Can someone please give me a lesson on the autostick. Do I start in 1 or 4. Sounds stupid I know. Only reason I ask is because when I started in 1 it felt like the car was struggiling to accelerate. Once I switch to 4 it seemed like it was driving normal. Help please.

 

I'm confused .... why don't you drive in "D", which is normal driving for autostick?

 

Auto stick should be driven in "D" for all normal street driving. The 1,2,3,4, are for spirited driving through the twisties or if you are racing. The purpose of the 1,2,3,4 is to allow you to hold the engine in the lower gears as you accelerate giving maximum engine torque and Horsepower RPM's to the rear wheels.

I find that in rubbernecking traffic you can use the 3rd gear or 4th gear to make that experience less unpleasant and use your brakes less. Otherwise for city and Interstate driving just put it in "D"

It is, after all, just an automatic tranny. While it resides in a really cool "sports car," it is OK to drive it like a "normal" car.

Roadster with a stick
"as it should be"

 

Don't be surprised if you get flamed about this question.

I am going to assume this is a legit question, in that case, the numbers 1 through 4 then the big D are indicators of the gears being used, with one being first (lowest) and so on with D being 5th gear (highest).

1st gear is where you will start from a stop. This gear, much like a bicycles low gear, allows you to get the wheels turning from a stop and requires the engine to push hard. As you accelerate and gain momentum, you need less push to get the car moving faster and as a result move up to higher gears. When in a steady state speed and needing to get a burst of speed (to pass a car or enter an on ramp to a highway), you will need that extra push and consequently will need to go back to a lower gear.

The auto-stick when left in the fully auto mode will do this all for you. When choosing your gears, it will hold that gear until it reaches a specific speed (and RPM) then will automatically upshift if you have not done so manually to protect the engine. In turn you can use the auto-stick feature to help slow the car requiring less brake input by using the engine speed as a brake.

So to answer your basic question, no the car will not accellate faster or smoother from a stop more smoothly in a higher gear (as you said 4) than using a lower gear (1). On the other hand, if the car is already rolling, depending on the speed it is traveling, droping it to a lower gear can cause the car to slow without stepping on the brake.

Tried to explain this in the most simple of terms.

 

I use my autostick constantly while driving. I use it a lot to help slow down (curves or at a stop light). This helps reduce the brake wear (and dust on the wheels). Having it in 1st gear shouldn't change your acceleration whatsoever. However, you are only going to go so fast in 1st.

Downshifting while on curves or getting on the highway will help keep your engine at an optimal RPM range for acceleration/braking. My suggestion is to play with the autostick more as you drive and you will get the hang of how it works.

 

all that autostick shifting to save on brakes & dust could just be the cost of a new tranny later down the road !!!! Just keep it in D !!!!!!!!!

 

You all were kind, I thought it was a set up till I realized it was a new member...Im old enough to remember long before autostick you just did the same thing with the shifter on the column ie.. dads 67 Olds Delta 88 and many other cars as well

 

I could start this argument AGAIN but I won't.

Except to tell you that this tranny was designed and built to do just that.

Put bluntly, "This ain't your daddy's Oldsmobile"

I have yet to hear of a tranny failure because anyone with one of these or the manual tranny downshifted too often.
Doesn't happen.
Ain't gonna happen.

More than reducing the dust on your wheels, downshifting gives the driver more control of the vehicle, especially on rainy and slippery roads as the front wheels, where most of the brake action is done, continue to turn freely when you use the rear wheels,ala the tranny, to slow down the vehicle.

Won't hurt the tranny.

Won't hurt the engine.

Engine, steering wheel, tranny, all are built for driving the car.
Brakes are for stopping the car.
It's simple, really.

Hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelin's.


roadster with a stick

 

It took me a minute, but I figured out what's going on. When you're in 1st gear just like SRT SIX said it's kind of a granny gear. When you're in 4, the automatic transmission is taking over and you're probably in 2nd. When you've got your car in D mode most of the time you don't notice the transition between 1 and 2 because it's only in 1st gear for a few seconds.

Just to recap, Just because it say's 4 on the dash doesn't mean it's in 4th gear. When you get to 4 though it won't go into 5th until you either manually put it there or you hit the 6k rpm or close to it.

 

Yeah, I really don't like this. I wish the car would shift to the gear I want when I put it there EXCEPT in the case that I would do damage to the engine or tranny. This is my 1st auto sports car (totally tabot 20 years ago for me - sports car = manual trans) but I would like it to shift when I tell it to.

 

OK yeah you just keep on shifting that auto tranny !!!! Thr repairmans coming !!!!!! Built to take it oh yea where have I heard that before !!!! Just like the warranties !!! Might as well be written on toilet paper !!!!

 

Srt guys have been blowing rear ends on these. Yet I have not heard of one blown tranny. Bad rear seals or cable seals from the factoy yes but not blown or damaged by hard driving.

Maybe, you've been driving too many chevy's or pushing your minivan too hard.
roadster with a stick

BTW, the warrantee is likely the only part of your Crossfire that was American made. What does that tell you?

 

Franc is getting right to the point today, the contol enjoyed by those of us with six speed shifters has as much to do with the clutch as it does shifting, and for me i am willing to give up th HP increase to have three pedals. My wifes Charger RT has an autostick. stays in "D" I guess im just old, need a clutch to shift gears. btw has anyone put a clutch petal and man. tranny in an SRT.

 

MUSTANG here fords for ever !!!!!!!!!!!! You want to shift get a stick !!!! Leave the auto trans alone !!!! They are for women & old men that dont wan to shift any more !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Them There are Fighten words.

 

That it's not worth ****?

 

Haha, I think he's just bustin' your ***** Franc...

I hate the autostick on my SRT6... it's worse than the one on my stratus. It refuses to listen to me.

I also use it for slowing the car down. My stratus has 130k miles on it, been doing it almost since I got the car. I'd imagine a Mercedes transmission would hold up to the wear and tear even more so...

 

Since I am the consumate "roadster with a stick" and truly believe it ain't a sports car if it has a slush box, I can't argue the comments about old guys and women. I agree.

But I must defend the auto gearbox in the Crossie. Got one in the wife's SRT. It is the last component I would worry about on the car. Especialy in the NA version.

I would suggest that the auto in the NA would not give the
performance on roads like the Dragon that I can squeeze out of my Stick Box NA. But then I haven't tried. Don't plan too either.

That said, I have no apologies about my little pedal roadster. Seemed to keep up with the SC version all the times I was running with them there.


However,
One on one on the Interstate, Crumpy still beats me home in her SRT.

roadster with a stick
"as it should be"

 

Franc and I have argued this before...but, I ran a B&M automatic in my '71 big block chevy years and years ago, and have had both stick and auto's since then...the B&M with it's beefed up valve body, and a 3500 stall converter would run with all the sticks out there, mostly 4 speed in their day...today, with computer added and safe guards in place, they aren't going to shift instantly like the B&M did...it would bang gears just like any stick...it was only a 3 speed, but that is all you need for the 1/4 mile...but today, people want to do the twisties and such...these tranny's can be ran hard, but one thing will take it's toll...heat soak...we talk about heat soak with the aluminum engine all the time, but play with the tranny long enough, and heat will takes it toll...most on the torque convertor, and the valve body...they will take a lot...but not for a long time...the 1/4 miles isn't a long time...the Dragon is....

 

True or not doc, you aren't gonna hurt it downshifting as you come off the highway. Fairly tame manouvre and not much heat will develope.

Can't say that about the brakes. Yes they are designed for it but the design includes an intentional sacrificial part. And the bloody mess gets all over my wheels.
Costs nothing to downshift. Clean up is a snap.

Plain and simple.


franc