Not one time have I ever felt 'out of control' in an auto, be it in the mountains or anywhere else. I hauled many loads of paper, charcoal, etc through the worst of the mountains east of the MS and never had a problem, smoked the brakes, etc. The same for the couple of trips I made to Seattle in the same truck.

If you don't put it in the manual mode and let it take off rolling, sure, it'll be hard to get it slowed back down, but that's exactly the same as in a manual tranny.

Putting the transmission in 'Low' changes the shift points in the transmission so it'll downshift at a much higher RPM. I'm thinking it would downshift at about 1,500. So, if you need to slow down quick, hitting the 'Low', turn the Jake on, and hit the brakes. You'll slow down..

Now, before anyone says something like "sure, do that in rain/snow/ice", well, you shouldn't be going so fast that you'd lose control of the speed of the truck anyway.

 

I never had a problem either, but then I had some extensive experience before I got an auto-shift. I was speaking in terms of "neophytes", and especially those with limited travel experience around the country in all kinds of weather conditions.

You're mostly correct, however...depending on the computer settings for the allowable downshift point, it may be more difficult and time consuming to downshift the autoshift than the manual. Its a much easier process with the manual than the autoshift..at least to me.

I think that you are or have used a very different auto-shift than I did. We had no "low" only manual or auto settings. And the blasted things were rather unforgiving about the rpm to downshift...if you were too high and tried it...all it would do is "beep" at you to say no.

On that point you are 100% correct!! Using jakes on snow or ice is suicidal. Wet roads are very iffy...

I can't help but think that new drivers should be required to drive a manual transmission for a couple of hundred thousand miles before using an automatic of any kind. I don't plan on ever driving an auto again other than my pickup truck.

 

I'm a newbie driver (2 months), but from what little I have driven before and during the CDL school, the above quote mirrors my thoughts word for word. You don't realize how much concentration is being focused on the shifting until you don't have to do it anymore. I can drive my truck without ever thinking of the shifter. If I choose, I can slip into manual mode and shift as stevedb28 spoke of and sometimes do, but usually if I'm making a turn or anything where I need to pay close attention to the truck and trailer, I slip the transmission into auto mode and let it take care of itself while I concentrate on getting through safely. Once I'm through the turn (or whatever), many times I'll go back to manual mode and force it to shift at lower rpms to keep my MPG up. If I'm just feeling lazy today....I leave it in auto 8)

 

I learned how to float gears in 1978 in a '68 Datsun from a truck driver buddy. I had to because the car was a POS and sometimes the hydraulic clutch would up and quit working.

All the cars that my wife and I own are manual trannies. When I went to driving school 2 1/2 years ago after being burnt out from the IT field, my instructor would chastise me for floating gears instead of double clutching because it was school policy to learn how to double clutch because the state DMV tested you on it. So I got my timing down on double clutching, single clutching and I already knew how to float gears. I passed my DMV test no problems.

I turned in 7 apps with 7 companies and got prehired by all of them. The company I chose was based in Seattle and when I took my drive test with them I did it in rush hour morning traffic. I asked my company tester what shifting he preferred and he said he didn't care as long as I didn't hit anything, so I double clutched and floated and he signed off on my driving skills. I got assigned my trainer for the 4 weeks on a new truck with less than 30,000 miles on it and a tight tranny so there were a couple of grrr's here and grrr's there as we broke in that tranny and smoothed out the sharp teeth some.

After the 4 weeks out with the trainer and a completed 4 page check list, the company assigns me my truck. I open the door to the truck and there's no shifter. I went back inside to ask why they assigned me a paddle shift truck and was told that was what they had available. I pissed and moaned, went and picked up my load to go home. I was embarrassed to tell anybody that I was assigned a paddle shift. I just told everyone that it was a 10 speed. Well my truck had the Manual/Auto mode button on it where the other company trucks were all manual paddle shifts.

Here is what I learned about it:

1. City driving, I loved it, driving in Seattle, Portland, San Fran, LA in rush hour was great. I put it in Auto mode and it up-shifted and downshifted great.

2. Highway driving, while getting on the freeway I would put it Auto mode, as soon as it hit 9th gear I switched it to manual mode so I could control the up-shift and downshift(beep, beep) damn, I forgot to wait for the RPM's to drop.

3. Mountain driving, Manual mode only, unless you want to smoke your brakes downhill because it's going to up-shift on you in Auto mode.

4. I-5 between Weed and Redding just put it in 9th gear and leave it there so you have good jakes (only when its dry pavement out) because the jakes are crap in 10th (my truck).

I had that truck for 8 months until the company sold it and moved me back into a 10 speed manual. Had to get my timing back for the sloppy 5/10 gear hole on that truck.

I left that company in June of this year to help my brother to do a network conversion, phone conversion and new data lines between branch offices of a company. In January I will be buying my own rig and leasing on to a company to do regional work 4-5 days out 2-3 days off so my wife won't divorce me.

I haven't decided between an autoshift or a 10/13 speed. Just whatever the best truck I can get for the right price.

 

Yeah, at first, the Super10 took a little while for me to get used to as well.

Just stick with it, and the more you do it, the easier it becomes!! Pretty soon, it'll just seem to be automatic!!

(Sorry, I just couldn't resist the pun!!) ops: ops:

 

super 10's i feel are the easiest transmission i have ever seen, once through the pattern and your done

 

I don't get you all who are saying you don't realize how much your concentrating on shifting until you don't have to do it anymore.
Something was missing when I wasn't shifting and I pay better attention to everything when I am driving my truck including shifting. The whole "package" so to speak.
I have never once thought I was a more attentive driver in my auto. Geeze, what would you have done back when you had to use 2 sticks?

 

For me I prefer the manuel I drove a automatic in Volvo for a while but didn't really like it I much prefer my 13 speed and 475 Cat.

 

Ladynorthstar, i have to agree with you, if others can't downshift and turn at the same time, then they might be in the wrong profession, sure an automatic is easy, but shifting gears is just as easy too. Anyway, like i said i'm with you, no auto's for me, tried them for 3 weeks, and not only did i feel like a yuppy, that thing was constantly doing things, as far as up, and down shifting when i didn't want it to. Manual transmissions for me all the way, but if others like the auto's, all the power to them.

 

or God forbid, THREE !!!