[HeroofTime]

Hey all, I'm back with another newbie question.

Can someone explain how to use the Geartronic transmission function? I've been bored lately and need something to pick up on. I got curious one day and tried Geartronic while cruising down a highway ramp to enter the highway, but I can't remember what I did that scared me and made me go back into regular automatic mode. I think I went from 1st gear to 2nd gear too early or something and the car started to shake a little, I don't know I can't remember.

Anyways, please and thank you!

 

[rkam]

I've read somewhere that the Geartronic manual function in Volvo will not chicken out and override your choice unless the engine rpm becomes extremely low.
Upward I believe you can reach the rpm limit of the engine without/until the gearbox will override your choice and change into another gear.

Cruising down a highway ramp in 1st gear doesn't sound right.

If you start in 1st gear and selects 2nd too soon, the engine rpm will become very low, and the engine might struggle a bit.

 

[HeroofTime]

Okay. That's good to hear at least (the fact that nothing bad happened). Question is, how do I actually go about using Geartronic? I really don't know when to shift, and when to downshift. I will try learning where there are low to no cars around, and that's what I did when climbing down a long curly ramp to the highway. I was going slow!

 

[rkam]

After driving your good old 144 with manual gear for some time, you kind of get an instinctive feeling of where the gear stick needs to be according to your driving plan for the nearest future. You can also hear the engine, so you know if it runs smooth and effortless.
If you plan to overtake another car you just know which gear to select to get the acceleration you want.

In a well insulated modern automatic car, you can't easily get this experience or feel for the engine and performance.
In addition, the gearstick is just + and -, and not a particular position that your body can remember with little brain activity.
If the automatic gearbox is well programmed and performs well, I guess there are not much point in using the Geartronic function.

If you do get the feel for the car, and know you are going to do something that the car don't know yet, you might use the manual function to get the rpm you want from the engine for the action you have planned. This way you can save the time that your transmission and engine would have had to spend figuring out what you wanted when you started the action.

You can also use it when you don't really want a kick-down situation, but you want the engine to be ready for some less aggressive acceleration than wide open throttle.

You can also use it downhill to increase engine breaking.

 

[SkyWriter]

I agree mostly with rkam concerning usage. I use mine all the time for these scenarios:
1) Stay in first longer accelerating from a stop.
2) Downshift to 3rd to pass on a highway.
3) Downshift to 2nd to accelerate on highway entrance ramp.
4) Downshift to 3rd to when in heavy traffic traveling at moderate speed to keep from using the brake.
5) Downshifting to 2nd and 3rd to slow down with the expectation of quickly accelerating.

Downshifting to 1st while in motion is usually problematic. The ratio is just too high.

 

[Ou2mame]

I drive a stick but also have an auto xc90 with the geartronic whatever and its a pretty terrible experience. I've driven a porsche with paddle shifters and this is nothing like either.

I would use it to down shift if going down a hill in the snow to engine brake, or if i was towing something and the auto was struggling to find a gear, but for everyday commuting I found it pretty lethargic. It's like the complete opposite of driving stick.

 

[HeroofTime]

Cool guys thank you very much for all the help. Now I understand how to somewhat go along using it! I guess the more you use it, the more you get a feel for when to shift depending on what circumstance you're in. It becomes second nature I suppose.

 

[matt5112]

I agree mostly with rkam concerning usage. I use mine all the time for these scenarios:
1) Stay in first longer accelerating from a stop.
2) Downshift to 3rd to pass on a highway.
3) Downshift to 2nd to accelerate on highway entrance ram.
4) Downshift to 3rd to when in heavy traffic traveling at moderate speed to keep from using the brake.
5) Downshifting to 2nd and 3rd to slow down with the expectation of quickly accelerating.

Downshifting to 1st while in motion is usually problematic. The ratio is just too high.

You need better/solid upper engine mount bushings. Downshift into first and hammer it for a good ol' fashioned ME7 boost overshoot fun time.

 

[SkyWriter]

LOL! I'll try it Although, I did go through a couple of upper engine bushings already