C32 gearbox question

[jonathanc]

Hi all

As we had a dry day for the first time since I got my car I managed to go out for a quick play :bannana:.
One of the things I wanted to experiment with was the speed shift gear box. I read that at certain braking or cornering force it will hold a lower gear to avoid kick down half way around a bend. Try as I might I couldn't get it to do this, it just behaved normally and a couple of times did kick down which made the ESP work for it's living! Although I wasn't driving like a mad man I am sure that I was braking and cornering hard enough to make it hold on to a gear. Of course I could manually change gear but that's not the point
Am I just expecting too much?
I did read somewhere that you could have the TCU remapped - anyone done this?

Thanks

 

[Sonny Burnett]

you know i think that the Gearbox remembers your driving style so it might have the previous users style in mind, i know there is a way to reset it maybe that will help?

 

[marty359]

If I enter a corner in mine at speed and hold the throttle in the same place it will hold its gear until I exit the corner, bit more throttle and it will eventually change up.

And if I nail it in any gear and back off it also holds the gear untill I change using the tiptronic.

Marty

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

When the C32 was new, it was praised for it's gearbox. Ultimately though it is still a torque converter auto and so will change gear when it wants to rather than when you want it to.

As suggested keeping a slightly aggressive but constant accelerator pedal during the manouvere should see it hold the gear. It's that slightly aggressive driving style that tells the car that you might want to hold the gear.

 

[jonathanc]

Thanks Guys

I think the issue as Sonny suggested is the gear box learning a driving style. I carried out the throttle and gearbox adaption values reset (ignition on, hold accelerator to floor for 5 secs, turn off ignition, release pedal, wait 2 mins) this morning and although I only had short drive it was like a new car, it didn't feel as dull witted as before. I think the problem is the recent weather and subsequent slow driving has resulted in the car thinking I drive like a wuss! The thing is I would rather it didn't adapt the gearbox change strategy as i often spend time driving sedately with the family and only get brief opportunities to drive the car fast. Is there anyway to stop it learning? If I want eraly changes and using the highest gear poss I can put it in winter mode.

Thanks

 

[trainer]

Thanks Jonathan C. Like you my car is driven in different ways depending on who is with me. I might try the reset and see what difference it makes.

 

[jonathanc]

Thanks Jonathan C. Like you my car is driven in different ways depending on who is with me. I might try the reset and see what difference it makes.

Please report back what your findings where, it made a big difference on mine, the car feels alert and ready to go however as I have been driving normally over the last few days it is starting to go back to pipe and slippers mode
I think unless I can get the TCU remapped to stay in this more alert mode I will have to do a weekly adaption reset -no great shakes really but just slightly tedious !

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Please report back what your findings where, it made a big difference on mine, the car feels alert and ready to go however as I have been driving normally over the last few days it is starting to go back to pipe and slippers mode
I think unless I can get the TCU remapped to stay in this more alert mode I will have to do a weekly adaption reset -no great shakes really but just slightly tedious !

You will probably have to do this reset on more than one occasion.... It doesn't take that much 'steady eddie' driving for the gearbox to revert back.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The reset procedure described above doesn't actually reset anything, it just tricks the car into thinking that you stole the car.

Holding your foot to the floor for such a long period puts the car on full alert, and so responds accordingly by sharpening it's reactions to your inputs.

Once the car works out that you didn't steal it, it softens it's responses, and hence returns to normal after a short while.

An alternative which is much more fun is to drive to a clear stretch of dual carriageway, and from a gentle roll, give it full beans. It will have the same affect on the cars responses!!

 

[jonathanc]

Hi

Not sure it does have the same effect, the procedure above had a much more noticeable effect than giving it some beans - before I carried out this reset I had given it a boot full upto interesting speeds but the gearbox didn't seem to be any different afterwards. Now it is much more eager to change down than before and will hold gears. Maybe I have an issue and it should have reacted to a good thrashing?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I doubt there's an issue. If you think about it there are few opportunities where you'd hold your foot to the floor for 10 seconds - certainly in a C32 - on the road. Afterall, you'd be just shy of 100 mph (0-100 mph in 10.8 seconds).

Doing it with the engine off enables you to do that without doing 100 mph, a couple of runs on the dual carriageway from a slight roll should do it though

 

[jonathanc]

I doubt there's an issue. If you think about it there are few opportunities where you'd hold your foot to the floor for 10 seconds - certainly in a C32 - on the road. Afterall, you'd be just shy of 100 mph (0-100 mph in 10.8 seconds).

Doing it with the engine off enables you to do that without doing 100 mph, a couple of runs on the dual carriageway from a slight roll should do it though

Like I said - accelerated up to interesting speeds (on my private road of course) According to the app on my phone accelerated for 13.5 seconds and travelled 1/4 mile!

I still think that the reset method does do something else but I also remember someone saying this resets the throttle adaption as well so maybe the throttle is keener which signals the gearbox to be more sporty. Whatever, it seems to work for me!

Bobby Dazzler - have you tried this reset method - if not might be worth ago to do a side by side comparison (apologies if you have already tried it)