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Author Topic: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.  (Read 5705 times)

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Geek-9pm

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Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« on: July 11, 2017, 10:44:38 PM »
OK, this is off topic. I just learned taht what I had been told about automatic ttrnsmissions in automobiles is now a myth. Like the dodo bird.
Sowhat next? What else will change?
Anyway, here is one of many links about the shft (excuse the pun) away from the manual transmission:

Five Myths About Stick Shifts: Manual vs Automatic Transmissions
Quote
The stick shift hasn't yet gone the way of the passenger pigeon and the dodo, but it's definitely an endangered species. As of August 2013, just 3.9 percent of new cars sold for the year had manual transmissions.
Hard to believe!
Next:
  Will poloticians be honest?
  Will Coffee be better for you than water?
  Will  smart phones be better than desktops?
Two out of the three above might becme true.   ::)

BC_Programmer


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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2017, 01:07:37 AM »
Regardless of the myths, I'd field a guess that Manual Transmission cars could reduce accidents, by somewhat discouraging the use of smart devices.
I was trying to dereference Null Pointers before it was cool.

DaveLembke



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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2017, 01:07:55 AM »
Yeah when getting my last car, I asked if they had manual transmission cars available and none were on the lot. Everything automatic. I asked why. Their claim is that so many people dont know how to drive standard. If I really wanted standard I could have special ordered a model that still had it as an option, but I settled for an automatic they had on the lot.

Where I live there is not much stop & go traffic as well as lots of hills and so manual transmissions are nice and you can use them to save from burning up your brakes by using the engine to break the car down hills etc especially during winter weather to coast with some resistance down a hill etc.

Most modern automatics have electronic shift controls and so people who still want to be able to shift can shift without a clutch, just by directly controlling the solenoids that control the modern automatics. My Honda Civic EX VTEC had a transmission that I was tempted to override the shift controls in it with a joy stick short of shift control, but the car died before I made it a reality. Its like the sports cars with paddle shifting on steering wheels for shifting up and down gears which the transmission is automatic.

My other thing I wanted to do, but never did was have a switch on my dash to enable VTEC at will vs when the computer wanted it to engage. There is a solenoid on the aluminum head that has oil pressure behind it. When it opens oil pressure presses on pins on the overhead cams and it makes the engine run on a second set of lobes that control valve duration. The valves stay open longer to get more fuel and air and it makes the fuel sipper 1.6 liter turn into a high performance engine putting out power close to a V6. One problem I realized with a toggle switch for solenoid was that the computer still would only be sending a short burst of fuel from the injectors and so i would have had to have a circuit board added that made the injectors open to spray fuel a tad more in addition to changing the valve duration and so thats why that didnt happen.

Also had plans to cheat the O2 sensors too, but found out that is illegal. There is cheaters for racing purposes, but they are illegal for cars on the main roads. I was going to cheat the O2 sensors and put a dump valve on the exhaust to make it very loud and lots of horse power, but decided i'm just going to leave it be vs get locked up for having an illegal non DOT approved car on the road.

Had a 2003 Chevy Silverado with v8 require knock sensor replacement.... they buried the 2 sensors under the intake manifold to where you have to take the intake manifold off to get to them. I traded that truck for the 2016 Hyundai Elantra that i have now because in addition to the knock sensors being bad, the truck also had frame rot and a torsion bar was half rotted through and  drivers side leaf spring broke where it acts like a trail arm so accelerating you felt the rear axle want to move forward under the truck and that put force on U-joint and transmission. It was messed up badly so I traded it.

The Elantra has been a good car and with its 6-speed automatic very good gas mileage as well as the speedometer in it goes up to 160mph and if it wasnt for the shut off around 112mph it would probably top out around 130mph on a flat.  ;D

Here is the dash the elantra has... and the 160 mph is just silly. You have to put out serious horsepower to push past the 130mph barrier, and I doubt this 1.8 liter would go past 130 mph. I have no way of testing it safely so I hypothesize about its top speed. Nor do I want to be in jail for going over twice the speed limit if governor cheated. Its surprisingly a torquie 4 cylinder engine. 6th gear like 2000 rpms at 75 mph in the 65  ::)
http://rcdn.carreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/0921.jpg

strollin



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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2017, 08:32:23 AM »
I tow a 30ft trailer with my HD Chevy pickup.  For at least 10 years, truck mfrs (Chev, Ford, Dodge) have rated their auto tranny trucks with a higher tow rating than their trucks with manual tranny.

I drove manual tranny cars for quite a few years but don't care for them now.  I have a bad left knee and working the clutch with my left leg really bothers it.  It's fine for taking a Sunday drive but kills me when in traffic, shifting up/down constantly.

WD65

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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2017, 11:49:30 AM »
Strollin, I have some of the same issues with my legs. The automatic was the only way for me to enjoy driving my truck towing my 5th wheel. My truck is a older truck and has almost 400,000 miles on the original engine. Its still a strong engine and will pull my 30 footer great. I did one thing that helped me tow. I changed the transmission to a Th475. its a 3 speed transmission, but i put a different valve body and torque converter. It tows so much better than that old 700R4 p.o.s.!! I burnt up 2 of them!! That 3 speed has been working for several years now. still works great. Just in case you never heard of the TH475 its made for a Motor Home. I also added a big trans cooler and a trans temp gauge to make sure i don't burn it up. Also added electric fans to help it out too. I will be rebuilding that little old 5.0 V-8 soon. My truck is no hd like yours Strollin, but i can do alot with mine. Just shows what you can do with a lighter truck. I have regular tires and regular rear shocks and there is no sag at all. I am getting to busted up for towing and travel. But i will keep my baby for ever, unless someone totally screws it up in a accident. For us with issues with our health, Auto trans are the only way to go.
  DaveLembke, The way this trans works I can downshift and even at 45 to 50 mph it holds and holds down the speed. It will hold up the same speeds up hill too. My engine revs up to about 5000 rpm at 50 in second gear. That trans is really a beefed up trans. I don't have any issues with burning up the brakes with the combo i have. I haven't changed the brakes in about 50,000 miles so far. these vehicles can be set up to do things, they were never originally meant to do. It cost me almost $2500 for each of the rebuilds those old 700r4 tranys. It cost me about $1200 for the 475 trans. It has already lasted over twice as long as those other two.  I would check into modifying the transmission to work for you better than it does. There are a lot of mods for the automatics.
 About the speed, I had a Vega gt custom edition. it had a 6 speed trans in it and a turbo. it had a speedometer that went to 160 and one night i clocked it to about 200 mph!! scarey!!!! Never did it again!! That little 4 banger acted like a V-8! There are ways to modify the engines to do things you would never think of. Happy motoring!! Wd65

strollin



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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2017, 03:34:14 PM »
WD65 - My Chevy truck with Duramax diesel engine has an Allison transmission (Allison makes transmissions for heavy duty vehicles such as Fire Engines) and in the 13 years I've owned the truck it has performed flawlessly.  The tranny has a tow/haul mode that I can set that will allow me to download and use the engine for braking in order to maintain downhill speeds.  Works great.  I've only ever needed to do normal maintenance on it.

DaveLembke



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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2017, 01:16:00 PM »
Quote
About the speed, I had a Vega gt custom edition. it had a 6 speed trans in it and a turbo. it had a speedometer that went to 160 and one night i clocked it to about 200 mph!! scarey!!!! Never did it again!! That little 4 banger acted like a V-8! There are ways to modify the engines to do things you would never think of. Happy motoring!! Wd65

How did you clock it at about 200 mph with a speedometer that went to 160 mph as well as where did you find a safe stretch of road to try this?   :-\

Getting to about 120-130mph would be pretty quick, but would take much longer than a quarter mile to squeeze 160+ MPH out of it, as well as you need lots of torque with a 6 speed transmission to squeeze 200mph out and most V8's even with superchargers or turbo top out around 160-170mph and then red line and chance destroying the engine. NOS would likely burn a hole in the piston tops.

And a Vega GT Custom? I'd expect it to be a lightweight modern vs a Chevy Vega ... while its a small car its heavy in comparison to modern cars of similar size.

Do you have pictures of the engine and specs and car... maybe i can be proved wrong, but I just feel that what you said is hard to believe without proof. Not to upset you in any way, but it just seems hard to achieve with what you have.  :-\




patio

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Re: Technology Destroys the Automatic Transmission Myths.
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2017, 02:44:43 PM »
Pics...or it didn't happen...
" Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "