How fast is your smart.... in REVERSE? - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

Docthrock · 06-13-2008, 05:59 PM

Looks like there's a speed and shift limit to 10 mph in reverse. Try as I might, I just couldn't "fly" backwards.

2smartArizona · 06-13-2008, 06:53 PM

That's gonna make a J-turn difficult on pavement....

SmartCard · 06-13-2008, 07:10 PM

that's probably a good thing! ;)

maxtraxduffy · 06-13-2008, 07:46 PM

next post "how many times can you roll your smart"lol

WickedMessenger · 06-13-2008, 07:56 PM

My smart is rather glitchy in reverse. I back in to my driveway and the first little bit from the curb cut to the sidewalk is rather steep. It almost gives up at some points, won't move, starts to move, I rev it higher it starts to go, seems to go in and out of gear (between reverse and neutral). Has anyone else had this problem? I suppose what I want to know is if this is a problem or just 'the way it is.' I don't have any problems (so far) in forward gears. I have all of 56 miles on the car so far so I'm not too impressed with problems this early.

gimhoff · 06-13-2008, 11:06 PM

I thought that I'd be able to duplicate the chase scene in the movie of The DaVinci Code, in which the smart car does what looks like 70 mph in reverse through the crowded streets of Paris, making full use of its small size to fit through impossibly small spaces.

I was looking forward to doing that on the streets of Washington, and it was disappointing to find out that I couldn't.

Seriously, though, do you think that the chase scene in the movie was the reason for putting such a low speed limit on reverse? Or did earlier models have the same limit?

SuperGeek · 06-13-2008, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WickedMessenger

My smart is rather glitchy in reverse. I back in to my driveway and the first little bit from the curb cut to the sidewalk is rather steep. It almost gives up at some points, won't move, starts to move, I rev it higher it starts to go, seems to go in and out of gear (between reverse and neutral). Has anyone else had this problem? I suppose what I want to know is if this is a problem or just 'the way it is.' I don't have any problems (so far) in forward gears. I have all of 56 miles on the car so far so I'm not too impressed with problems this early.

You're going uphill or downhill in reverse? (nose down or nose up?) Remember the car has "hill start assist" in which the brakes are applied for about 6 seconds. It has no effect on the gear selection or transmission. Could it be the HSA? I'm not sure how HSA behaves in reverse, but if you turn off a straight road onto a driveway aiming uphill even slightly, and let off the gas, it will hit the brakes before you roll back. After a few seconds it releases.

Oh, and 56 miles on this brand new engine/transmission... you'll be frustrated at the jerkiness for a few more days. But trust me, it will smooth out a lot. Mine flows like butter most of the time now, but my 10th mile was like me learning to drive a manual... because that's exactly what this transmission is.

74AMX304V8 · 06-13-2008, 11:46 PM

my reverse has a high pitch whine from the transaxle, probably not a good indication of qc on the gear tolerances

Flashman · 06-14-2008, 04:55 AM

I read somewhere that the smart in the DaVinci code was custom fitted with a new engine/transmission/etc that is was designed specifically for that scene (it may even have had a rear facing driver position).

**JPaul** · 06-14-2008, 05:16 AM

In the bonus material, one can see that the smart was put on a semi-dolly: its wheels were on the ground, but a contraption was holding it hooked in a reversed position in front of a heftier pushing car. So, if the car was appearing as going in reverse, it was actually driven tail first by another vehicle.