The next gen transmissions will be smarter

They say your transmission will 'learn" your driving habits. But I think they missed one real important feature that could make a world of difference and cost very little.

Current transmission are really very dumb, they just know what your asking of them at the moment you press on the gas and measure the load.

My idea goes to the next level, anticipating what you will need it to do.

We already know the 6 speed transmission sucks to put it politely. Shifting down seems to be the answer to generate more power but your already behind the curve and reacting to the need for power.

What if, the transmission knows what you will want? What if it were to change shift points before you had to put your foot into it?

So here is the idea.
A computer can measure the pitch or tilt of the truck. We have this in our smart phones. I live in a hilly area and I would bet most of us do. Even a gentle slope will take more power to climb it.
Unless you floor it, the truck shifts very quickly to the next gear keeping the RPMs down and thus power down.

So here is theory. At a stop or anywhere actually, the computer knows the tilt of the vehicle at all times. As you start to move the computer tells the transmission your on a hill, maybe a steep one and moves the shift point accordingly so that you get more power/RPM starting with the first gear. So when you get to the next shift point the RPM is still up in the power range to continue to provide the power for that climb. Shift points continue to change given your tilt.

The end result could be amazing. Smoother performance, no more downshifting to generate more power unless the driver punches it, wear and tear on the transmission goes down and post importantly a feeling of performance is restored.

And yes, going down hill can be much safer. We get a little drag now but knowing the downhill tilt could be a game changer and a real safety feature.

Anyone else here of such an idea?

 

Isn't a similar concept in use in high end European vehicles using GPS data?

 

Sounds good in practice... then someone throws a leveling kit on it.

Come to think of it... I want to say that it was mentioned once before in a thread here. Something about about leveling kits and third gen transmission issues. I'll link if I can find it.

 

I do not know why GPS would be needed, tilt would not need any external support.

 

If a leaving kit were used a reset feature could reestablish level.

 

Funny. This is what the manual transmission is for. Problem solved

 

It's not only tilt that is recognized in those vehicle but appropriate gear / speed when approaching / during / exiting a turn or corning.

 

Yep, that would do it, duh. Hopefully they would let us do it and not make it a dealer only kind of thing.

 

They just need to start over and figure it out. We have 2016/17 rams at work with the 8 speed transmission and they work GREAT. 90% of the time you don't even feel it shift and the only time you do is when you floor it and it gets to work. I can't understand how they jacked up the transmission as bad as they did. I test drove a 2017 last Thursday and it was horrible.

 

One more feature that can make a vehicle smarter. We call it a slip skid indicator in an airplane. It will tell you if you are sliding sideways per se. On ice it could cause you to let the vehicle coast to regain steering control or even alert you to a slip.

 

Cvt tranny

 

Step on the ball.

Ya man yaw is measured on modern vehicles.

I think the auto technology is about to take a giant leap foreword. Several companies (not just automotive but also auto vendors) are doing some very detail mapping for future autonomous vehicles. As this technology comes on line AND the V2V stuff (think TCAS if you're an aviation guy) and V2 infrastructure spool up, vehicles really will be able to predict the most logical thing to do...assuming the programming is correct & all systems are in the green.

 

Don't bother finding it. That was the most poorly executed "study" I've ever seen.

 

I don't know what shift logic Honda is using on the 2017 Ridgeline, but it shifts perfectly and is always in the right gear. My wife's BMW X3 has an eight speed and it also shifts perfectly. The right technology is out there, unfortunately Toyota doesn't have it yet!

 

Wouldn't it better to just make the driver smarter? You know, like more training so then he/she'll be capable of driving a manual trans (among skills) and anticipating the proper gear. I swear all the car manufactures are actively trying to make drivers dumber.

 

Exactly. Given the technology, R&D and funds available to car companies a transmission and or engine should never be an issue this day and time.

 

Was that bradwhitenikki's driveway study?

 

I could go with that.

Or another angle is the drivers are already dumb, and they are just being accommodated. Like there are several posts a week around here (and other forums for other marquees) asking questions about rudimentary automotive things, things that are in owners manuals. Like 'why is my maintenance required light on?'.

@Marc529 while you are teching out the new trans, could you get them to return the dipstick?

#savethedipstick #dipsticksmatter

 

Manual transmissions do this but requires driver input and execution. A CVT would be horrible in this application. Had a 2013 Subaru Outback with one, felt ok but completly gutless. More power and low end torque would help in these trucks, but fuel economy and programming really screwed over this design. Hopefully there will be a ECM fix this summer to help. Mine is a manual so not that big of a deal, just keep the RPM's between 2500-3000 and everything is fine.