[3SRT4ME]

For those of you who have familiarized yourself with the autostick feature, what are the most effective RPM shift points for the gears?

Also, any autostick tips/tricks can you offer to extract that very last ounce of performance out of our vehicles?

Thanks.

 

[Z2SO4]

If you are familiar with a manual car it is pretty much the same in terms of shifting by "feeling it".

I tend to keep it around 2-3 rpm when I am doing normal shifting so that the revs don't get too high. This is a bit lower than what I am use to with other cars, but it feels right in terms of hearing the engine revs and not letting them get too high during normal driving.

This is definately one of the smoother auto shifters I have come accross and is a decent comprise with a full manual. It works well with hard accelleration, but at those times I play it more by ear than I do by revs

 

[LWOOD]

I find that at full throttle, even if I upshift, it will continue to redline before upshifting. That's only at full throttle...Otherwise it does what I ask it to. I don't really use the feature too often...Does anyone on the forum use it regularly?

 

[Z2SO4]

I use it all the time since I normally always get manual and am use to it. Although it is good not to have to worry about it if I just don't feel like shifting for some odd reason or another.

That little blip is just a normal delay that is often seen in these manumatic setups hence why I usually am easy on the shifts.

 

[QB409]

Best ET...

You have to hold the stick to the left and keep your foot to the floor. The engine will run to redline in every gear. For maximum acceleration (13.90 not 14.90) you will need to brake torque (foot on gas and brake at the same time) to between 2000 and 2500 rpm, depending on available traction and road conditions.

 

[3SRT4ME]

You have to hold the stick to the left and keep your foot to the floor. The engine will run to redline in every gear. For maximum acceleration (13.90 not 14.90) you will need to brake torque (foot on gas and brake at the same time) to between 2000 and 2500 rpm, depending on available traction and road conditions.

Are you saying hold the gear shifter to the left and let the transmission change the gears when it redlines?

 

[QB409]

That's correct.Don't just shift it left, but hold it there. That is according to the owners manual.

 

["C"for me]

QB409 - it will stay in the gear you select, you don't have to hold the shifter over. Unless your shifter has a problem. Start with it in 1st, it will hold that gear until near redline, then it will shift itself to 2nd. My "C" shifts at 200 RPM short of redline in D or in autostick. Same to 3rd, etc. If you shift to 2nd, it is a slow full auto shift, you cannot short shift it. If it thinks it should stay in 1st ( WOT) it will stay in 1st. Same is true if you are in 2nd and step down on it, it will downshift anyway ... if it thinks it needs to. My last car (DC) had autostick that left it all up to you, including starts in gears other than 1st! It also shifted at redline and the shifts were MUCH firmer. This is not a big deal since we have lots -o- torque in the HEMI.

 

[steves300c]

[QUOTE="C"for me]QB409 - it will stay in the gear you select, you don't have to hold the shifter over. Unless your shifter has a problem. Start with it in 1st, it will hold that gear until near redline, then it will shift itself to 2nd. My "C" shifts at 200 RPM short of redline in D or in autostick. Same to 3rd, etc. If you shift to 2nd, it is a slow full auto shift, you cannot short shift it. If it thinks it should stay in 1st ( WOT) it will stay in 1st. Same is true if you are in 2nd and step down on it, it will downshift anyway ... if it thinks it needs to. My last car (DC) had autostick that left it all up to you, including starts in gears other than 1st! It also shifted at redline and the shifts were MUCH firmer. This is not a big deal since we have lots -o- torque in the HEMI.

[/QUOTE]
But I think what he is saying is, if you hold the stick to the left, it will shift at redline and not 200 to 300 rpms before redline. This tactic is essential if you want to squeeze the best times from it.
This may also explain why C&D were able to get a 5.3 0-60 and 13.9 in the 1/4 while other mags got 5.8-6.3 0-60 and high 14 low 15 sec 1/4's.

 

["C"for me]

Nope, checked it again today. Shifts shy of redline and the exact shift, not a crisp shift like my "old" R/T. At WOT, it will shift just short of redline, and it does not matter it you hold the shift lever to the left or not.

 

[QB409]

Would someone please post the shifting instructions from the owners manual. Maybe I have misread that section, but I thought it stated that holding the shifter in the (-) position forced the trans to shift at redline for max acceleration.

 

["C"for me]

I'm looking at it right now - nowhere does it say anything even close to "hold it to the left for max accel" Or that it will hold the gear to redline. It does say "Shifting into another gear that allows for quicker acceleration or to slow the vehicle down is possible". How can you be quoting the proper driving technique that you use on your "C" and you don't have an owners manual to look it up? You did say "that is according to the owners manual". I did see, on another forum, that there may be some program fix to get the AS to shift better. Maybe mine is in a "too smooth, too early mode" and can get a flash for better shifting while in AS.

 

[QB409]

Six weeks ago I was given a new 300C as part of a marketing program for Chrysler. I had unlimited use of the car for a week. The worst part of the experience was giving the car back at the end if the program. That's why I don't have a copy of the owners manual now. I'm in Toronto, and would expect that the Canadian manual is different than the export version. Maybe someone from Chrysler who monitors this board can clarify?

 

[fathemi]

Actually, he's kind of right. . .

Holding the autostick shift selector left and right does cause the transmission to behave differently. This information is in the service manual, but I don't know if it's in the user's guide.

Specifically, holding it to the left causes the shift range to be reduced to the lowest available gear for your current speed. It can drop you from D all the way down to 1 if you're going slow enough. Likewise, holding it to the right causes the shift range to be increased to D, regardless of what range you have selected on the stick. It's very convenient because you don't have to multi-tap the selector to move up and down in the range.

My experiments so far with holding it to the left to improve RPM range are inconclusive. I do, as a matter of course, hold it to the left when I'm driving aggressively to select the lowest gear and it does seem to improve the aggressiveness of the shift program somewhat.

I will say one thing for sure. . . the transmission does do quite a bit of adaptation to your driving style. I beat on my 300 quite a bit and, as a result, it seems to be much faster and more aggressive than the "stock" 300. It's nowhere near as aggressive as my 2002 300M Special was wrt shifting, though. I'm trusting that the SRT-8 will correct this.

fathemi

 

[james jefferson]

yeah, tried it with transmision in 1st gear and went thru 2nd gear. it shifted on its own at about 5500rpm each time. but i had, what i thought were very crisp shifts unlike in drive position. but could be my imagination.

 

[JonW]

I will say one thing for sure. . . the transmission does do quite a bit of adaptation to your driving style. I beat on my 300 quite a bit and, as a result, it seems to be much faster and more aggressive than the "stock" 300.

As FATHEMI has pointed out, the adaptation to your driving style can have an impact on how the car performs. However, if you like to take it easy on your car during a break-in period, you might find that the car has adapted to a not so aggressive shift pattern. I don't know about the 300, but most cars only adapt during a certain period and then lock in on that style.

Since I don't have my 300 yet (or the service manuals I ordered), I can't say for sure, but you should be able to re-initiate the learning period by performing a reset procedure. This will let you take it easy for a short time and then re-learn your style if you want to then be aggressive. Anyone have the procedures for the reset from the service manual?

 

["C"for me]

I have read and re-read the parts on the transmission, even had a nice talk with the trans tech at my dealer .... and I see nothing about "adaptive". The OLD 300M and the R/T (which I had) did have a learning trans. This AS is a shadow of what the old AS was. BUT ........ this car is so great and has so much torque, I'll forgive it!

 

[JonW]

From "The Scoop at Chrysler Group":
"Fully adaptive electronic control makes shifts very smooth. The system monitors the transmission as shifts occur and adjusts hydraulic pressure as needed. In so doing, the controls make the powertrain feel responsive without harshness. Driver recognition software alters shift points based on accelerator pedal usage, brake usage and lateral acceleration. This feature allows both sporty and economical operation. "

http://scoop.daimlerchrysler.com/product_30005_performance.shtml

This statement isn't clear as to whether it is adapting to the current situation or if it adapts to the overall style of the the driver. However, most current transmissions do have an adaptive learning period, so my guess would be that it is a learned and retained style.

 

[JonW]

Just got my service manuals - here the real scoop on adaptation:

SHIFT SCHEDULES
The basic shift schedule includes up and downshifts for all five gears. The TCM adapts the shift program according
to driving style, accelerator pedal position and deviation of vehicle speed. Influencing factors are:
² Road Conditions.
² Incline, Decline and Altitude.
² Trailer Operation, Loading.
² Engine Coolant Temperature.
² Cruise Control Operation.
² Sporty Driving Style.
² Low and High ATF Temperature.

ADAPTATION
To equalize tolerances and wear, an automatic adaptation takes place for:
² Shift Time.
² Clutch Filling Time.
² Clutch Filling Pressure.
² Torque Converter Lock-Up Control.
Adaptation data may be stored permanently and to some extent, can be diagnosed.

Driving Style Adaptation
The shift point is modified in steps based on the information from the inputs. The control module looks at inputs
such as:
² vehicle acceleration and deceleration (calculated by the TCM).
² rate of change as well as the position of the throttle pedal (fuel injection information from the PCM).
² lateral acceleration (calculated by the TCM).
² gear change frequency (how often the shift occurs).

Based on how aggressive the driver is, the TCM moves up the shift so that the present gear is held a little longer
before the next upshift. If the driving style is still aggressive, the shift point is modified up to ten steps. If the driving
returns to normal, then the shift point modification also returns to the base position.
This adaptation has no memory. The adaptation to driving style is nothing more than a shift point modification meant
to assist an aggressive driver. The shift points are adjusted for the moment and return to base position as soon as
the inputs are controlled in a more normal manner.

 

[jcsganga34]

JonW, thank you for posting this information from the service manual, it answers sll of my questions!