How are S and D modes different?

A while back I read it on here. There was a post dealing with it. I think it had the YT video and someones dealer showing it to them during a test drive.

 

Seems like the possibility of it getting bumped into reverse on accident at hiway speed is very real considering the numbers of vehicles on the road.

As such, I sure would think there would be some kind of automatic override implemented in the system.

But if there was, it sure seems like we'd know about it by now. Funny one.

 

This has been my complaint from the start. Pick any combination of underpowered engine mated to a mis-geared transmission....to the point where you have to stomp on it or continually downshift to pass or go up a mild grade.

It's been designed to make it's EPA mpg rating. And if you take notes and do the math it's less.


I think the only remedy is never use cruise control, always use ect, or look into those aftermarket transmission tuners.

 

I think S mode does have a different shift map than D. And I have read that ETC mode in S is a different map as well. So if I understand correctly the are 4 shift maps.

But it was quite a while back when I read that. I've slept since then.

 

I have been driving with in S mode for about a month. I have the ECT always on mod. I have driven in normal drive, ECT and S mode. There is a difference in ECT and S mode for shifting in lower gears. What I do like is the capability to auto stick the gears. Coming on the freeway I shift to 3 and punch it. The 3500RPM and power comes quick. Then I shift to 4th to get to speed then 6th to cruise.

There is little to no gear hunting, also I now know when it hunts and can stop it by shifting down to a lower gear.

Long story short...I drive it like a manual Porsche with shift paddles.

Manual stick purists would call this blasphemy and ask why I just didn't get a manual. My answer is I thought the auto would be better. I bought my truck in September of 2016...the first 2017 on the lot. Not a lot of info on the gearbox issue then.

 

I've tried driving like that but the truck shifts to slowly (electronic gear transition when I manually shift) to make it as much fun as other manual shifting autos I have had.

 

That wasn't my point at all. I never use ECT and my taco drives fairly well. I don't have the gear hunting, I don't have poor acceleration or shifting. I won't say it's perfect, but for the most part it's fine. I use the S mode in the mountains some to lock out gears.

My observation is that in my truck S and D seem rather similar. If they are different it's not enough to make much of an observable difference.

 

Interesting there's so much difference from one to the next. D vs S mode in my truck is a huge difference. Night and day. Maybe it's because I don't have as many miles as some.

 

The truck simply stays neutral and shows the backup camera.

I don't have the link but someone on facebook posted a vid of themselves doing it.

 

I've got 25K miles so maybe my D has learned to drive right. I do wonder if those who weren't patient and drove with ETC on all the time prevented proper learning.

 

I guess you'll reach the same conclusion at some point.

 

My experience in 10,000 miles: (yours may vary)

• My 2018 shifted early and crappy on day 1.
• I installed a Shift Sense Pro and it is awesome, 3 shift modes including a super aggressive mode.
• I had the "stumble condition" TSB done at 5,000 miles. This worked like magic and strikingly similar to how my SSP shifts.
• I only use D mode now with SSP off, and the truck shifts perfectly....but I am kind of aggressive with the throttle by nature.
• I love how the truck shifts now and I don't even think about it anymore....unless I use cruise control on a hilly road...that is where the shift patterns are still majorly screwy and I quickly turn CC off when climbing a good hill at highway speeds. If I leave CC on in that situation the truck will wind out long past the peak of the hill and keep revved well past the point it should upshift. I would have thought the engineers would have used the silly pitch and angle meters to help program operation on hilly roads....but they obviously didn't.

Oh, and to answer the OP: S mode for me is a novelty that shifts by its program only and doesn't learn or adjust. I have used it enough to know that it isn't a solution to any of my issues. SSP and the ECU TSB update were solutions. Also, S mode "manual" shifting is slow, like 1 second after you "manually" shift. Maybe I'll find a use for this someday.

 

Had it made no difference in fact it presented feed back in my stereo and unit had to be replaced

 

I honestly can’t tell the difference when ect is on or off either? Seems to drive the same either way...

 

My rpm's go up immediately when I hit the ECT button. If you can't tell a difference, this makes me think yours might not be working correctly.

 

I'm at 4300k right now and my fuel economy has been steadily falling since I bought it. I was initially getting 20+mpg, it's gotten to 16-17mpg lately. I started driving in S6, with no cruise and it's back in the 20s again. What gives?

 

What are the manual aspects of shift mode?

 

He means shifting when you want, up and down, rather than letting it shift on its own.

 

I need to look into this. That would be great when towing. My wife’s Jeep just has a button on the dash which is nice.

My is pretty much the same too. However I do notice it holding gears much longer on inclines.

 

it is very simple to add a switch for "anytime rear camera". seems safer and more convenient to decouple shifting and camera when moving forward.
unless you are in love with plug and play or can't do the simplest of soldering, you can
easily do it yourself with some wire and a soldering iron and a switch mounted
inconspicuously on the dash..essentially for free.
oh yeah, a fused circuit extender for 12V acc is a good idea...only expense. very cheap on ebay. just plugs into the interior fuse block.