Ghostrider's Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: Initial Ownership Review

prateekpsingh · 12th February 2013, 20:07

Do you feel the gear lever shudder while accelerating/deaccelerating. I can feel the gear engage and disengage while driving and it gives me really bad thoughts. It is due for 1st service in 2 days time, so I wanted to see if it is normal across all cars OR I should report it.

ghostrider · 13th February 2013, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by prateekpsingh

Do you feel the gear lever shudder while accelerating/deaccelerating. I can feel the gear engage and disengage while driving and it gives me really bad thoughts. It is due for 1st service in 2 days time, so I wanted to see if it is normal across all cars OR I should report it.

Absolutely not. In fact, you get just a hint of of vibrations in the gas pedals of a lot of diesels, but the Cruze isn't one of them. When you're driving at anything over 1200 rpm, the car feels (from an NVH perspective) almost like a petrol car because it's pretty devoid of diesel clatter and vibrations.

Please get this checked asap. Can you feel the vibrations anywhere else or only in the gas pedal? Another places where the vibration could manifest is the steering wheel.

Also, what do you mean when you say you can feel the gears engaging/disengaging? Can you sometimes hear a clunk when the gears engage? That's not very unusual if (a) it's not very loud and (b) only happens occasionally, like when you release the clutch too fast or if you haven't pressed the clutch properly.

I say you should report this and go for a trial BEFORE the service so you can demonstrate the problem to the SA.

prateekpsingh · 13th February 2013, 16:27

The gas pedal is as good as it gets. The gear lever is where the signs of trouble are. You can see the gear lever (when slotted in 2nd or 3rd gear) move ever so slightly while accelerating/deaccelerating.
Why I am fazed a little is because my 2009 cruze still has no such viberations in the gear lever - and this barely 1K kms (old) car has this shudder. Even when you have a hand placed on the lever, you can feel it move. And I realized, this happens only in 2nd and 3rd gears.

ghostrider · 15th February 2013, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by prateekpsingh

The gas pedal is as good as it gets. The gear lever is where the signs of trouble are. You can see the gear lever (when slotted in 2nd or 3rd gear) move ever so slightly while accelerating/deaccelerating.
Why I am fazed a little is because my 2009 cruze still has no such viberations in the gear lever - and this barely 1K kms (old) car has this shudder. Even when you have a hand placed on the lever, you can feel it move. And I realized, this happens only in 2nd and 3rd gears.

Thats unusual. Have you had the first (Reassurance Check) service? Please bring it to the notice of the SA.

ghostrider · 29th May 2013, 14:25

UPDATE: Race Dynamics Dual Channel Dieseltronic box fitted.

If you've read earlier posts in this this thread you'll know that I've been a long-time user of the Race Dynamics Single-channel Dieseltronic Pro box. I had it in my Swift (which I sold) and I've had it in the Cruze for the last 5,000 kms.

The benefits of the Race Dynamics Single Channel DieselTronic Pro (lets call it the 'SC' so that I don't get carpal-tunnel syndrome) are immense - enhanced power, enhanced fuel efficiency and much-reduced turbo lag. It's possibly the best 20 grand (18 grand now, apparently) that you could spend on your common-rail diesel car.

When the first reports of a new and improved 'Dual Channel' (DC) box broke, I was skeptical. The idea that an after-market accessory would be continuously varying boost pressure on my turbo wasn't something that I was extremely keen on. I didn't want to be a lab-rat with a damaged turbo and a whopping big repair bill.

I did, however, keep in continuous touch with friends at RD and told them to let me know when they were confident that there would be no turbo issues from the DC box. I eventually got the call a couple of weeks ago, and headed down to to Bhoj's garage where I also met Pavan (the CEO of Race Dynamics. Great guy, and a total petrolhead).

So we swapped out my SC box for a new DC box and I've been driving with it for a couple of weeks now.

Here's what you need to know:

Is it absolutely revolutionary?
No. While it IS an improvement on the Single Channel box, it's not as extreme an improvement as you might think.

How does it work?
The normal Race Dynamics Dieseltronic Pro Single Channel box (aaargh... my carpals!) works by essentially remapping your engine. It overrides the default manufacturer map and provides better performance by enhancing your engine's rail pressure - all within safe tolerances. The Dual Channel does that too, but it also talks to your turbo (which the SC box doesn't do) to continuously adjust your turbo boost on the fly under different throttle conditions.

Is the engine remap fundamentally the same?
Yes. The Engine Remap (the rail pressure adjustment) is fundamentally the same for both boxes. The difference is the boost pressure, and that's it.

How much additional boost pressure, exactly?
Well, RD will obviously be cagey about releasing those figures, but it won't be much. And that's a good thing, because your turbo is a fragile piece of equipment and you don't want to go above manufacturer tolerances. At least I don't. I'm not an Ambani.

Do you still get the same 4-map arrangement?
Yes. You still get the nifty little remote with four maps to choose from on the fly.

So....what's the bottom line here, pal?
The bottom line here is that your performance will increase, but not by a whole lot. Your 0-100 times will be fractionally better but what's more noticeable is that the turbo-lag's even more reduced with the DC box. In the Cruze (a car with the most power in it's class but also the most turbo lag) you can put your foot down in fourth gear at 40kph and away you'll go. There's very, very little lag now.
Roll-on times will consequently be much better and most importantly the driveability also improves tremendously. This equates to what I like to call real-world performance - much fewer downshifts when you want a sudden surge of acceleration.

What about FE? Any difference between the two boxes?
I'm not sure, to be honest. As of now, my MID is reporting lower average FE
on the DC box but that could also be because (a) I tanked up in the middle of the afternoon when fuel is at it's least dense and (b) because of this !@#$% heat the AC compressor can't even switch off for a second. The difference the MID is reporting is about 1kpl, but I haven't done a full-tank-to-full-tank test yet.

What's the cost difference?
8 grand. The SC box is 18,000 the the DC box is 26,000.

Would I recommend it?
Yes. The difference is a little steep considering the gains aren't that extreme but the dual-channel does make a difference for the better.

The blue box is the dual-channel one by the way. More pics to follow.

Ani0404 · 14th October 2016, 17:52

Ghost rider,
It's been a long time since you have updated this thread. How is your Cruze doing?

12th February 2013, 20:07	#106
prateekpsingh BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 47 Thanked: 24 Times	Re: Ghostrider's Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: Initial Ownership Review Do you feel the gear lever shudder while accelerating/deaccelerating. I can feel the gear engage and disengage while driving and it gives me really bad thoughts. It is due for 1st service in 2 days time, so I wanted to see if it is normal across all cars OR I should report it.
	() Thanks

13th February 2013, 16:27	#108
prateekpsingh BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: New Delhi Posts: 47 Thanked: 24 Times	Re: Ghostrider's Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: Initial Ownership Review The gas pedal is as good as it gets. The gear lever is where the signs of trouble are. You can see the gear lever (when slotted in 2nd or 3rd gear) move ever so slightly while accelerating/deaccelerating. Why I am fazed a little is because my 2009 cruze still has no such viberations in the gear lever - and this barely 1K kms (old) car has this shudder. Even when you have a hand placed on the lever, you can feel it move. And I realized, this happens only in 2nd and 3rd gears.
	() Thanks

29th May 2013, 14:25	#110
ghostrider BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 745 Thanked: 506 Times View My Garage	Re: Ghostrider's Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: Initial Ownership Review UPDATE: Race Dynamics Dual Channel Dieseltronic box fitted. If you've read earlier posts in this this thread you'll know that I've been a long-time user of the Race Dynamics Single-channel Dieseltronic Pro box. I had it in my Swift (which I sold) and I've had it in the Cruze for the last 5,000 kms. The benefits of the Race Dynamics Single Channel DieselTronic Pro (lets call it the 'SC' so that I don't get carpal-tunnel syndrome) are immense - enhanced power, enhanced fuel efficiency and much-reduced turbo lag. It's possibly the best 20 grand (18 grand now, apparently) that you could spend on your common-rail diesel car. When the first reports of a new and improved 'Dual Channel' (DC) box broke, I was skeptical. The idea that an after-market accessory would be continuously varying boost pressure on my turbo wasn't something that I was extremely keen on. I didn't want to be a lab-rat with a damaged turbo and a whopping big repair bill. I did, however, keep in continuous touch with friends at RD and told them to let me know when they were confident that there would be no turbo issues from the DC box. I eventually got the call a couple of weeks ago, and headed down to to Bhoj's garage where I also met Pavan (the CEO of Race Dynamics. Great guy, and a total petrolhead). So we swapped out my SC box for a new DC box and I've been driving with it for a couple of weeks now. Here's what you need to know: Is it absolutely revolutionary? No. While it IS an improvement on the Single Channel box, it's not as extreme an improvement as you might think. How does it work? The normal Race Dynamics Dieseltronic Pro Single Channel box (aaargh... my carpals!) works by essentially remapping your engine. It overrides the default manufacturer map and provides better performance by enhancing your engine's rail pressure - all within safe tolerances. The Dual Channel does that too, but it also talks to your turbo (which the SC box doesn't do) to continuously adjust your turbo boost on the fly under different throttle conditions. Is the engine remap fundamentally the same? Yes. The Engine Remap (the rail pressure adjustment) is fundamentally the same for both boxes. The difference is the boost pressure, and that's it. How much additional boost pressure, exactly? Well, RD will obviously be cagey about releasing those figures, but it won't be much. And that's a good thing, because your turbo is a fragile piece of equipment and you don't want to go above manufacturer tolerances. At least I don't. I'm not an Ambani. Do you still get the same 4-map arrangement? Yes. You still get the nifty little remote with four maps to choose from on the fly. So....what's the bottom line here, pal? The bottom line here is that your performance will increase, but not by a whole lot. Your 0-100 times will be fractionally better but what's more noticeable is that the turbo-lag's even more reduced with the DC box. In the Cruze (a car with the most power in it's class but also the most turbo lag) you can put your foot down in fourth gear at 40kph and away you'll go. There's very, very little lag now. Roll-on times will consequently be much better and most importantly the driveability also improves tremendously. This equates to what I like to call real-world performance - much fewer downshifts when you want a sudden surge of acceleration. What about FE? Any difference between the two boxes? I'm not sure, to be honest. As of now, my MID is reporting lower average FE on the DC box but that could also be because (a) I tanked up in the middle of the afternoon when fuel is at it's least dense and (b) because of this !@#$% heat the AC compressor can't even switch off for a second. The difference the MID is reporting is about 1kpl, but I haven't done a full-tank-to-full-tank test yet. What's the cost difference? 8 grand. The SC box is 18,000 the the DC box is 26,000. Would I recommend it? Yes. The difference is a little steep considering the gains aren't that extreme but the dual-channel does make a difference for the better. The blue box is the dual-channel one by the way. More pics to follow. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by ghostrider : 29th May 2013 at 14:26.
	(4) Thanks

14th October 2016, 17:52	#111
Ani0404 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Kochi Posts: 114 Thanked: 95 Times	Re: Ghostrider's Chevrolet Cruze LTZ: Initial Ownership Review Ghost rider, It's been a long time since you have updated this thread. How is your Cruze doing?
	() Thanks