Re: [AMC-List] Another Re; E Stick, now Drivers

[Keleigh Hardie <keleigh3000@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Audi, Saturn and others in the last couple of years (now no longer 
offered)."

I don't know about Saturn and the others (Nissan and Subaru among them), 
but Audi still offers the CVT. In fact, they continue to offer it on the 
larger, heavier new A6 with a 255 horsepower engine. Keep in mind, we 
replace a lot of the transmissions under warranty, before 50k. The techs 
joke that a 40k service on a FWD is replacing the plugs, filters, and 
transmission. Luckily, the Quattros don't get that trans (where I am now 
almost all the cars we sell are Quattros), and the TT and A3 have an 
entirely different transmission, the DSG (direct shift gearbox). The DSG 
is trick, a three shaft electronically controlled, hydraulically shifted 
mechanical box with two clutches and no fluid coupling. The gears 
alternate between two output shafts (both have a pinion gear engaged to 
the ring gear) and the TCU pre-shifts into the next gear, and then 
disengages one clutch and engages the other, almost simultaneously. It 
shifts so fast and smooth, only the best drivers could compare, and 
there's no hydraulic losses so the performance and efficiency are as 
good or better than a stick. Really impressive.

"The Dutch Daf in the 60's"

One step up from a go cart. It actually had a belt drive.

Keleigh Hardie

amc-list-request@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 08:49:07 -0700
> From: "John Elle" <johnelle@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [AMC-List] Another Re; E Stick, now Drivers
> To: <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID: <000001c72517$903582d0$a4dc0d82@john1>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
> The Dodge fluid drive was as described, the Desoto version was a
> semi-automatic. It seemed to be reliable as I remember just clunky. You
> used a clutch to put it in gear from a stop OR it only had two forward
> directions available on the column shift. Low which was the 2nd gear
> position or second and high which was in the 3rd gear position and if
> you needed to shift from low to high you had to use the clutch. But if
> you drove it in high all of the time you just needed to clutch to put it
> there. Once moving which was a simple as stepping on the gas to shift
> from 2nd to 3rd you simply let up off the gas pedal and it would shift
> automatically. It would also down shift using a passing gear type of set
> up or automatically shift back to 2nd when you came to a stop. I really
> had no problems with the transmission on the one I had nor do I remember
> it being problematic. It was not a performance set up though. 
> Also as far as I can remember, most over drives were free wheeling above
> a certain miles per hour, thus you could shift the manual transmission
> by simply letting off the gas from 2nd to 3rd and back as the over
> drives (I remember anyway) worked in 2nd and 3rd. 
> Another variation was the complete non-synchromesh or commonly known as
> the Crash Box. To shift that set up on the move you had to become
> proficient at a skillful 2 step dance of operating the clutch in double
> clutch mode for down shifts and matching engine and road speed for up
> shifts in order to shift anything at all to get it into gear with out
> grinding or crashing the gears. Thus the knick name crash box. But once
> mastered well you could shift with out the clutch at all once moving. I
> drove one of those for many years. 
> As far as automatics go, there were a number of automatics and
> semi-automatics from the late 30's on. Gm as mentioned with the
> Hydramatic and Buick's Dynaflow  were all late 30's I believe. Ford even
> marketed one in 1940 or 41 but all sold cars were recalled and the 3
> speed re-installed. Chrysler and other independents (Such as Hudson) did
> the semi-automatic route and as mentioned over drives could be driven in
> a semi automatic mode. 
> Not sure when the infamous B/W automatic was first seen, probably the
> early 50's as used by a variety of people and a number of pre-selector
> transmissions were around as a semi automatic dating from the early 30's
> such as the one used by Cord and I am sure others. 
> John Mahoney's Packards from the so-called modern era is or was as I
> understand it the only independent to develop there own fully automatic
> transmission in the 50's and was used by Nash and Hudson on the Packard
> derived V-8's I believe but it was a 2 speed automatic with a lock up
> torque converter used as a 3 speed automatic and some what problematic
> at best I believe. 
> All of these were efforts to eliminate shifting. An exercise relating to
> be an uncouth  chore (which lead to the first Corvette being a 2 speed
> powerglide) which was also the reason why most if not all of the early 3
> speed manuals had a non-synchromesh low. Who in their right mind would
> want to shift to low on the fly? And it was also cheaper. Performance
> oriented 4 speeds were really late in their introduction here in the
> land of expressways and 5 and 6 speed manuals almost non-existent. 
> Now I see ads for 8 speed automatics! What a change and a far cry from
> Buick 1 speed Dynaflow , the original and only slush-o-matic.
> Now there is a big push to get the snowmobile variable speed automatics
> out in the market. So far not overly successful. Audi, Saturn and others
> in the last couple of years (now no longer offered). The Dutch Daf in
> the 60's or so and one of the offerings in the Daimler Chrysler line up
> in the last couple of years. 
> What next? A hole in the floor for a flintstone version of mystery
> drive? 
> Have fun. 
> John
> PS  A number of those would be pure dangerous to place in the hands of
> the un-initiated in a drive it your self format.
>   
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