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smooth but rapid start on green light??

6K views 35 replies 13 participants last post by  jwight 
#1 ·
I've only had my smart for a few days. And I'm very curious - has anyone mastered getting a quick start, from a stop, up to normal driving speeds - SMOOTHLY?? Like, where somebody looking at the car from outside would barely notice the smart changing gears?

The skill or capability has so far been beyond me. I know the tranny is quirky, and even if I don't get better than I am right now I will still enjoy the car. I am human, I can adapt. But it would be a little bit more enjoyable to be able to get up to speed more smoothly than I am doing now. I watched a truck start up quick with me yesterday morning, him behind me - and when I was going from 1st to 2nd my car....lulled, slowed, whatever, and he had to hit his brakes to keep away from me. I do not like being a hindrance to other vehicles on the road, any more than I like other cars doing odd things in front of me.

I can drive a stick easily, I love them. But it is a bit odd acting like you have a clutch, just no control over it.
 
#4 ·
OMG, gotta love it! Drive it like you stole it - it fits into my mentality perfectly. That might be different in a car with serious power, but in my Focus hatch, I did indeed drive it like I stole it.

I know what you're talking about, the car won't let you over-rev too much and will shift for you if it thinks you're not doing it soon enough, I'll give that a try, thanks! Even though, I'm not supposed to do such things while I'm in the break-in period...*sigh*
 
#3 ·
I always use manual mode and can shift as smooth as any other manual trans I've owned, but it does take some practice. The 1-2 shift is the worst one. We've been told that 1st gear was made shorter and 5th taller for the US market and that short first and the low weight (less momentum retained while shifting) contribute to the situation.

I typically shift around 3 - 3.5K on the tach for all of the gears. You have to get the RPMs right for the shift or the computer delays clutch engagement until the RPMs fall which makes the situation worse. It's a quick shift between gears when you nail the RPMs just right.

And, if your car is a 2008 or early 2009, make sure it had the 2.0 trans software update installed. We are hearing that there is now an even new software update available for the trans.

 
#23 ·
...toolman...some cars had a failure to engage gear or "chugging" while in gear...it was fixed by a new clutch installed under warranty even with a $#!t load of miles for some....now they have a computer up-date that it supposed to fix that condition or hide the symptoms....the new clutch install made a world of difference in the way the car shifted...

jetfuel..one with a new cluth...one with the old...two totally different cars...
 
#24 ·
Thanks jetfuel. So...on the way home I tried my new techniques, specifically paddle-shift then feathering the gas, and man, what a difference! I'm no pro yet, but it made a tremendous difference just doing things in that order - I had been letting off the gas first, then shifting.
I noticed that when in manual mode, as I brake for the next red light, the smart downshifts himself - to keep the engine from dying I'm sure. Do you experienced folks do that on purpose yourselves? It seems quite convenient...
 
#25 ·
..I (one of the young guys here) use down shift a lot to slow down....it is a different world....is all in the timing...I hit - and then tap the go fast pedal when the rpm go down....if you don't have a tach is like a second delay from the time you hit - to the tap of the pedal on the right ...just in case you drive a Toyota...also..try this...when accelerating from a stand still give the car about 1 to 2 inches of throttle and hold it there...no lifting...nothing more and see how your ride behaves...is all in the timing....

jetfuel...shifting fool
 
#32 ·
I'm new to Smart, too. You DO have some control over the clutch, just not in America where they figured, wrongly, we all wanted automatics and left the $600 clutch plates dragging with the brake on.

Pull up your parking brake just ONE CLICK, the BRAKE warning light comes on and, unfortunately, as soon as it starts rolling the warning beeper goes off, BUT that stupid clutch dragger is OFF! When you press down on the gas pedal, it feels like you're driving a stick shift car, again, as it engages the clutch smoothly and away you go. The car shifts "normally", sort of like a Ford F-150 with a long handled floor shift and that heavy clutch pedal. When you stop, again, you'll feel the "clutch pedal release" you remembered and the car FREEWHEELING below about 5mph as the clutch really does release up ONE CLICK and the parking brake does NOT drag there. Once stopped, you only need light brake pedal to keep it from rolling unless you're on a hill, of course. If on flat ground, you can release the foot brake and just sit there, IN GEAR, as if you had your foot on the clutch to the floor. Depress the gas and the clutch instantly takes up the slack and the car moves off as a clutch car should....and the damned beeping starts again warning you the parking brake is on....dammit.

Once underway, put the parking brake back to stop the damned incessant beeping, but pull it up ONE CLICK again just before the next stop and you're back in good old standard shift mode like my Morris Minor 1000 saloon used to be....(c;]

I understand the EURO software doesn't have this stupid clutch dragger some idiot dreamed up for the Americans to sell $600 clutches. I'm going to try to get my car reloaded with European software asap. Probably shouldn't cost over $1500-$3000 at my Maybach 451 dealer.....dammit.
I sense a wee bit of frustration...LOL. Hey, thanks for the really neat tip. I didn't know what that initial hesitation to get going was all about. I was trying to concentrate on what I was going to do from 1st to 2nd - and wondering, why isn't the car going??? This probably isn't something I'd do on each and every light, but I WILL try to master this too, for those occasional times when I feel the need or just desire to get moving quickly. My Focus was no muscle car, but I enjoyed being ahead of the pack at lights most of time. I fully realize that was because most of the other vehicles weren't trying (didn't care) to do the same thing, and yet it made me feel good anyway. I look forward to enjoying this little smart, and want people who might be giggling at it to also notice that it is NOT holding up traffic.

It would be nice if someone would develop a chip flasher that would turn this feature off - I'd buy one! But the smart isn't a tuner car and there probably isn't a big enough market for someone to develop one. *sigh*
 
#33 · (Edited)
I'm new to Smart, too. You DO have some control over the clutch, just not in America where they figured, wrongly, we all wanted automatics and left the $600 clutch plates dragging with the brake on.

Pull up your parking brake just ONE CLICK, the BRAKE warning light comes on and, unfortunately, as soon as it starts rolling the warning beeper goes off, BUT that stupid clutch dragger is OFF! When you press down on the gas pedal, it feels like you're driving a stick shift car, again, as it engages the clutch smoothly and away you go. The car shifts "normally", sort of like a Ford F-150 with a long handled floor shift and that heavy clutch pedal. When you stop, again, you'll feel the "clutch pedal release" you remembered and the car FREEWHEELING below about 5mph as the clutch really does release up ONE CLICK and the parking brake does NOT drag there. Once stopped, you only need light brake pedal to keep it from rolling unless you're on a hill, of course. If on flat ground, you can release the foot brake and just sit there, IN GEAR, as if you had your foot on the clutch to the floor. Depress the gas and the clutch instantly takes up the slack and the car moves off as a clutch car should....and the damned beeping starts again warning you the parking brake is on....dammit.

Once underway, put the parking brake back to stop the damned incessant beeping, but pull it up ONE CLICK again just before the next stop and you're back in good old standard shift mode like my Morris Minor 1000 saloon used to be....(c;]

I understand the EURO software doesn't have this stupid clutch dragger some idiot dreamed up for the Americans to sell $600 clutches. I'm going to try to get my car reloaded with European software asap. Probably shouldn't cost over $1500-$3000 at my Maybach 451 dealer.....dammit.
You do realize that the clutch isn't dragging when you are completely stopped with your foot on the brake, right? The creep isn't *that* aggressive under 2.0, either... it barely takes up after a few seconds.

So you complain about $600 clutches, but you are willing to pay $1,500 to $3,000 to have your car flashed with the Euro software (which is not possible, by the way... it is coded to the VIN even if it were possible, our transmissions are physically different than Euro transmissions)? Something doesn't add up here...
 
#34 ·
I was guessing larryw4csc was being sarcastic about a $1,500 to $3,000 flash. I think he was just venting? I too doubt we could apply a European flash to our vehicle - I would think they have different hardware, in terms of catalytic converters, the transmission you mention, etc.
 
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