Pulse and glide is not something everybody has an opportunity to do due to traffic conditions. While P&G uses large swings in speed and is optimal for cars with manual transmissions, you can use smaller swings with Driving With Load in any car and get good results. When you combine sensible average speeds, DWL and add that to the Free Money stuff like light timing and buffering you'll easily be an EPA beater in a conventional vehicle.
Hi Colin: P&G does not need large swings in speeds either. Whenever and wherever it can be applied "properly" is the key. Wayne
Thanks for the kind words and tips everyone. I just wanted to throw it out there that I achieved over 50mpg on the highway tonight going 58mph. Minimum speed on the highway here in MI is 55mph. When I said I got 48-49 a couple weeks back that was on a loaner car that was brand new. Now that I've got about 1100 miles on my actual car I've noticed it doing better. Once it reaches a couple thousand more it should do even better.
a quick question to y'all, the automatic uses two dry clutches, no torque converter.. what is the estimated life of those clutches and how does it start up from a stopped condition? What is the replacement interval on the engines timing belt?
Umm , Kirk ? I thought "up to 150,000 miles" was how long Ford says the PowerShift transmission could last. I bet yer glad you have the manual !
It starts moving like a traditional manual transmission, by slipping the clutch. Only difference is it's a computer doing it and not the driver.
Edwin, I saw that on the powershift transmission and knew it wasn't for me. The way Ford worded it made me picture the transmission grenading at 150,000.1 miles if not sooner.
Thanks guys.. any ideas on how much it costs to rebuild the clutches on the transmission?.. or is it another one of those $5k deals for a factory rebuild?
What happens if someone accustomed to conventional automatics creeps very slowly up a long hill with one of those, during a traffic jam, for example? Does the software protect the clutch from overheating, and if so, what does it do? The same circumstance is normally no problem with a torque converter.
In theory , the dual-dry-clutch transmission is not a bad idea , but as RedylC94 asks , how does it really handle the sort of crappy situation he describes ? Not with grace, I'm sure. But I'll bet the computer can handle clutch engagement a lot better than many drivers I've seen who claim to know how to drive a manual , but replace the clutch every 40-50K miles. But only 150,000 miles ? That sucks. When my Civic Si died of rust after 14 years and 233,000 miles, the original clutch worked fine and the shifter was still precise.Why would someone like me choose the Powershift ? No thank you. I think I will start another thread in the appropriate place to ask owners of Powershift and DSG vehicles how well they REALLY work , short and long-term. Kirk, you definitely picked the right trans.
