acceleration and mileage:

"Put the transmission in D and give the Smart a tiny bit of gas and lock your foot against the carpet to the right of the pedal to hold it in place. Don't move it. Moving the pedal wastes gasoline. The Smart knows what to do to give you the best economy possible. It moves you up through first gear, stops delivering fuel to the engine (even though your pedal's down), gives the engine just a little fuel to match the revs for the next gear, smoothly engages the teeth, then brings the power up to your pedal setting and repeats the process through all five gears.:

(Unless I've missed what you're referring to somewhere else in his post)

[meaux61]

Ok, Thanks...yes that is the passage. I get it now.

Meaux

[jkirsch]

I was just about to post this - glad I did a search first!

I agree, it is a great article. It certainly explains the "strange" behavior of the transmission and made me a fan.

Jeff in Atlanta

[rawlus®]

i don't think i'll be doing 50 on the highway anytime soon however. and i'd be pretty pissed at anyone that did. lol.

[a2jack]

Originally Posted by micmou

This guy has great post about transmission and the cars performance.Sorry if it's been posted before.



My first 1500 miles in a Smart ForTwo Pure - CleanMPG Forums

Good post, Good site. now to print it out and study it. A2Jack

[bigcritter]

I'd read this before going for my first test drive, and it really made a difference in how I drove it during the test, and what I thought of the transmission. Even the girl that went with me on the test drive was recommending lifting my foot off the gas for the shift. I didn't.......and the transmission worked just like it's supposed to. I DID try the manual shifting just to see how it worked, which for some reason seemed to really impress this girl that I did it so smoothly. I learned to drive on a 3-speed on the column '62 Chevy.....with floating gears, so I just listen to the engine and go from there. I never had a tach growing up, so that's why I chose not to get one in my smart. That and the fact that my wife HATES the looks of the pods on the (otherwise) clean dash! Anyway, I think what this guy has written should be required reading for everyone at every smartcenter out there, and for anyone considering buying a smart........BEFORE the test drive!

[timhood]

Originally Posted by rawlus®

i don't think i'll be doing 50 on the highway anytime soon however. and i'd be pretty pissed at anyone that did. lol.

Yeah, at 50, he should be driving on the shoulder!

It does seem that he makes at least some effort to avoid being a road slug when he does that. However, I wonder how many people think the smart can't go any faster because of this.