Automatics?????

[tiggz]

First off sorry I haven’t been about, freeserve have taken ages to re-connect my broadband connection at my new gaff… won’t tell ya what i think of em!

Anyway, working for this firm at the moment, really enjoying it, friendly bunch. There getting a new fleet of automatic volvo’s over the next couple of weeks. Having never driven an automatic car let alone a lorry is there anything bad/good about them and anything i should watch out for. I have already been informed that reversing can be a bit dodgy because you have to reverse at speed and not on tick over. Is there anything else?

cheers for any advise/tips in advance ■■

Tiggz

[alan_1]

Some are better than others, the old Iveco semi box’s where a nightmare on tight rverses, especially down hill ones, but the latest Iveco box is much nicer to use.
The main problems I have found with auto box’s is that your road speed increases much slower than on a manual box & also that they can move in jumps when attempting to move gently, in any direction.
I know I have driven an automatic Volvo, but don’t remember what it was like to drive, so would guess it was OK rather than good or bad.

[arfa]

We have about 3 Auto Volvo’s but I’m sorry I’ve never driven them YET but I would like too because being automatic they can put themselves on the bay

[quinny]

We have Rob K’s favourite trucks with auto boxes,Renault Premiums,which have the ZF AsTronic box.(I think.)

Apart fron the product,what can I tell you?

If you come to a stop,and need a quick getaway,forget it.The electronics have to think about what they’re going to do,and take about 1.5 seconds to select the appropriate gear.Useless in heavy traffic,unless you plan ahead.

They optimize the revs for fuel consumption,so the box tends to change up early,giving a feeling that the engine is labouring,which,when loaded is pants.

Manual mode is better for the above 2,and you can scream the nuts out of it,unless you are a company person and care about the fuel figures.

It takes a while for the electronics to recognise that you’ve selected reverse,so you tend to have to wait while they swap over,making you look like you’ve stopped in the middle of the road to Joe public,and are about to stay there.

In heavy traffic,in auto mode,it will come up on the dashboard ‘Clutch wear’ making auto changes impossible for a while,so it automatically goes into manual mode,and starts off at 1L,meaning you have to do some work,and flick the gear lever to change up/down.I get a sweat on when I have to do that.

No clutch.

1/2 shifts are possible throughout in manual mode,but auto changes to what it thinks in relation to load and speed,and does block shift.

Apart from that,they’re not that bad, (but sluggish compared to their full time manual counterparts) and they tend to make you lazy.All I need now is for someone to drive the ruddy thing.

Ken.

[tc]

Only drove one (Actros) hated the bloody thing!!

I will keep my gears as long as I can!

[dratsabasti]

I liked the Actros auto. From standstill to 56mph, 7 changes all by itself.
I didn’t find much problem with stop start in traffic, pretty much the same as the manual, slow to change.

[old_bird]

I drove an semi-automatic Stralis once, only for a short distance though, and I wasn’t very happy with starting off from junctions, islands etc. I was talking to the lads that usually drove them when I got back, and they said being a semi, that you could put it in a gear to start off then switch back to semi. I can’t remember seeing a gear on it though, but there was a switch which could have been what they were talking about. After thirty odd years of driving, I’ve now got an auto van. Not through choice cos I prefer my gears. But you don’t get much choice when you buy a van from a salvage yard!! This isn’t as quick off the mark as a manual, although it does shift when it gets going. I’d go with a manual box every time. x

[dafmad]

I don’t understand this ‘fad’ with Autoboxes. I’m sure a good driver can get better use of power, torque and econony on a good manual box, rather than these poxy autoboxes, which, of course, always drive blind. They cannot predict the conditions ahead, not correctly any how. Painful to use

[wheel_nut]

Hiya Tiggz.
Im one of them old ■■■■■ who hate change! I have driven 2 or 3 different auto trucks. I hate them but only for the reasons you said and having something to do while driving.

It can be a little difficult to back smoothly under a trailer or to a loading bay but im sure that a couple of days you will have learnt the trick of that.

I used a Stralis for a week and was glad to get my TGA MAN back with a lazy lads clutch.

[tiggz]

Thanks for all your input ppl, i know what you mean about change and the good old comfort switch of the tga… i miss them too…

I honestly cannot see the benefit to the driver with having an automatic, i guess that yeah on a company view it will possible reduce fuel costs and where and tear on the vehicles but i guess that to every problem, as such, there is always a simple roundabout solution that can be found to get round it… hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Today mission… “find out about the automatic volvo box and ways round it if i can”

laffs…

I was watching one of the guys from up north on a trunk, reverse one last night and it seemed to be as simple as a manual, i guess the trick will be control. Think i might struggle with not doing anything with my hands though and trying to tell my left foot that it’s redundant! oh my god…me legs going mad at the thought!.

Or of course, drastic measures, find myself another job with a manual truck… hehe.

Take care

Tiggz ■■■

[cbr_si]

hiya,

I’ve now driven a number of automatic trucks, and they are all quite different to each other. Like yourself, I hadn’t even driven an automatic cage before, but dont worry its easy. On some, you must have your foot on the brake to be able to select drive or reverse. When reversing (note though, I have only driven them tractor-only (apart from the iveco semi-auto)) just control it balancing the brake and throttle, mainly the brake as tickover does push you back; though if it comes against a slight inclineit tends to stop dead and you need to give the gas a shove to get moving again.

The Iveco semi was good as you can tell it where to change. TGA Man was the worst of the bunch, as the lurch between gears is awful and as you can’t override it you have to learn roughly where the revs are that it changes and be careful with the gas if you want to keep a particular gear (eg on a roundabout).
A Seddon-Atkinson bin wagon and a Volvo Double Decker bus were particularly good; while will never set your eyebrows on fire have a much better shift with less lurching than the MAN.

This is all probably irrelevant to you as you’ll be pulling a trailer and a double-decker bus ain’t the same as a truck

[tonyw]

Hi Tiggz

The new Volvo i tronic is the best of all the auto boxes i’ve driven yet ,just stick it in A and off you go, if empty you can select M and flick up and down the box with an up/down switch on right of gear knob, it quite happily switches between A and M while rolling along.

The only downside is reversing under loaded trailers it can smack hard into the pin if your not to subtle with the loud pedal

The old Volvo auto (forgotten its name) is definitely the nastiest of autos i’ve had, they tend to leave you in the middle of right turn junctions with no drive

TonyW

[quinny]

The Renault box acts in a similar way to the Volvo box as described in TonyW’s post,so it could be that they are the same,after all,Volvo have a large financial stake in Renault.

By the way,the old Volvo box was called Geartronic if I remember correctly.

Ken.

[rob_k]

tonyw:
The new Volvo i tronic is the best of all the auto boxes i’ve driven yet

Well, if you think it’s the best, I hate to think what you reckon is the worse

I echo Ken’s [Quinny] comments about the I-shift and auto boxes. They really are slow and anything following you will assume you’re a novice driver full stop and are having gear changing problems. If you get offered a manual motor, take it - with both hands.

[alix776]

not really it just seams slower because youhave less to do and can concentrate on whats happening around you anyway why rush you just burn more desiel and that leaves less money for your pay rise next year dont it

[Lasurazes]

I wish I had one, automatic that is!

Mal.

[glenn]

Yeah,Hi Tiggz,I sometimes drive one of the 53 plated Volvos at work.They are fully automatic,and when reversing under a trailer they aren’t the smoothest of motors to hitch up with because they jump on idle and if you just gently press the gas pedal,they even out.Its just a matter of getting used to them.We can’t thrash them because we have that stupid spy in the cab malarkey.The Vemis System which monitors road speed,revs,harsh braking and fuel consumption etc.When pulling away if you floor it it will overev.You have to be gentle with the throttle which doesn’t make for a quick getaway unfortunalely.See how you go,mate.Some people love 'em some hate’em.They are good in heavy traffic though.Saves killing your left leg.

Glenn,

[biggusdickusgb]

ive got an iveco semi auto box coupled to a 470 engine, i’m hating the day i go back to a manual box cos its the easiest thing ive ever driven

[wiretwister]

Got about a dozen auto box Volvo’s in our place with more to come later in the year. As has already been mentioned they are not that quick away from a standstill but that you get used to. It seems to take a while to change gear but then so does the “teligent” in the Actros trucks we have.

When used with the cruise control and automatic exhaust/engine brake it is IMHO, a great piece of kit. You can set your speed and let the truck do the adjustments for you (really handy on single carriage ways with a succession of hills).

All of our vehicles have the VEMiS system fitted and the Volvo’s are OK with it as the beast is set up to be within the truck parameters anyway.

I’ve not found reversing a problem as you can let the torque build a little on low revs and then it will ease in as smooth as you like. If coupling up to a trailer then using the air suspension to get under the font end before lifting the legs clear helps to avoid the jerking of the first lift if the traile has been dropped low, or from a lower set unit.

My best advice is to take it steady till you’re familiar and then relax. By then you’ll either love or hate the automatic box.

[big_truck]

Sorry to hijack the thread slightly, but do any of you guy’s think an auto box (I-shift/AS Tronic/optidrive) would be a good job to spec in a new 8 wheeler tipper for quarry work?