Grumpyman Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 As the owner of a Ford automatic gearbox .So as to not keep braking what the best alternative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinM50 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Don't drive downhill?😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 I don't know the new technologies applied to gearboxes but (apart from that of my hybrid Toyota) I believe that you still have the possibility to insert the lowest ratios manually. Certainly my previous Renault Master had it. Am I wrong ? Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirou Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Every automatic I ever drove (classic and CVT) had "manual" gear selections to use for engine braking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 I had an automatic for 14 years (300,000km) and never used the manual side, a set of brake pads are much cheaper than an overheated auto box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Drive down Stelvio Pass or some long 14% Norwegian downhills and you may use brakes oil for fish&chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirou Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 You don't even need Stelvio. After barely 6km in mostly 2nd gear from Heidialm down to the valley I couldn't stop the van at a T intersection. My foot was firmly on the pedal yet it felt as if I was trying to stop the van using some ancient bike rim brakes. Luckily there was no traffic in my way. Point is, there's a good reason signs exist to remind you of using the engine to brake and for escape ramps for runaway vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve928 Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 14 hours ago, mtravel said: or some long 14% Norwegian downhills and you may use brakes oil for fish&chips. Going straight down with minimal hairpins does seem to be their speciality; descending on the 55, the Sognefjellsvegen, down into Skjolden is the only time we've been down to 1st. gear while engine braking and still faded the brakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 1 hour ago, Steve928 said: Going straight down with minimal hairpins does seem to be their speciality; descending on the 55, the Sognefjellsvegen, down into Skjolden is the only time we've been down to 1st. gear while engine braking and still faded the brakes. Road 55 done. In my 2018 diary I wrote: Then it drops straight down, not a dizzying descent but really long and with important medium slopes. For the brakes a torture worse than the road of the eagles. From memory the route 7 which from the panoramic point on the Vøringsfossen (555 meters) in 12 kilometers leads to Eidfjord at sea level including two corkscrew tunnels is even worse. Not to mention the FV60 which takes just seven kilometers from the Breimsbygda skisenter (640 metres) to Byrkjelo. About this in 2021 I wrote: Second gear and engine screaming at 4,000 rpm for ten kilometres, every now and then a prolonged hit on the brakes otherwise it would go over-revving. But not too much to avoid overheating them. Not even going down the corkscrew tunnel from Handargervidda to Eidfjord or the long descent from Sognefjellet to Skiolden have we experienced anything like this. A torture, for them and for me. Geez, put a few more hairpins ! Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 However, if you are interested in Alpine lanscapes, stressing your brakes and popping your ears, the Stelvio Pass (2,758 meters, to be clear, two time the Ben Nevis) remains a good test bench. On the South Tyrolean side, forty-eight hairpin bends take you down to 900 metres. From the Lombard one instead "only" forty hairpin bends make you go down by 1,500. I hope your vehicle has power steering... The Norwegian Trollstigen makes you laugh in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 45 minutes ago, mtravel said: However, if you are interested in Alpine lanscapes, stressing your brakes and popping your ears, the Stelvio Pass (2,758 meters, to be clear, two time the Ben Nevis) remains a good test bench. On the South Tyrolean side, forty-eight hairpin bends take you down to 900 metres. From the Lombard one instead "only" forty hairpin bends make you go down by 1,500. I hope your vehicle has power steering... The Norwegian Trollstigen makes you laugh in comparison. I have been up and down the Stelvio three times now, once in my Benimar, Once in an automatic old Jag XJ6 and once in an MX5. No problem on any occasion except in the XJ6 when we cooked the brakes on the descent into Austria. My fault, we were interacting with a few other cars on our rally having fun but used the brakes a bit too much. By far the most dangerous thing on this road are the bikers! Hundreds of them all think they are Barry Sheen "Slap it on 'Enerery" (only to be understood by a Brit of a certain age!) Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Even if they speak.German, South Tirol is Italy, not Austria. Smile. You cooked brakes because Jaguar was a Brit car not used to high mountains. Re-smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Mr Max dont be so pedantic ... you know very well that going north down from the Stelvio summit within 10-15 miles you are in Austria at Nauders then Pfunds. The Jaguar brakes were coping fine combined with lower gears until we started messing around cutting corners etc ... totally my fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 Returning to Grumpyman's enquiry, his motorhome was obtained in mid-2022 and is an Auto-Trail F68 model https://www.auto-trail.co.uk/f-line-68 The vehicle is Ford Transit-based, front-wheel-drive and fitted with a Ford "SelectShift" 6-speed automatic transmission. In this 2018 review https://www.commercialfleet.org/van/reviews/large-panel-vans/ford-transit-first-drive-reveals-automatic-gearbox-enhances-driver-experience the following comments about the transmission were made All Transits are a pleasure to drive and the automatic gearbox helps to enhance the experience. It’s responsive and performs well-judged shifts, keeping the vehicle in the necessary power band for as long as possible. Ford developed the gearbox specifically for commercial use, with a focus on both refinement and power. It can handle up to 415Nm of torque so operators and drivers should feel confident in the van’s capability. A manual override switch on the gear lever gives full control of the six ratios. This is useful if the driver wants to utilise engine braking for a descent or hold onto a gear for longer when towing. Performance is strong and the seamless shifts deliver a relaxing and comfortable driving environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 2 hours ago, laimeduck said: Mr Max dont be so pedantic ... you know very well that going north down from the Stelvio summit within 10-15 miles you are in Austria at Nauders then Pfunds. The Jaguar brakes were coping fine combined with lower gears until we started messing around cutting corners etc ... totally my fault. Even Gibraltar is less than one mile far fro Spain. Is it Spain ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeco Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 15 hours ago, laimeduck said: I have been up and down the Stelvio three times now, once in my Benimar, Once in an automatic old Jag XJ6 and once in an MX5. No problem on any occasion except in the XJ6 when we cooked the brakes on the descent into Austria. My fault, we were interacting with a few other cars on our rally having fun but used the brakes a bit too much. By far the most dangerous thing on this road are the bikers! Hundreds of them all think they are Barry Sheen "Slap it on 'Enerery" (only to be understood by a Brit of a certain age!) Jeremy Every time we go to EU for a break I always find an excuse to convince the co driver that we must experience another Alpine pass. By far the most exciting was Stelvio driven from the Tyrol over to the southern side. Absolutely awesome. Our rental fortunately did not run out of brakes. Barry Sheene left you lot and lived on the Gold Coast here in AU until his passing. He was a part of the V8 Supercar TV commentary team and had an almost cult following here. A very likeable guy with a fantastic sense of humour, but I digress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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