What do you think about geartronic driving??

[atbspinner]

I'm new to this type of transmission and I've been playing around with it for a few weeks but don't really find it very useful. Seems the shifting is much more harsh with it and I do not push the rpm's. I've tried to stay close to the auto shift pattern and it is okay at best. It just seems like it might not be the best thing for the longevity of the drivetrain. I had one incident where it was shifting from 1st to 2nd and there was an uncharacteristic thud from the transmission. I've never had anything close to a skip or slip with it in auto. The car has been serviced EVERY 5k with the dealer and ALL maintenance is documented (86k now). I just don't want to get into premature tranny issues if the geartronic could cause any. What do you guys think???

[tgwillard]

I sometimes use the geartronic to downshift when coming to a stop down an incline. I imagine I am saving a bit on the brakes when I do this. Other than that I really don't know the advantage of using it. I often wonder if gas mileage would be any better if I took it out of drive and put it in fifth gear when cruising on the interstate. I must be careful not to reach for it while driving the wife's S80, which does not have it.

[atbspinner]

The times I've been at highway speed (50+) I've noticed it's already in 5th when I switch it. I guess the downshifting will cause less brake dust and I might not have to clean the wheels every 2 days. :D

[JRL]

I sometimes use the geartronic to downshift when coming to a stop down an incline. I imagine I am saving a bit on the brakes when I do this. Other than that I really don't know the advantage of using it. I often wonder if gas mileage would be any better if I took it out of drive and put it in fifth gear when cruising on the interstate. I must be careful not to reach for it while driving the wife's S80, which does not have it.

Let's see, front brakes about $150 installed,:rolleyes: new transmission about $4000 installed.:eek:
DO NOT engine brake to save brakes, pointless and dumb and harmful
and no you really won't save any gas, best way is a light foot

[gibbons]

My brake dust issues went completely away when I switch to Napa's premium pads all the way around. Hard to believe, but no dust.

[Mink]

The only times I've found Geartronic useful are on long, steep passes, up and down. Going up it helps if the car is hunting between gears. Probably takes some strain off the trannie, too.

Going down - while I get JRL's argument about the cost of brake pads - I'm concerned about riding the brakes for miles, possibly overheating them to the point that they fade or warp the disc.

BTW I haven't found any references to suggest that using engine compression to maintain downhill speed damages an auto gearbox - several advanced driving sites recommend it - although I'm sure that whacking it into a low gear to lose speed suddenly isn't a good idea, any more than it is with a manual box.

[MoeB]

I use the manual shift for fun sometimes, but most of the time I'm too lazy to play with it.


My brake dust issues went completely away when I switch to Napa's premium pads all the way around. Hard to believe, but no dust.

How does brake noise with those Napa pads compare to Volvo OEM pads? Any sqealing?

[Ragman]

20 miles down a 30% grade, almost daily...I shift into third to maintain 40,45mph.

Havn't had a problem yet. VW encourages it so I've practiced it & I've also done it in my 240 and my oldsmobile.

A car that boasts rugged, reliable AWD, offers geartronic shifting and costs 35K+ new better be able to do it too!

I forgave Volvo for my '01 tranny problems but I treat my '04 just like I treat my other vehicles. If it fails, I will park it on the side of this steep, heavily travelled, freshly paved mountain road with the hood up and a sign on both sides that says "BUY SUBARU".

[goldxc70]

Only time I've found the manual mode useful is driving fast in hilly country where the automatic seems to have difficulty selecting the right gear. Sometimes I use it in city driving and it does seem to save gas by keeping the revs below 2,000 rpm. But, as JRL said below, that can also be done by using a light foot.

[JRL]

I forgave Volvo for my '01 tranny problems but I treat my '04 just like I treat my other vehicles. If it fails, I will park it on the side of this steep, heavily travelled, freshly paved mountain road with the hood up and a sign on both sides that says "BUY SUBARU".



I would go farther and leave it in neutral, no e-brake with the car aimed towards the side of the mountain road, preferrably on an downward incline, facing forward and DOWN! [sly]

[skibo]

I'd much prefer a more conventional 'no higher than' system - where you can limit the tranny to not exceed 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st gear, but it shifts normally below that threshold.

I use that feature all the time in my daily driver - limit it to 3rd around town and let it use all 4 gears on the highway - much better throttle response in medium speed, stop and go driving.

I don't see much value to the gear-tronic.
- It won't save fuel, as the penalty for an auto tranny come from losses in the torque converter, I believe.
- I can't imagine choosing a higher gear than the system would choose for itself
- A few times, I've downshifted in town, forgot I was in GT mode, and at the next light, the car remained in 1st as I took off - causing me to think there was a problem for an instant.

[webo]

i use the manual shift when driving speed are below 40miles, the transmission shifts between 4-5 gear constantly on low speed, lockup problems, with manual gearing its fine.

[Ragman]

I would go farther and leave it in neutral, no e-brake with the car aimed towards the side of the mountain road, preferrably on an downward incline, facing forward and DOWN! [sly]

Then people would think I screwed up.

[goldxc70]

- A few times, I've downshifted in town, forgot I was in GT mode, and at the next light, the car remained in 1st as I took off - causing me to think there was a problem for an instant.

I have to admit I've done that on a few occasions as well :eek:

[JRL]

I did that all the time with my 1st Geartronic in my 01 XC.
It wakes you up real quick when the motor is screaming at 5500 RPM! :eek:

[WeenerDog]

I'd much prefer a more conventional 'no higher than' system - where you can limit the tranny to not exceed 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st gear, but it shifts normally below that threshold.


I guess I need to read my manual again; mine seems to still have the 'kickdown' feature in GT mode... I doubt they'd let you bog the engine too much. So, as far as I can tell it is like the conventional 'no higher than' system...

[wgriswold]

Mine will kick down, but not up. So, like a lot of us, I have set the geartronic at 3 and then forgotten and stopped at a stop light and then taken off and it will not shift up. At that point is no higher than 1. The howling engine wakes me up and I shift to D and all is well.

[Brave855]

Most of you will perhaps not drive with a fully loaded travel trailer of 1600 kgs (3520 lbs) (in Europe commonly refered to as a caravan) + 2 adults + 3 teenagers/twens in the car, I can assure you that when you drive in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France, Norway or Spain and cross the Alps, Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada or other higher mountainous areas, a geartronic is extremely convenient both up -and downwards. Upwards you have much better controllable pulling power and downwards you have better braking power utilising the engine in combination with the brakes. I have traveled most mountainous areas in Europe with my travel trailer and the geartronic in my then V70 2.4T worked perfectly. Also in Taiwan where we live currently, I apply the geartronic in my XC70 frequently while driving in the mountains.

[goldxc70]

It wakes you up real quick when the motor is screaming at 5500 RPM! :eek:

It sure does! First thought, what in the hell is wrong? Second, d'oh! Followed by relief that nothing is wrong and quickly shift back to Auto :)

[atbspinner]

My brake dust issues went completely away when I switch to Napa's premium pads all the way around. Hard to believe, but no dust.

Do you have any noise from these pads? Also, are you running oem rotors?

I have run mintex semi-metallic on my old S70 and cut the dust by about 50%and the color of the dust was more greyish instead of black so it was not as noticable.

[Forkster]

I'm with JRL - any wear and tear from using transmissions to slow down is not good for it - even the MT 5 speed European version. Downshifting for LONG hills - yes, put it into geartronic mode and go down a gear or two. I do it all the time and it would be expected, especially in Cruise control - sometimes have to do it for hills to downshift to fourth because the engine is still in 5th.

Brakes are cheap and should be the primary means of slowing down our HEAVY wagons. At 4100lbs, the XC's are no lightweights: Hence the amount of care required and the flushing trannies every 50'000 miles.

[goldxc70]

Also, I'm guessing that using the gearbox for braking would not be good for fuel economy.

[Mink]

I forgave Volvo for my '01 tranny problems but I treat my '04 just like I treat my other vehicles. If it fails, I will park it on the side of this steep, heavily travelled, freshly paved mountain road with the hood up and a sign on both sides that says "BUY SUBARU".

:D This had my wife asking me to share the joke.


Also, I'm guessing that using the gearbox for braking would not be good for fuel economy.

I think I read somewhere that the engine management system shuts down gas supply completely when we're going downhill, so it's basically a free ride. If you pick a higher gear ratio, it's gravity that's pushing up your revs, not gas, so I'd imagine it's still a free ride. No?

[howardc64]

I have these in my T5's front. No noise, No dust. Slow wear on the rotor (compared to the Mintex on wife's XC70)

The Napa counter guy told me it is made by Akebono. I bet it is exactly same as the Akebono Euro ceremic pads for this car.

[dlr97]

All modern fuel-injection systems shut off fuel on overrun, so fuel consumption is not an issue. I agree that the Geartronic function should not be used normally for slowing down, but for mountain driving on curvy roads and LONG downgrades, I shift manually. It keeps the car in the gear I want, improves control in frequent turns, and reduces the total number of gear changes that the auto would do on its own. On long downgrades it reduces the chance of dangerous brake fade.

Wish we could get the 6-M gearbox and D-5 here in the US!

[howardc64]

I use manual mode in 2 cases

1. Going up long hills. It is obvious auto mode doesn't lock up because you can tell there is no gear at that particular RPM + speed (manual mode proves this)

2. More spirited driving where I can keep the engine above 2K RPM and have good torque available.

In either case, I put it back in auto mode as I come to a stop or slowing down to make a turn. I recall manual mode downshifting to 1 on stop was harsh at times. Plus auto mode would always leave me in about the right gear when applying gas again.

[PierreC]

Only time I've found the manual mode useful is driving fast in hilly country where the automatic seems to have difficulty selecting the right gear.

Ditto!

[n00bkiller944]

^^^^I use it for howardsc64's 2nd idea, it cuts away the turbo lag...