8 Speed Automatic

[Bandit]

I can see the concept, I guess. It just sounds like a nightmare to set up, and very expensive to fix. I guess if some aftermarket company would come out with a kit including the chip, installation parts for your vehicle, etc, all geared toward hot rodding, I would be very interested indeed. But I still wouldn't care if it cost me over $5K, which is likely.

Maybe down the road one day you will be able to attach a little sensor to the side of your head and the tranny will shift into whatever gear you are thinking, that would be cool too!

[Jim Nilsen]

In 1984 I remember the 1st to 4th shift in the Vettes. Many people who rode with me before they came out told me I was crazy for getting to 30mph then shifting to 4th to just go down the road and that I should have been going thru the gears. I just laughed and wondered why they thought that. Then the Vettes made it mandatory and I didn't look so dumb to them anymore.

I like the idea of a variable trans but the timing to move quickly for one spot to another isn't as fast as changing to a different gear would be ,hence the direction things are going I would think.

Selecting the right gear at the track still requires knowing variables like traffic and weather conditions along with driver skill for what is happening at the moment and that is something no computer will ever be able to help with and why most of us still want control over when and what gear we shift to. Having a little help when cruising to get the most out of it all seems like a way to go in cars like we are building so I look forward to seeing more of it and hope it all gets better with time.

Jim Nilsen

[Steve Chryssos]

Selecting the right gear at the track still requires knowing variables like traffic and weather conditions along with driver skill for what is happening at the moment and that is something no computer will ever be able to help with and why most of us still want control over when and what gear we shift to. Having a little help when cruising to get the most out of it all seems like a way to go in cars like we are building so I look forward to seeing more of it and hope it all gets better with time.
Jim Nilsen

Which is why manual mode is so important. Transmission computers get confused by wheelspin. The computer erroneously sees high wheelspeed and causes the transmission to upshift. Likewise the driver might lift when wheelspin is present. In this case the computer interprets the small throttle angle as low load. Once again, the transmission upshifts. This is true for both computer controlled and pre-computer controlled transmissions.

Conversely, an electronic transmission with manual mode will allow you to delay or actuate a shift to copensate for such situations. At Pigeon Forge, the conditions for the 1/8th mile track caused wheel hop off the line followed by wheelspin mid-track. Conditions were unpredictable to say the least.

My best run was made in manual mode as follows: Shift into 2nd gear almost immediately off the line to reduce torque multiplication. Shift into 3rd gear shortly thereafter (at about 4500rpm) to eliminate the mid track wheelspin.

[23corner_blitz]

watch the new lexus park itself

http://www.fquick.com/videos/viewvideo.php?id=520

[Leadfoot1]

......


Lead