For last 12 years or so all I have heard about is how good the Volvo iShift is, and anything else was second rate by comparison.
For the last 10 years I have had a Scania with 3 pedal Opticruise, which everyone said was crap. It took me quite a long time to get used to it but after resetting the start gear I got to like it. We also have a 2 pedal version on a unit which I was less impressed with as low speed manoeuvring tends to be jerky.
With the Opticruise I could put it in drive and let it do it’s thing, if I needed more power then it was there if I wanted by planting my right foot. Kick down available without switching it to H mode. Only occasionally did I ever use manual mode, mostly to keep one gear so as to not lose traction.
If I wanted a downshift faster than the box would respond a quick flick of the paddle and it was done straight away.
The only down side was that you could not rush it from drive to reverse.
6 months ago I got a Volvo with iShift and I was keen to experience it’s magic.
I have been slightly underwhelmed by it. It’s the TP - LONG software version, and seems hell bent on not letting you use the power. In drive it won’t kick down, manual override is fiddly by comparison. If you press the P button it will sneak back to E at the earliest opportunity.
8wheels:
For last 12 years or so all I have heard about is how good the Volvo iShift is, and anything else was second rate by comparison.
For the last 10 years I have had a Scania with 3 pedal Opticruise, which everyone said was crap. It took me quite a long time to get used to it but after resetting the start gear I got to like it. We also have a 2 pedal version on a unit which I was less impressed with as low speed manoeuvring tends to be jerky.
With the Opticruise I could put it in drive and let it do it’s thing, if I needed more power then it was there if I wanted by planting my right foot. Kick down available without switching it to H mode. Only occasionally did I ever use manual mode, mostly to keep one gear so as to not lose traction.
If I wanted a downshift faster than the box would respond a quick flick of the paddle and it was done straight away.
The only down side was that you could not rush it from drive to reverse.
6 months ago I got a Volvo with iShift and I was keen to experience it’s magic.
I have been slightly underwhelmed by it. It’s the TP - LONG software version, and seems hell bent on not letting you use the power. In drive it won’t kick down, manual override is fiddly by comparison. If you press the P button it will sneak back to E at the earliest opportunity.
Am I the only one ever to prefer the Scania box?
I currently drive a 16plt G410 2 pedal with the 3 gear box modes and I leave it in the power one as it’s the best program for general haulage with heavy loads , I quite like it
I’ve driven a 530 XF 67plt with the traxon box and it was dire , always in eco mode it had no guts and even if you selected standard it would sneak back in to eco mode
Now the best truck was the 500 MAN with the Astronic box on a 18plt plant your foot on the kick down and she went in to launch mode , not a thing to do when solo as she snaked like any thing
I found the Volvo box good, best of the lot imo, well the last time i drove them anyway.
Like the OP though, and unlike most here i was rather fond of the 3 pedal Opticruise, for two main reasons, 1, you maintained absolute maneuvering clutch control, and 2, instant response to manual input and i drove it exclusively in manual in MP (or was it MH?) mode which enables faster shifts than in normal M, left in auto it was nothing to write home about and nothing short of bloody useless at junctions, something it shares with most automated manuals left to their own devices.
OP’s current vehicles sounds like its been specified/supplied with eco settings, which can mean depending on make anything from kickdown being disallowed to eco (supposed fuel saving but can be dangerously ponderous) settings only even the manual option being programmed out completely.
Juddian:
I found the Volvo box good, best of the lot imo, well the last time i drove them anyway.
Like the OP though, and unlike most here i was rather fond of the 3 pedal Opticruise, for two main reasons, 1, you maintained absolute maneuvering clutch control, and 2, instant response to manual input and i drove it exclusively in manual in MP (or was it MH?) mode which enables faster shifts
^ What’s not to like.Could you have that with the big power V8 ?.Sounds ideal.
The OP says manual override with I shift is fiddly and obviously no manual clutch control either.
With a well programmed Volvo, you seldom, if ever, need to intervene manually and the auto clutch very good at engaging, even from their very first attempts via Geartronic boxed FL10s they had got it right, right from the start, first one i drove being on an L plate so 1993?
I’ve come to get used to the Volvo but wondered if there is tweakery to be done somewhere. I’ve had a hired 69 plate for 6 months so left it be. Having just got a new one that is ours I’m more inclined to investigate changing it if possible.
The biggest revelation with the Scania was programming it to start in 3rd rather than 2nd. Unless fully loaded, up hill it never was a drama as only like 2L on the old 3 over 3. At least starting in third it would have a bit of momentum for it’s first shift up. In 2nd it would get about half a length out into the roundabout before deciding to go up a gear and would almost stop rolling by the time it had changed gear. That was dangerous, but easily overcome.
I do find the ishift is better at low speed than the 2 pedal Opticruise we have but it is on an 8 wheeler against the Scania unit, so there is the drag of the trailer playing a factor which would be better with a manual clutch to smooth it out.
Why do you want to use “power” mode, It’s Truck not a bloody racing car, or are you trying for 0-56 times, having used both the I-shift and the latest scaina, The I-shift wins hands down, as for the poxy eco-roll in the Scania, Haven’t driven the latest I-save Volvo so can’t comment,
largebloke1969:
If you think the I shift is crap then don’t ever drive an actros , man or daf xf , you’ll be hanging your keys up
MAN is alright in the last versions of the Astronic , but Merc is like Mavis from Open all hours and can’t decide which gear to take , DAF is stifled by the eco mode
biggriffin:
Why do you want to use “power” mode, It’s Truck not a bloody racing car, or are you trying for 0-56 times, having used both the I-shift and the latest scaina, The I-shift wins hands down, as for the poxy eco-roll in the Scania, Haven’t driven the latest I-save Volvo so can’t comment,
+1…
Not sure I can see any gain by ‘kickdown’ on a truck box. Yeh sure on my old 7series BMW, kickdown instantly delivered acceleration but on a truck box, it’s too slow. By the time you’ve made the decision to hoof round a Portugese car transporter and booted it, the gap you had has gone.
I drove the early Volvo auto’s and it’s in single figures the number of times I felt I had to over-ride it’s choices. My assumption is with dual clutch, it’s even more responsive.
Out of all the auto-boxes I’ve used, the Volvo is, by far, the best.
The Dual Clutch iShift with iSee and Volvo Engine brake is the best driveline I’ve ever used. Alas in U.K. operators are known for penny pinching so not exactly common
Yes, confess i’d like to try the dual clutch version, probably the nearest to torque converter style uninterrupted power/progress you could find, but without the fuela penalty of the hyrdaulic box.
Amazing though how in lorry world despite their limitations and downsides in use the whole range of automated manual boxes have proved reliable and durable (and up to the job of protecting the entire engine/driveline from idiots), but cars fitted with similar designs are not reliable or durable in any range of comparison.
biggriffin:
Why do you want to use “power” mode, It’s Truck not a bloody racing car, or are you trying for 0-56 times, having used both the I-shift and the latest scaina, The I-shift wins hands down, as for the poxy eco-roll in the Scania, Haven’t driven the latest I-save Volvo so can’t comment,
Most of the time I don’t but it tends to drop speed before changing down rather than changing down to maintain it. I’ve also found that when using cruise control it will roll down hill and gather pace up to to it’s permitted 3mph over (or 5 if you up it) but it will let the speed bleed off and drop to just under 50 before putting the power back on rather than maintaining 56.
I’ve limited experience on auto trucks, a 59 plate 8x2 with 3 pedal opti and a 14 plate 6x2 unit with 2 pedal. Both have power available at the control of your right foot when you want it without having to change the mode on the box.
Whoever invented the Volvo I-shift should be canonised - all other manufacturers have been playing catch-up ever since!
We had 2 and 3 pedal Scanias at my old firm, I couldn’t see any advantage with the 3rd pedal myself.
In general though, all automated 'boxes do benefit from having regular software updates and providing that some joker hasn’t specified them with the ‘eco only’ settings.
When I were a boy lol
25 years ago when I was taught to drive my first job was pulling milk tankers with a 320 hp Iveco turbostar with a crash box - fun times - not . Did 10 years on tanks but only ever had an auto box once - one of the ERF/ MAN hybreds and it was a terrible thing - it just couldn’t make up its mind as to what gear it wanted to be in - down one , up 3, down 2 up 1 , down 3 if you had an unbaffled part loaded tank . Changed jobs and pulled fridges for 10 years before I was told I was taking a V3 Volvo and a tank to Manchester for a load of cream - out to Cairnryan on the boat and down to Manchester empty got loaded and wondered how the I shift would "work"on the way home . Honestly it never once missed or fumbled a gear - a couple of times I thought I would have to interven but by the time I got a hand to the Ishift lever it had sorted itself out .
There are supossedly ways to “reset” an Ishift box - apparently if you drive it in manual for some time and don’t let it rev out of the green it somehow remembers this and dosen’t rev out as much or so I’ve been told .
re the dual clutch versions - we have 4 540’s - 3 v4’s and a V5 , one of the V4’s has a dual clutch and has given nothing but trouble all to do with the dual clutch - boss says he won’t buy another dual clutch and can’t see any difference in the telemetry data in regards to fuel etc etc . It’s been back to the Volvo dealer 4 or 5 times all to do with the dual clutch and nobody seems to be able to do anything with it - it’s skipping gears and the smooth seamless shift just isn’t happening and we have heard a few other stories all saying the same - it may be sorted out now but the early versions of it do give trouble .
GCR2ERF:
Whoever invented the Volvo I-shift should be canonised - all other manufacturers have been playing catch-up ever since!
We had 2 and 3 pedal Scanias at my old firm, I couldn’t see any advantage with the 3rd pedal myself.
In general though, all automated 'boxes do benefit from having regular software updates and providing that some joker hasn’t specified them with the ‘eco only’ settings.
Sent from my SM-A415F using Tapatalk
We’ve got a 64/16/66 plt exDHL
64/16 are both 410G’s with all modes available
The 66 is a 450 G and is locked to eco setting
I drive the 16 and keep it in the AP setting
GCR2ERF:
Whoever invented the Volvo I-shift should be canonised - all other manufacturers have been playing catch-up ever since!
We had 2 and 3 pedal Scanias at my old firm, I couldn’t see any advantage with the 3rd pedal myself.
In general though, all automated 'boxes do benefit from having regular software updates and providing that some joker hasn’t specified them with the ‘eco only’ settings.
Sent from my SM-A415F using Tapatalk
That would by my thought, it needs tweaking or putting back to standard setting,
biggriffin:
Why do you want to use “power” mode, It’s Truck not a bloody racing car, or are you trying for 0-56 times, having used both the I-shift and the latest scaina, The I-shift wins hands down, as for the poxy eco-roll in the Scania, Haven’t driven the latest I-save Volvo so can’t comment,
Most of the time I don’t but it tends to drop speed before changing down rather than changing down to maintain it. I’ve also found that when using cruise control it will roll down hill and gather pace up to to it’s permitted 3mph over (or 5 if you up it) but it will let the speed bleed off and drop to just under 50 before putting the power back on rather than maintaining 56.
I’ve limited experience on auto trucks, a 59 plate 8x2 with 3 pedal opti and a 14 plate 6x2 unit with 2 pedal. Both have power available at the control of your right foot when you want it without having to change the mode on the box.
That’s the whole point of iSee on the Volvo’s and eco roll or other guises on most trucks now. It knows the terrain and automatically drops your speed as you rise to the crest of the hill so it won’t gather too much momentum on the downhill most of the time with the exhaust brake keeping it at the max permitted speed threshold set, apart from very steep hills and very heavy where it will then run away with you.
But still think Volvo have the best trucks and gearbox to drive bar none.
Problem is too many think it’s the box being problematic and that they know best. My tactic with all trucks is put it in A and let it do it’s thing. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve changed manually in an auto in past decade or more, they just don’t need my help!
