Transmission shifting questions (auto vs. manual)

[JD10367]

So, I've been reading this board for a day and a half now, anticipating our Smart which (hopefully) will be coming in October. I'm already familiarizing myself with the apparently 3,478 things wrong with this car, LOL. Doesn't matter, I'm still gonna love it.

I have some questions about the transmission. I drive a manual 5-speed Saturn. My wife drives an automatic Hyundai and has never driven a standard.

1.) Has anyone alternated driving it in D vs. shifting yourself, to see which mode gives better gas performance?

2.) Apparently the automatic shifting smooths out after a while... does that make the shifting comparatively as smooth as when you do it yourself?

3.) When driving in automatic, is it true that you should NOT lift your foot off the gas pedal at the gear-shifting point, as they tell you to at the dealership? I read that long and excellent breakdown by the truck driver who says the tranny is basically performing a "clutchless gear changing" and that the "jerkiness" everyone complains about is actually a good thing, and that lifting your foot off the gas actually screws everything up. This does make sense. (Not to mention, if you take your foot OFF the gas as it shifts, you're only going to make the lurching and hesitating worse, no?)

4.) From what I've read it seems like they tell you to leave it in "auto" for the first 1,000 miles. Since my wife has never driven a standard, I'm wondering if I should just tell her to leave it in D all the time even past the first 1,000 miles. After the first 1,000 miles, since I'm used to a standard, I might use the paddles--but if D gets you better gas mileage (which I can believe, since when you shift it yourself you might be more likely to rev higher in a gear) I'll stick to D.

My Smart is coming without the tach. Not that big of a deal to me, since I'm pretty sure, after years of driving a manual, I can figure out if I'm low or high in a gear.

[a2jack]

JD, Strange as it may seem, no amount of stick or automatic driving experience will help you learn this trans. It is a completely different animal.

Shifts are controlled by the position of your foot on the gas peddle while in "D". In stick one watches the tach and keeps it a tad under red line.

Many posts right here on SCOA, But you won't have the trans down until at lt least 1k on the ode.
Even then, it will trick you if you let your mind wonder.

Running in "D" will be just fine for your wife. I now run there most of the time myself.

(Add a BTW here.) In town we often drop into stick to keep the trans from shifting into 5th.

A2Jack. (15.5k on the ode)

[SubSlr88]

Driving a CVT for the past four years has ruined me! You never, ever feel it shift and lurching never happens.
When I left the dealer for the 80 mile trip home I used the auto shift - D. However driving around town here, mostly 35 - 40, I have found that it wants to be in 5th gear and lugs the engine terribly. Now I've gone to the paddle shifters in town, that way I can keep it in 4th in that speed range and it doesn't lug. When I get to a stretch that lets me go 45 - 50 then I go into 5th gear.
You and the wife should try driving with both modes to see what satisfies your driving style. . . and it won't matter whether your wife can drive a stick or not - there's no clutch to worry about.
Another thing - when using the paddle shifters, as you slow down the transmission will select the lower gears for you. If you come to a stop it'll go to 1st. If you're still moving slightly, it'll drop to 2nd and so forth. Pretty neat~!

[JD10367]

Originally Posted by SubSlr88

Another thing - when using the paddle shifters, as you slow down the transmission will select the lower gears for you. If you come to a stop it'll go to 1st. If you're still moving slightly, it'll drop to 2nd and so forth. Pretty neat~!

Yeah, from what I've read so far in a day and a half, it seems that people who manually paddle shift only do so to upshift in order to control the shift point (as well as what gear it's in, i.e., avoiding going up into 5th too early), and they let the car do the automatic downshifting for you.

The only time when I could see needing to manually downshift, of course, is if you're approaching an offramp in the rain or snow, or to get a little extra "oomph" to make it through a yellow light.

[bumblebee]

I've pretty much use my paddle shifters 99% of the time both upshift and downshift. I'm just not used to driving it in auto mode where I'm never too sure when the car is going to shift for me.

[sunnyokanagan]

To answer your first question, you can get better fuel economy if you shift manually.

[the_dude]

i don't see how lifting your foot off the gas while it shifts can do anything harmful. in manual mode, once you tip the lever, it's going to shift, and it's going to match revs automatically. there's no sense in keeping the throttle pressed down and wasting that (infinitesimal) bit of gas while the gear change is occurring. if somebody knows something i don't, i'll change my driving style. it seems to work for me, though, and my 38 city/48 highway are pretty hard to beat.

[JPaul]

Originally Posted by the_dude

[...] wasting that (infinitesimal) bit of gas while the gear change is occurring.[...]

Question: being "drive-by-wire", doesn't the computer regulate the amount of gas, and not the pedal; therefor there shouldn't be any "waste" during shifting, independently of the gas pedal's position?

[the_dude]

Originally Posted by JPaul

Question: being "drive-by-wire", doesn't the computer regulate the amount of gas, and not the pedal; therefor there shouldn't be any "waste" during shifting, independently of the gas pedal's position?

i suppose you're on to something there...and if you're right, it shouldn't make a bit of difference whether you let off or not. i still do it almost instinctively, though.

[jwight]

Just my .02, but I've moved past the "lifting off" phase that was being touted as people first got their cars. It just confuses the computer IMHO - first you want to go, now you don't is the message lifting off sends. Pick a throttle position and stay there - the computer will make sure the car does what you want it to.