Tips on driving an Automatic

Rajeevraj · 23rd December 2022, 08:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

I’ve just bought a Taigun 1.5 GT with the DSG gear box. Got delivery yesterday.

My Volkswagen app is screaming that I accelerate to hard, when I don’t think I am doing so. How do I keep that in check?

Any tips on driving an auto - best driving practices, tips on how to extend / maintain life of the gears, etc. would be much appreciated!

While the dedicated thread on driving automatics is shared above, on the topic of acceleration, it is after all a 1.5 TSI DSG. It will accelerate hard even with medium inputs. If you personally think you are doing ok, ignore the app and enjoy the ride.

DeepeshKarnik · 30th December 2022, 12:35

Hi All,

I have recently bought a Seltos GTX+ Diesel 7-speed Auto and have a question - Everytime I put the vehicle in D and start driving, the engine sounds very loud for the first few gears. It sounds like the engine is stuck at high rpms until the 3rd or the 4th gear kicks in, after which the engine sounds mellows down completely and its quiet cruising. Its my first automatic so maybe I am still not starting off the right way or is this normal behaviour for automatics ?

I am a sedate driver and I usually try to keep below 2k rpms at all times with max speed not going beyond 70-80 on highways. Whenever I start, no matter how light I keep my foot, the engine still sounds like its stuck on high rpms until the 3rd or fourth gear. Also, there is hardly any speed vis-a-vis the kind of noise it makes.

Can the pros help me understand this ?

alpha1 · 8th November 2023, 11:42

Last week I drove a torque converter automatic (used car, potential for buy).
We were doing low speeds (10-25 kmph) in heavy traffic. Upon engaging tiptronic mode, I saw that I could upshift only till 3rd gear. It was as if the gearbox didn't allow me to go to 4th or 5th.
1) Is this normal or does this show that it might have some issues with higher gears?

2) How do I test all the gears in automatic transmission, without going at breakneck speed.

3) Couldn't find any dipstick arrangements (this is for 2012 Elantra AT) - how does one go about checking the quality of transmission fluid?

TheCamShaft · 9th November 2023, 19:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha1

We were doing low speeds (10-25 kmph) in heavy traffic. Upon engaging tiptronic mode, I saw that I could upshift only till 3rd gear. It was as if the gearbox didn't allow me to go to 4th or 5th.
1) Is this normal or does this show that it might have some issues with higher gears?

2) How do I test all the gears in automatic transmission, without going at breakneck speed.

3) Couldn't find any dipstick arrangements (this is for 2012 Elantra AT) - how does one go about checking the quality of transmission fluid?

At city crawling speeds, the Transmission Control Unit would not allow to upshift to higher gears in manual mode, that would be an expected behaviour. You should take a test drive where you can go above 40kmph and check out if you are able to manually upshift well to 4th and higher gears. Consider doing that test to clarify your doubt.

For AT boxes without dipstick, checking ATF quality is not easy. It can only be checked by pulling off the drain plug , like in this video (it's for 6L50 Automatic transmission , however you get the drill) -

Thinking_Slow · 10th April 2024, 11:30

Thanks to all members who contributed here. There is a ton of useful info in this thread.

This seems to be the appropriate thread to ask this question that has been bothering me since I switched from manual to an AT car. The switch happened just 3 months back. I own a Tata Safari 2023 facelift. It has a torque converter transmission. After ignition and putting in D, car moves forward slowly in D1. I softly press the accelerator pedal to increase speed. If foot is not released from pedal, then engine revs up to 2K RPM before upshifting to D2. Same for the next gears i.e. Dx to Dy happens only after reaching 2K RPM. I think this is too late to shift.

Here is the interesting part. Have noticed that when right speed is reached and I lift the foot from pedal, upshift happens before 2K RPM. It feels as if the car needs a nudge to upshift and that is to release foot from pedal. But, what is the point of AT if we have to semi-manually control upshifts.

Have noticed somewhat similar behavior in XUV700 and Innova Hycross. Is this normal AT upshift behavior in all cars?

All suggestions, comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.

30th December 2022, 12:35	#437
DeepeshKarnik BHPian Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Delhi Posts: 60 Thanked: 97 Times	Re: Tips on driving an Automatic Hi All, I have recently bought a Seltos GTX+ Diesel 7-speed Auto and have a question - Everytime I put the vehicle in D and start driving, the engine sounds very loud for the first few gears. It sounds like the engine is stuck at high rpms until the 3rd or the 4th gear kicks in, after which the engine sounds mellows down completely and its quiet cruising. Its my first automatic so maybe I am still not starting off the right way or is this normal behaviour for automatics ? I am a sedate driver and I usually try to keep below 2k rpms at all times with max speed not going beyond 70-80 on highways. Whenever I start, no matter how light I keep my foot, the engine still sounds like its stuck on high rpms until the 3rd or fourth gear. Also, there is hardly any speed vis-a-vis the kind of noise it makes. Can the pros help me understand this ? Last edited by DeepeshKarnik : 30th December 2022 at 12:36. Reason: Missing words
	() Thanks

8th November 2023, 11:42	#438
alpha1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: LandOfNoWinters Posts: 2,095 Thanked: 2,607 Times	Re: Tips on driving an Automatic Last week I drove a torque converter automatic (used car, potential for buy). We were doing low speeds (10-25 kmph) in heavy traffic. Upon engaging tiptronic mode, I saw that I could upshift only till 3rd gear. It was as if the gearbox didn't allow me to go to 4th or 5th. 1) Is this normal or does this show that it might have some issues with higher gears? 2) How do I test all the gears in automatic transmission, without going at breakneck speed. 3) Couldn't find any dipstick arrangements (this is for 2012 Elantra AT) - how does one go about checking the quality of transmission fluid? Last edited by alpha1 : 8th November 2023 at 11:45.
	() Thanks

10th April 2024, 11:30	#440
Thinking_Slow BHPian Join Date: Dec 2023 Location: Bangalore Posts: 31 Thanked: 190 Times	Re: Tips on driving an Automatic Thanks to all members who contributed here. There is a ton of useful info in this thread. This seems to be the appropriate thread to ask this question that has been bothering me since I switched from manual to an AT car. The switch happened just 3 months back. I own a Tata Safari 2023 facelift. It has a torque converter transmission. After ignition and putting in D, car moves forward slowly in D1. I softly press the accelerator pedal to increase speed. If foot is not released from pedal, then engine revs up to 2K RPM before upshifting to D2. Same for the next gears i.e. Dx to Dy happens only after reaching 2K RPM. I think this is too late to shift. Here is the interesting part. Have noticed that when right speed is reached and I lift the foot from pedal, upshift happens before 2K RPM. It feels as if the car needs a nudge to upshift and that is to release foot from pedal. But, what is the point of AT if we have to semi-manually control upshifts. Have noticed somewhat similar behavior in XUV700 and Innova Hycross. Is this normal AT upshift behavior in all cars? All suggestions, comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.
	() Thanks