Cabovers

TC on a truck isn't sensitive enough! Idrive is! It's a great tool, nobody can deny that!

 

Look how different we are, love the volvo buttons, amazing feeling and so easy to use when it makes that perfect click sound when pushed.
Understanding the volvo gear change is quite easy. If you push pedal to the metal without using kick down it uses the full green band. Being lighter on the pedal and you can get it to change between 1000-1300 but still using full power. Power mode on the other hand is useless if you ask me.

Take scanias crappy opticruise in stead. The leaver is just a piece of ####. You never now how many gears it changes when you push i fast it may throw back to much and change the gear back. Approaching a say roundabout uphill almost to a standstill when you push the throttle it decide to throw in the neutral and roll backwards only way to get it back is push the brake and select 1st manually. (happened many times, with different 620s)

Take the retarder on the same leaver, how's idea was that + it's so hard to pull you may push a gear change at the same time + the sound when pulling the retarder, I always think I'm gone be left with it in my And the gearbox is so ####### slow (even the updated clutch less version) and makes you feel embarrassed when approaching a junction or pulling away from one.
+ The numbers in the display indicating what gear I'm in are way to small!!!! Give me the the Volvo display where I can put them in the middle with much bigger font size


Also never said I trusted TC but it's helpfull. While slippery and light loaded I prefer to have the tag down even if not needed because it's easier to notice when you should take it easy. Especially in the northern parts where it's so big elevation changes meaning might be winter storm at the top and summer when you gone down


Don't know when I spoken about safety vs comfort but they are not individual categories. If you split Safety down to subcategories one of them is comfort, when you feel right you are much safer on the road....

 

Have to disagree with you slightly here! The volvo no doubt has the best auto shift on the planet but the opticruise ain't far behind! It's still very good ( compare it to an astronic or anything else for that matter ) it's just a bit slower but still better and far more reliable than anything else I've ever tested or drove, I can't take away from volvos achievements here, they have autoshift mastered! I fully agree with you here bit Scania in all honesty is the only comparable auto shift , both are way ahead of anyone but Volvo can't be beat and in my opinion won't be beat for a long time, they are the benchmark of autochange!

 

What does it matter if you hear or feel the click of the Volvo button when it doesn't do what you ask it to do? Click 3 times and it only changes 2 gears, for example. Stick will always do what I want and when I want. That Volvo and Scania propaganda about robot being faster than driver is BS, I will always change faster if need to. Yes, Scania Opticurse is crap, never driven one but a couple of friends of mine drove 2 winters with TTs leased Scanias in the north and they said the box was completely lost in winter when the drivetyres started to spin.

Yes, safety and comfort is the same, I feel very uncomfortable driving these todays Tamagotchis that have no feeling to the road and computer decides everything, not you. EBS brakes were a great invention until they took out the driver feeling, evolution 2 I think.

 

I'd say ECAS is one more greate invention. And comparing with EBS it is cheap (one control unit + 2 sensors + solenoid valve unit + control panel). I installed WABCO ECAS on my shaker and it runs much smoother, no usual for heavu laden semi rocking and less sway in sharp turns

 

I'd say ECAS is one more greate invention. And comparing with EBS it is cheap (one control unit + 2 sensors + solenoid valve unit + control panel). I installed WABCO ECAS on my shaker and it runs much smoother, no usual for heavu laden semi rocking and less sway in sharp turns

 

True, and disc brakes and CAN BUS if done right. Maybe even ESP if it's not too sensitive and TC part can be switched off.

 

all this i-shifts,as tronic,powershift,opticruise was made for lowering the qualification of the driver not for fuel consumption,
no wooden logic integral microscheme can perform better than a a human brain

 

The strenght off the human brain is that it is invintive and adapts to new and changing circumstances.

When it come to preforming the same movement (which shifting is) again and again,you will find that the computer does it better.
Why?
Because the computer is to stupid not to do it the same way,everytime.

And for me to take control over the computer,i don't even have to take my hand off the steeringwheel.
I can up/downshift and engage/degage the engine brake at the touch off 1 finger.

But if you want to hate them...............fine by me,your choice.

Ps i have had one for 6 y now and the next truck will have one again.
I'm close to 10mpg(general,includes empty miles) and i gross 96000lbs when loaded

 

I've been buying them since 2004, I had no issues except for one truck that had a speed sensor fail, I like both types manual and auto, doesn't bother me which I drive , there are no control issues driving An auto in slippery conditions , If you do then you simply can't use them, they have a manual override and gear hold buttons, foot button and on the trottle pedal, You just simply have to get used to using them, different style of driving but if you're worth your salt as a driver you'll master it in a few hours, you can override the gears at any time and in slippery conditions you're not going to be driving in auto anyway, are you? You're still the driver it's still you that has to adopt to the conditions you're driving in, you can't blame a machine when it doesn't 'know' what it's driving on, true the Scania box is a little lazier than the ishift but it'll never select the wrong gear, miss a gear or do anything stupid! so it's not a bad gearbox by any means. There's a few good systems out there now, sure a good driver can return just as good fuel mileage bit there are too many bad drivers and boy racers out there that either can't or won't drive efficiently !