Hammering on the transmission.

[a2jack]

Our 4 week old Smart now has 2,300 miles, so today I took her out for a little hammer work to see just what the transmission will really do in "D" mode.

I pretty much gave up driving it in "D" mode after the first hours, and have been running in stick since. In this mode the car is quick and pleasant to drive. In "D" the car felt sluggish and shifted into 2,3,4, with way too much lag. 5th came in too soon (33MPH) and lugged the engine.

On a flat open highway in "D", I stopped, than floored it, and kept it there. In a flash it ran half way up the red line (about 6,500 RPM) then instantly shifted into 2nd. The same all the way up through 5th. These were no-lag power shifts induced by the rev limiter.

Much better. In fact it was great... But wait! We can't be driving around shooting off from stops like a rocket, and working our little engine half way up red line all the time.

But this test, (I didn't have the heart to do it more than twice) shows the transmission can ,potentially, be made to behave. I don't believe a re-map alone will do it. The key is in that Rev-limiter. Anyway it's nice to know this spurt of power can be called upon in an emergency.

A2Jack

[JPaul]

Thank you for the test. In a nutshell (a tridion?) you're saying that the car can be pushed hard, and will respond. It has some guts...

[MP3SMART]

I kind of tried the same thing but came away with a different impression. I thought the near redline revs were due to the slowness of the shifting allowing the engine to rev past my comfort zone or maybe clutch slipage during the shift. Might try again in a more controled environment.

[mdfortwoguy]

The one I took out a few weeks ago would flat out move. I was able to get up and move on entrance ramps with no lag, and it pulled stronger than I would have expected.

My VUE is a manual, geared very low in 1st, and is quite torquey (it'll lay 10 feet of rubber easy from a stop from a 3500 RPM launch). That being said, the smart feels similar... it's not about to lay patches, but it's got more than enough to squirt out into traffic at high speed.

[a2jack]

Mp3Smart. These were not near red-line runs, but rather well up into the red line arc.

The tach swung up fast but the trans seemed to shift up at around 6,500 Rpm, (about half way up the red line arc). The shifts were fast and solid, and the engine was turning at upper end of my comfort zone too.

Thanks for the comments guys. I hope we hear from others as well.

A2Jack.

[mdfortwoguy]

Bah, once it is warmed up, anything before the red is the operating range ;)

I really like the noises that the smart makes as it is winding up. It's not exactly perfect, but it has the raspy qualities of a Porsche flat 6.

[Dr. Wicked]

Originally Posted by a2jack

Much better. In fact it was great... But wait! We can't be driving around shooting off from stops like a rocket, and working our little engine half way up red line all the time.
A2Jack

Why not? It's fine to redline it from time to time...

In fact, you really should wail on it right away to seal the rings properly. More damage is done by babying the motor as the rings don't get enough pressure behind them and they seat too far from the cylinder walls causing blow by and oil contamination...

my $0.02...

[mdfortwoguy]

Eh, break in discussions should probably go into another thread, because they usually end up in a slippery sloped argument

I personally break it in per manufacturer directions, easing into my normal driving patterns toward the end...

[Lgaruti]

Has anyone had the stones to try a 3000 rpm neutral start? You know, hold it @ 3k and drop it into drive.
Wonder if it will launch or break.
Sooner or later someone's kid will try it...they always do!

[a2jack]

Originally Posted by Lgaruti

Has anyone had the stones to try a 3000 rpm neutral start? You know, hold it @ 3k and drop it into drive.
Wonder if it will launch or break.
Sooner or later someone's kid will try it...they always do!

HE, HE. I haven't driven like that since I was 16 and blew the trans on my 41 Ford.

A2Jack.