Toggle switches on auto

[JimmyTwoTimes]

So what difference is there between S and D? I haven't messed with anything other than D and Sport+ as well as Wet/Snow mode.

If you mean S and D on the automatic transmission, then S will hold on to gears longer, downshift sooner, and (if you use the paddle shifters) will hold gears until you tell it to change, and will hold at redline.

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[xTexasfightx]

If you mean S and D on the automatic transmission, then S will hold on to gears longer, downshift sooner, and (if you use the paddle shifters) will hold gears until you tell it to change, and will hold at redline.

What kind of performance differences will I notice doing that? I don't use my paddle shifters much, if at all.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

What kind of performance differences will I notice doing that? I don't use my paddle shifters much, if at all.

I've noticed a pretty big difference.

I normally drive around with 5%-10% throttle, and in D the transmission normally upshifts at about 1,800 rpm. In S, it holds until around 3,000 rpm. The difference is VERY noticeable.

 

[xTexasfightx]

I've noticed a pretty big difference.

I normally drive around with 5%-10% throttle, and in D the transmission normally upshifts at about 1,800 rpm. In S, it holds until around 3,000 rpm. The difference is VERY noticeable.

I'm not much of a gearhead, clearly. What does that difference translate to, for us that aren't really familiar with all the technical stuff?

 

[Scott in Houston]

I'm not much of a gearhead, clearly. What does that difference translate to, for us that aren't really familiar with all the technical stuff?

That's his schtick. I think he trolls this board very hard.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

That's his schtick. I think he trolls this board very hard.

That's actually not a schtick. What I said there is actually 100% truth. I joke around here and there, but I wouldn't give bad information to someone who's genuinely looking to find something out.

xTexasfightx, the transmission holds gears in S a lot longer, meaning that you get higher up in the rev band and you get a lot more power before it puts you in a higher gear. The higher the RPM's (up to a point) the more power the engine is making. In the GT, redline (the fastest the engine will spin) is 6,500 rpm, and power increases basically right up until redline. In the Ecoboost power starts to fall off about 1,000 rpm short of redline, I think (from the last dyno charts I remember seeing). So the longer the transmission stays in gear, and the higher up the engine revs, the more power you get.

Me personally, I tend to be VERY light on the throttle. I stick to the old "drive like there's an egg under your foot and you're trying not to crack it" mantra that every single person who was ever taught to drive in snow in the Northeast gets taught. So when I'm driving, in D, the car will usually be in sixth gear by the time I get to about 35 mph because I'm so light on the gas. In S, it'll probably only be in third gear at that point -- meaning that the engine is higher in the rev band, making more power, and thus more immediately able to accelerate quicker if I goose the throttle.

 

[xTexasfightx]

Thanks

 

[OppoLock]

I suspect they do this by speeding up the throttle angle versus input at pedal rather than true throttle response, but either way, it feels like better response.

That's all they can do to change throttle characteristics; it's a throttle-by-wire system, so there are different maps in each mode.

People thinking it "wakes the car up" are just getting wider throttle opening with less pedal input. Nothing mechanical is changing not are there any engine control changes.

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