Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

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Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Chris H. »

http://www.thefordstory.com/our-article ... 0p20110119


Hmmm…must test drive. Both stick and slushie (or in this case, a dry slushie?)
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by 94Corolla5Speed »

I think it's a step forward for transmissions (even though it's just a DCT), but I'll stick to my rod and tri-pedal setup.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by theholycow »

AFAIK all previous DCTs were wet clutch, right? Kinda cool to see a dry clutch design.
the article wrote:More than 95 percent of new-car buyers purchase their vehicles with automatic transmissions, even though many prefer the crisper acceleration, sportier performance and higher fuel economy traditionally offered by manual transmissions.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Rope-Pusher »

theholycow wrote:AFAIK all previous DCTs were wet clutch, right? Kinda cool to see a dry clutch design.
the article wrote:More than 95 percent of new-car buyers purchase their vehicles with automatic transmissions, even though many prefer the crisper acceleration, sportier performance and higher fuel economy traditionally offered by manual transmissions.
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I believe VW and otters half bean working toward dry-clutch DCTs for a while now, but I don't know if they are out on the roads. It's a significant efficiency gain over wet-clutch DCTs, but not as forgiving toward overheating the clutches.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Chris H. »

I'd rather drive a Ford with a stick shift. This is different (to some extent). Two manual trannies and two clutches - automated. That's all it really is, right? Why can't they make ALL auto trannies like this?



:?
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by IMBoring25 »

Rope-Pusher wrote: I believe VW and otters half bean working toward dry-clutch DCTs for a while now, but I don't know if they are out on the roads. It's a significant efficiency gain over wet-clutch DCTs, but not as forgiving toward overheating the clutches.
I expect the plumb bob and computer-controlled hill holder are key to that. It should allow the elimination of autocreep and the accompanying constant clutch slippage. Of course, it would still be within the capability of someone who doesn't understand the technology involved to drive around a parking lot at 1-2 MPH lightly dragging the brakes all day long and kill it. What would be really neat would be if the computer recognizes that scenario developing and switches between first and second gear to keep one clutch from continually heating up.
Chris H. wrote:I'd rather drive a Ford with a stick shift. This is different (to some extent). Two manual trannies and two clutches - automated. That's all it really is, right? Why can't they make ALL auto trannies like this?



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As the technology demonstrates it is mature and the up-front development costs are amortized, I would imagine all auto trannies will be driven this way by weight, fuel economy, and cost considerations, but that question is somewhat akin to asking why the Wright brothers didn't make an afterburning turbojet...The technology just wasn't ready.

And I agree I'd prefer the stick. I mourn their full-size pickups...

Whether the technology will ever be leveraged in this way or not, this could have far greater parts commonality with manuals than a conventional automatic...Technically, there's nothing that would keep them from being the same car driven in different modes, not that I'm thrilled by the concept of clutch-by-wire and shift-by-wire, but it would beat the manual going away entirely, which is the way things have been going up to now.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by six »

Cool, a Ford DCT. Plus, I don't believe it can be called a slushie, since it's not. It shifts automatically, but with the dry-clutches, it's definitely not slush. It's a robomanual.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by theholycow »

Word...without the ectoplasm it's just automated, not slushy. That's probably what is meant by "Or Not" in the thread title.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Rope-Pusher »

six wrote:Cool, a Ford DCT. Plus, I don't believe it can be called a slushie, since it's not. It shifts automatically, but with the dry-clutches, it's definitely not slush. It's a robomanual.
The trick now is can you get one to fool a slushie driver with high expectations? Some of those folks don't want to feel / know that it is shifting. More likely to find those drivers in the US market than in Europe, since even the newly-slushified European drivers still know/remember what it is to shift their own gears while there are drivers in America that have NEVER had to shift on their own.

Taking the crispness out of the shifts is where all the development effort is these days. I suppose some can be added back by selecting "Sport" mode.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by theholycow »

Yuck. Taking the crispness out of shifts prevents people from tracking what gear they're in, disconnecting them from the car in a rather important way...or at least, it is important when something goes wrong.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by six »

If someone wanted a car that shifts so smooth they couldn't feel it, I doubt they will be going for a Focus or Fiesta.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Squint »

Reviving a semi-dead post, but I test drove two Fiesta's recently, one correct one and one with the new DCT in it. Both cars had same engine, suspension, etc (only one offered on Fiesta) and both were sedans (not nearly as good looking as the hatch).

My thoughts:

The DCT was interesting, and far smoother at shifting than my normal '97 Honda Civic. Now that's not terribly surprising as there is a difference of around 155,000 miles between the two vehicles. I did not stop on hills enough to trigger the hill assist that the article discusses, but did give it a good push a couple of times to see what kind of shifting it would do through the gears. Gear changes were definitely noticeable, but I was focusing on them, could be different for normal driving situations when one of those "95%" of people are driving. Normally, in my civic, I back of the pedal slightly when I know the car is about to shift, because there is a moment of neutral where the rpm's can spike, and it also helps control the shifting slightly better for climbing hills, etc... gives me the feeling of controlling it slightly more. I don't think doing the same thing with the DCT would do much, since the shifts are smoother and quicker.

Of course, having said that, I want the manual, no question about it. It drove just fine, shifted slightly slower (duh...), and... it's a manual.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by DKaz »

It brings me great joy to hear that DCT is not all that it's cracked up to be.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by theholycow »

Read forums for cars that have DCTs...there's plenty of complaints from even the most devout fans.
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Re: Ford Reinvents The Slushie - Or Not.

Post by Squint »

Maybe they should just put two shifting sticks in a car have have dual transmissions. One controls the odd gears, one the even, you just alternate back and forth! It'd look cool if someone mastered it, though very impractical :lol: :lol:
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