500 hp with i shift

When I started driving, the company I hired on with was transitioning to automatics. I made it a year and a half before they stuck me in one. I gave them almost 6 months to see if it would grow on me...never liked it. I didn't like the fact that it would "float" in neutral rather than continuing to downshift into the low range. I hated the fact that when you'd step on the throttle to go, it had to search for the proper gear....NEVER selecting the one it should be in. An automatic transmission cannot see what the road is doing in order to be in the proper gear...it is a reactive transmission....which means it is always a step behind where I would have my manual transmission.

Automatic transmissions have no place in heavy trucks. I don't even care for them in passenger vehicles. If you can't handle the shifting, you shouldn't be driving.

 

Had a short test drive in one of our 2013 volvos with ishift. Very nice, skip shifted when it could.

 

which truck was it and which gearbox?when truck was manufactured?

how much hp

here we have higher weights than you have(88200lbs) , have weaker engines (mostly 420-440hp and 1550lb-ft) and we have lot worst roads(almost always off highway and in city driving, heavy hills ,mountain pass...) so it need to shift much more

and todays new gearboxes can do this , some of them need sometimes manual correction of gears

i ask about age some 15+years ago our gearboxes were also not good they had lot of mistakes, they shifted very slow ....

today market share for automated transmission is 95%

 

Auto shift transmissions are the future. They have got better and better with each generation. Who wants to have truckers leg when a computer can take the strain.

 

I was very close minded when it came to autos also. Drove one years ago and absolutely hated it. A friend with a new ishift talked me into driving his finally, and I had to admit it was an unbelievably different experience from the older one. VERY intuitive, it shifted smoothly, no reversing issues, seamless, I didn't buy a Volvo as much as I wanted a 780 because all that was available at the dealer was d13 and I shift and I wouldn't even drive it. My bad. I bought a 2011 Crapcadia and lost my shirt on it as it was a complete electronic nightmare. After watching him have almost no issues with his 780 d13 I shift I kick my ### everyday for not buying one, and one day will have one for sure. The " it ain't real trucking if you aren't slamming gears" crowd make me laugh. Thankfully not everybody thinks like that or we would still be using horse and buggy.

 

If you're "slamming gears", you aren't driving the truck properly.

...and if gas prices keep going up, we'll be back in the horse & buggy days before you know it.

Personally, I've never owned a vehicle of any size that has had an automatic...they have all had manual gearboxes. Even my 4x4's have manual shift transfer cases and manual lock hubs. When I put it in gear, I know it is not only in gear, but in the proper gear for the situation I am in. Like I said before, an automatic is a reactionary transmission....it can only sense what is happening right now and react....whereas I as a driver can look to see what is coming and make the adjustments in anticipation of the changing road conditions. It is the difference between being in the proper gear for what "was" vs. being in the proper gear for what "is".

If all you do is hang onto the wheel and try to keep it between the ditches between point A and B, then an auto might be fine for you. You're out here for a paycheck...getting paid to move freight, and you look for the easiest (laziest) way to get that done.

I am a driver. The journey in between points A and B is where I find most of my enjoyment. Moving the freight is just the excuse for making the journey, and the paycheck I get for hauling the freight just means I don't have to have a real job on the side. As a result, I spend very little time on the interstates....they bore the hell out of me. I'd much rather take the scenic route, especially if that puts me on a narrow little 2-lane country road.

In high school, I would drive my pickup truck 3 miles to school....and 75 miles home. In college, I would ride my motorcycle a mile to class...and 300 miles home. Of course gas was cheaper back then, but that's just the way I have always been. I enjoy driving...and shifting is part of that experience.

 

I am also a driver, I get home and into or on one of my vehicles and go, many are manual, but as we get older we appreciate the finer things in life I guess. I'm certainly not lazy and enjoy my time on the road, I've travelled all states and provinces and still love going back, the scenery never changes but I still love it, that's why I'm here, but after "shifting" a million or so times I'm over that. My left knee is shot, hopefully have a new one later this year, and I do not want to wreck that one. I unfortunately don't get to spend too much time On the back roads, I have deadlines and try to keep as much fuel money in my pocket so when I'm home I can stay home longer and ride my bike, 4 wheeler or snowmobile a little longer. Once you get to the 50 mark you too may have a little different attitude.

 

I drove a D13/iShift a few years ago when the iShift first appeared. Was a great experience, way easier overall. Granted, the D13 has had it's problems (and I've experienced them all, believe me) but the engineers have worked the bugs out and it is a MUCH more reliable engine.
I have a 2008 VLN64T300 with D13 & 13 spd, and love it. Getting real close to 300k on the clock. Usually run within 250-300 mile radius. 99% of the time I can get back home to my own bed every night. A few times, have had to spend my 10 hrs off in the cab due to weather (twice), or some crappy motel due to battery meltdown (once), or at my bro's home in Little Rock (twice) just cuz.

Now, I'm looking at a 430 D13/iShift. My two little Westies have always gone with me, and are usually more ready for Monday morning than I, so I know they'll appreciate the little bit of bunk that truck has. I'm looking forward to the extra room, higher fuel milage, and another full coverage warranty for awhile.

Can't decide if I want to use the current one as a trade, or sell it outright.

Trying to get a feel for the market.

 

Can't wait for paddle shifters

 

On a Formula One steering wheel!