Auto or Manual

Anyone ever try out the 10 speed Allison autos?

 

The auto I was in for a couple days shifted at all the wrong times. You would be pulling a hill in 9th at 1500 rpm's doing just fine and the computer would read that I need to shift and mess everything up. Going down a hill it wanted to be in a gear higher than would be preferred.

 

In those moments I use Manual Mode... {shrug}

 

This particular company had the manual mode disabled for some reason. I lasted like 3 more days and quit.

 

I just got a new Ultrashift Plus MXP 18 spd a month ago. Generally I like it.
I find if I really have to get up and go, I have to use manual mode. As it wants to split Every Single gear in low range and that takes too long.
Usually I don't worry about it, but when I have to cross two lanes of traffic of a four lane freeway to get onto the other two lanes, I need to do that quick at times. Our freeways on the prairies just have level crossings on pretty much every road.

 

It's scary running an auto on the Coquihalla... Especially in the winter.. Manual mode sucks

 

How many speeds on that auto? I certainly wouldn't run a 10 speed in the mountains, which our company guys do. Some do like them. I'd be looking for a minimum of 13 for the mountains. 18 for heavier than 80,000 lbs.

I drove one of our autos one day when my truck went down before Christmas. Not a bad unit, but my manual 13 easily out pulls them even running heavier. If it was spec'd properly, I wouldn't mind one.

However, new trucks have seriously given me a bad taste lately. Nothing but garbage with the emissions crap on them.

 

I have driven autos for the last while. In heavy traffic ie Toronto it's great. Descending large hills I would rather have a manual however the freightliner I just turned in did do a decent job in manual mode

 

On it or behind the wheel??

 

Built in .. LOL