I sent an email to our service advisor about this... will post when he replies.

 

We were told on the Road Show that the 451 would have improved shift times too...it was a lie. The software re-map guys say that their remap can improve the shifting too...but I would want proof before I dropped $600+.

 

Does one ECM in the car control both the engine and the transmission? Or are there two different ECMs? I have a little experience with VW DSG, and know about two different ecms for a single vehicle.

 

I'm not sure how you can improve shifting speed... the computer's pretty darn quick. The apparent delay comes from rev-matching... i.e. you're punching it past 4,000 RPMs, the shift command comes (manual or auto), and the computer knows that it really doesn't want to slam the clutch back into place at 4,000 RPMs, so it throttles back for 1 second. I can speed up the so-called shift delay by simply throttling back just prior to shift (as you would in any other manual transmission), but the 0-60 speed probably isn't any faster.

Now, if the transmission had dual clutches... life would be totally different.

I guess a software upgrade could tell it to blip the throttle at different rates/times, to give less jerkiness to re-engaging the clutch, but I don't think it'd speed up any.

 

Want faster shifts ? Spend bigger bucks. Simple.........

 

Not so simple... The 09's have an improved shifting program for the transmission... not having seen or driven in an 09 I don't know if there is really a difference... but if there's a better program being used with the same tranny and ECM than an update from the dealership shouldn't be that hard... and it shouldn't cost a thing.

 

Old saying..... lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Let's change it..... lack of research on your part does not constitute free upgrades on Daimlers part. The car and trans work as designed........ if you want Tiptronic quality shifts, buy a Porsche.

 

I won't be as nice as John... it's late and my tolerance for BS isn't high.... and your reply made absolutely no sense.

Research??? Into what exactly? The 09's are not even available for test drives yet so no one knows if infact the shifting is any better... I bought my smart in May of 08 and have 15,000 miles on her... Could the shifting be better? Maybe.... If they found a better program for the SAME transmission should they provide the updates to the 08 owners? In my mind absolutly... their not losing any money and it's fixing what they thought was obviously a weakness of the car.

Like I said, I've emailed my service manager and whatever his answer is I'll post here... and leave it at that.

 

One of the salesmen I was talking to said they heard that the 09 cars had improved the shifting some and there would be a flash update available. Truth? I dont know. I'm actually kind of enjoying mine the way it is. Like nothing else on the road!

 

xcrew229x - please lay off your "if you didn't test drive this car and do your research you should sell the darned thing" kind of approach to problem solving.

We have an owner of old and new '08s who says the newer vehicle has much better shift times. There are several people who have heard there is new software for better response. if we can make our car better why not try to do it? The smarts are great and I'd like smoother shifting as well!

 

 

Wdhitch and John_H - lurve you both, but ---

 

hehe... it wouldn't be good for my ego anyways.

 

Faster shifts

There are seperate ECUs for the engine AND gearbox.

BigPerformance were the first in the UK to map the engines, first to map the Brabus to 127bhp from 98.
We are offering the gearbox remaps at £375.

Ian

 

Big, does that include shipping across the pond?

 

I spoke with our Service Tech yesterday... He's checking on the update but says if it's available it can be done at the dealer and would be considered a warranty issue... Hopefully we'll know something by the end of the week.

 

Shipping is at YOUR cost along with insurance

 

Hello,

What is the typical before/after shift time?

 

Cool, thanks WDhitch...I'll keep my eyes on that reply that you get.

 

Right Larry (I meant to include that). And this misconception is a direct byproduct of the shifter re-design for the USA market. The european shifter defaults to manual (no "D" or "P"), with an auto-mode override button. The other nice thing about the euro shifter is if you are auto-mode, all it takes is a flick of the handle to manually intervene. In the US shifter, you have to move it to the manual quadrant and then flick the handle to do this, which is more difficult and clumsey.

 

Gotcha... now if only I could just link the shifting part directly to my shifter as a mechanical mean... and add a clutch pedal .. now that would be fun... But it is still amazing how technology allows it to shift for us in a manual car knowing this isn't a ferrari

 

I think that actually the Park function is required by the DOT here which would require a redesign anyway.

 

I think that actually the Park function is required by the DOT here which would require a redesign anyway.

I don't think so. It's basically a manual transmission, albeit with an electronic linkage instead of a mechanical linkage. Manual transmissions are not required to have Park. And, the euro-shifter must be engaged in reverse to take the key out, for safety and theft protection (like SAABs).

 

But my manual Z4 doesn't have a "Park"

 

BONK! :wow:

 

I am thinking, but this is just a guess. That it is not how fast it is shifting, but when it is shifting. If you know how a manual shift feels when you shift smoothly, then I am guessing that is what they did. Experiment with the Manual shift, when it was a smooth shift. If you shift when the RPM is too high, then you can feel it. If you shift when it is too low, you feel it. So, that being said, I think they figured out a pretty close RPM lvl to shift at for each gear. If you do this, then it would feel just like an automatic shift. When I get my car at the end of Dec, I will know for sure and compare it to the test drive model.

 

It's not really a matter of how quickly it can ram itself into gear, as it is not programmed to do that. It's a matter of how quickly it can speed-match the 2 gear sets being coupled. This is a function of throttle control, and engine inertia. Reducing the flywheel weight would allow the engine to throttle back quicker for gear-speed matching, but then the engine would be rougher & noisier. They could also engineer an engine brake by manipulating the valves (like on some heavy diesel applications), which would accomplish the same thing, but that might be pricey.

It's a cheap car with an electronically selected manual transmission, and as such I think it works quite well as it is.

 

I've been able to improve on all aspects of the smart's gearbox by shifting manually. I can choose to make the shifts, smoother, faster, or more economical. But not all at the same time. I'm guessing that smart can tweak the programming for "D" mode to make several small improvements, but they cannot change the fundamental operation of the transmission. I'm happy we have a choice of operation modes.

 

reprogramming

smart cernter weston fl told me today that they are waitng to hear from smart if the new program for 2009 can be retro fitted in the 2008.

I will post when I hear further.

I am concerned that I just purchased an orphan yellow black smartie, license BEESMRT, and l will be upset if this 2009 chang is significant, and my 2008 is outdated

Bruce (my first post)

 

outdated? Not a chance!

...

I am concerned that I just purchased an orphan yellow black smartie, license BEESMRT, and l will be upset if this 2009 chang is significant, and my 2008 is outdated

Bruce (my first post)

Having fun driving your car is never outdated. Enjoy your Smart, the '09 may be a little different, but that doesn't make yours any less of a treat.

 

The 2009 isn't much different - feel great about your new car!!

 

The shift patterns between the first 451's that were sold in January/February and the ones sold now is much improved. The time between shifts has not changed but when the shift occurs. The newer 451's don't shift into a higher gear as fast and they downshift sooner. It is a much improved shift pattern, the engine runs at a higher rpm at certain speeds. This results in the elimination of a low rumble that seems to resonate through the safety cell at speeds around 30-40 mph in the earlier cars. I have a 451 purchased in February and one purchased in September. I have asked my dealer in passing about the possibility of reprogramming the early smart to the new shift patterns found in the September car. I have not followed up to find out if it is possible but I think it should. They did reprogramming on my mini CVT, not for shifting but for other things so I know it is possible.