Blackraven

Have you ever experienced a manual stick shift vehicle that forces you to shift from 1st gear directly to 4th gear? (hence skipping 2nd gear and 3rd gear)

If so, then your vehicle has this feature known as Skip Shift or Shift Blocking



Which is a retarded feature to begin with



I mean, you drive a manual because you want to change gears on your own in whatever way you want................yet some American auto companies want to put some computer nonsense to prevent you from doing just that.

If that's the case, then better drive an automatic instead.

Unfortunately, this skip shifting nonsense has infected cars ranging from a Camaro up to a Mustang as well as a Dodge Challenger.

I do hope though that new-and-upcoming American sports and performance vehicles do not employ these retarded measures.

P.S.
On that note:
I hope that the following vehicles:
-7th generation Corvette
-SRT Viper

DO NOT have this skip shifting rubbish

I8ABMR

I would assume that it can be turned off with a button or even by ECU through a dealership. They cant force you to do that. If they can then its the owners fault for buying a stupid car like that. My brother in law has the start stop feature on his BMW and hates it but can turn it off with the simple press of a button

Outrage

Blame the EPA.

http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/guzzler/

FrankReynoldsCPA

I understand that skip shift can be deleted or stopped with a very cheap and easy mod, at least on the 4th gen F-Bodies.

spwolf

i never knew that existed!

:-)

FrankReynoldsCPA

Yup, it's been available on a lot of sports cars. A big middle finger from the automakers to their customers who buy a sports car for the sports car experience.

SecPole14

Omgggg.

I have this "feature" in my 2012 Mustang GT 6-speed.

VERY easy to drive around it...just hold the revs to at least 3k in first gear and it doesn't engage. It only engages under light throttle or if you attempt to shift 1-2 under 3k RPM......

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

agreed

Aron9000

That's exactly why they have this stupid feature. Its a way for the automakers to "cheat" on the fuel economy tests and avoid passing along the cost of the gas guzzler tax to consumers.

I had a 1998 Z28 Camaro with this feature. Well the previous owner had already disabled it. On that particular car you order a $30 or $40 part plugs into the wiring harness right next to where it goes in the transmission. I think its just a bunch of resistors that change the voltage in the skip shift wire that runs to the computer, thus it tricks the computer into never turning the feature on. I know there are writeups on how to do this yourself with some resistors you buy from radio shack if you're really cheap.

Believe it or not, that car actually got great gas mileage. I was doing 28mpg highway driving 75-80mph. I'm sure it would do even better if I slowed down and it wasn't a convertible(more aerodynamic drag). In my normal commute I was doing around 20 if I didn't fool around and mash the loud pedal.

TangoRed

It's not like it engages while you're having the "sports car experience." the minute you wind out first gear its disabled. It's an EPA band-aid anyways, one that allows the car to exist in the first place.

mmarshall

Yes, I remember the last 5.0L Mustang GT I reviewed having it too (but yet, interestingly, not on the last Camaro SS). From what I recall, though (unless they've modified it some since then), it sometimes took more than 3000 RPM to defeat the skip-shift and get 2nd or 3rd gear.

Also, seems like going from 1st to 4th at under 3000 RPM (with the wide-spacing and large RPM drop) would maybe (?) lug the engine a little in 4th, especially under a load or going up hills. Of course, the 5.0L does have torque......and torque generally resists lugging.

spwolf

what does it have to do with epa? they can test epa tests by manually shifting into 4th gear anyway.

TangoRed

When running EPA tests you have to drive the car in its default mode. That's why skip shift is always on. It's the same reason cars with "Eco mode" have to have that setting on as a default if its to be used during the EPA test.

Blackraven

Dammit.......it looks like the 7th gen Corvette is getting it as well


If that's the case
Will GM announce if they will remove or disable the 1-to-4 Skip Shift for overseas spec models of the 7th gen Corvette?

This seems like a bummer.............especially for people like me who upshifts gear @ every 20 Kilometer Per Hour intervals



P.S.
Any Japanese or Asian carmaker planning to make a car with a 7-speed manual.......anytime soon?

Aron9000

Well hopefully its like my old Camaro, on that car its as if GM deliberately designed it to be stupid easy to defeat without affecting any other parts of the car. Actually GM made that whole car easy to tinker with from a tuning standpoint.