Automatic motorhomes

[Laurence]

Hi Andy,

 

This thread seems to have taken a huge diversion.

 

To go back to your original question, yes, it is a little more difficult going up on ramps with an automatic. It doesn't matter whether it is a torque converter gearbox (as the Ford is), or whether it is a robotised manual, the fact is that you cannot 'nudge' it up the ramp by engaging/disengaging the clutch with a left foot. I have had a Mercedes torque auto box and a comfortmatic, and it makes no difference on the ramps.

 

We bought the Lynx Levellers with chocks to get over this and they were marvellous. You can adjust the height and the position of the chocks, and there was no danger of going 'over the top' of the ramp.

 

When we bought our latest vehicle we had E&P self-levelling fitted, so sold the Lynx. The self-levelling is expensive, but the best thing we have bought.

 

Regards,

[Don636]

I don't agree that it is more difficult getting up onto ramps with an automatic so it must be down to how the individual uses the available controls. With a manual you can control the speed of approach using the accelerator and clutch but you must then time when to move from the accelerator to the brake which must require a bit of timing. With an automatic I operate the accelerator with my right foot as normal and fine tune the speed by operating the brake with my left foot. The advantage I find is that it is much easier to stop at the top as your foot is already on the brake. I find it slightly more tricky getting my manual Mazda MX5 onto ramps than my auto motor home.

[Barcobird]

Don636 - 2018-11-04 7:53 PM

 

I don't agree that it is more difficult getting up onto ramps with an automatic so it must be down to how the individual uses the available controls. With a manual you can control the speed of approach using the accelerator and clutch but you must then time when to move from the accelerator to the brake which must require a bit of timing. With an automatic I operate the accelerator with my right foot as normal and fine tune the speed by operating the brake with my left foot. The advantage I find is that it is much easier to stop at the top as your foot is already on the brake. I find it slightly more tricky getting my manual Mazda MX5 onto ramps than my auto motor home.

 

Hey ho everyone's different with their driving abilities, I still think you have far more control riding the clutch than left foot braking. On the clutch why do you need to move your foot to the brake, just apply the handbrake or get your companion to put the chocks behind the wheels.

Every one to their own I guess *-)

[Don636]

Good point about the handbrake, I had forgotten about that. I don't use it when driving as it is a bit of a stretch and just left foot brake to hold the van on a slope. Just use the handbrake when parking up. I don't use chocks - no need as the transmission is locked in gear so that would hold the van should the handbrake fail and that is unlikely as I have never seen that happen in 45 years of driving.

I find that the clutch take up on the Comfortmatic is really smooth and have never had any thoughts about or concerns with controlling the van when manoeuvring up onto ramps so don't really understand what the problem is.

[Tall_Mike]

I can add a little,

 

- This weekend we changed vans, - From a Sun Living Fiat Comfortmatic, 2 ltlr 130 bhp to a new Adria Coral Comfortmatic, 2.3ltr 150 bhp. - I had never been happy with the gear box in the Sun Living and have been critical of it for a fair time.

 

We had some initial problems which meant a fair bit of work for our Fiat agent, - off the record the Agent did mention that there many Comfortmatic boxes that work really well, they never see them except for servicing, and they go on for ages, and just a few others that are always in for something and they struggle to get them right, he called them a PITA. - I suspect although mostly reliable (we did get the red transmission light briefly on a recent tour that cleared after a restart - didn't happen again) our earlier box was never completely right.

 

Since we had never driven another Comfortmatic - how could we to know?, presumed they were all like that, and of course, the Agent was happy to say "nothing wrong here" mate, it's in their interest to do so.

 

It's like chalk and cheese, our new van isn't even nearly run in yet which does make an improvement, but it's smooth, more torque, you come to a gliding halt instead of a thump as it changes into first, heavy traffic consisted of a series of small lurches. the new one is so smooth, - even the horrid pull away lag is less. Clearly we need to get used to our new van - I am sure it will have it's foibles, but it's so much better, - can see what other posters on the subject of Fiat Auto boxes say.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Tall_Mike - 2018-11-05 9:53 AM

 

... - This weekend we changed vans, - From a Sun Living Fiat Comfortmatic, 2 ltlr 130 bhp to a new Adria Coral Comfortmatic, 2.3ltr 150 bhp...

 

I’m guessing you meant "From a Sun Living Fiat Comfortmatic, 2.3 ltlr 130 bhp to a new Adria Coral Comfortmatic, 2.3ltr 150 bhp” as, although Fiat does offer a 2.0litre motor for Ducato, this produces 115bhp and is only available with a manual gearbox.

[breakaleg]

Just to say, our last van was built on a Peugeot and as you probably know, there is no auto option.

We have had auto clutch fitted to our last two vans sometimes known as click and go.

Not as good as a proper auto box but certainly helps me with a damaged leg, what it does is dip the clutch pedal for you so you have to change gear.

The clutch does come up to the biting point and slowly let it into gear, great in traffic jams etc.

same problem with lurching though but you can turn it off with a switch on the dashboard (don't leave it on at service times as it confuses the hell out of the mechanics)

Just a thought

Pete

[Derek Uzzell]

This is off-topic, but a recent French motorhome magazine included an article on Ford Transits and claimed that, around the start of 2020, Ford would offer a 10-speed (Yes - TEN-speed) automatic transmission for Transit.

 

Also in the article was a photo of the Transit Mk 8 ladder-chassis that are available. Besides the standard ‘commercial’ chassis-cab and the specialised ‘camping-car’ chassis-cab, apparently there is also now a ‘camping-car’ chassis-cowl. It will be interesting to see if any motorhome manufacturer chooses to build Transit-based A-class models using the chassis-cowl variant.

[Laurence]

Mike,

 

Don't know how old your Sun Living was, but I had the same experience. 2015 Burstner with Comfortmatic was dreadful, but new Laika with Comfortmatic is so much better.

 

I understand that the Comfortmatic was originally designed for the Fiat 3.0 litre engine, and was adapted (perhaps not that well) for the 130 and 150 engines, but never working as well. They have tweaked the comfortmatic electronics now to mate properly with any of the new multijet2 engines, hence the better performance and smoother running of the box.

 

My only bugbear now is that it changes down too readily on a downhill slope, and makes the engine race. However, I just flick it into manual and change up. It's not a problem.

 

Regards,

[Tall_Mike]

Derek Uzzell - 2018-11-05 10:09 AM

 

Tall_Mike - 2018-11-05 9:53 AM

 

... - This weekend we changed vans, - From a Sun Living Fiat Comfortmatic, 2 ltlr 130 bhp to a new Adria Coral Comfortmatic, 2.3ltr 150 bhp...

 

I’m guessing you meant "From a Sun Living Fiat Comfortmatic, 2.3 ltlr 130 bhp to a new Adria Coral Comfortmatic, 2.3ltr 150 bhp” as, although Fiat does offer a 2.0litre motor for Ducato, this produces 115bhp and is only available with a manual gearbox.

 

Thanks - Our Sun Living was also 2015, the weird thing is the registration document had it as a 2ltr although I knew it was a "130" and it had to be a 2.3, - some kind of mix up, - never got around to getting the V5 sorted out which struck me as being a load of hassle.

 

Fairly sure that much of this experience is down to the electric packs and not mechanical parts.

 

I did discover that as well as a clutch the vans have DMF flywheels which don't fill me with love. Hopefully being a comfortmatic the gear changes will be smoother and it will last, dread to think how much an out of warranty comfortmatic could have cost me,

 

- our new van is 2018 model year, manufactured in very late 2017. - At one point I did ask if a better gear box mapping could be loaded to our Sun Living, (Not an engine mapping which I know can be swapped) - and the answer was no, or maybe one didn't exist.