2011 manual trans question
 

Just researching prior to buying decisions. Does the manual trans in a Z have the "forced shift" i.e. Camaro has forced 2nd to 4th gear...? If so, is there a way to disable or override it ? THANKS, John N.

i believe only GM cars have that feature.

What is forced shift?

on gm manual trans cars, you cannot shift from 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 4th
if you don't drive hard, the computer would not let you select 2nd or 3rd. the only gear you can select is 4th.
this is to maximize fuel economy.

I could see why. But still lame. You agree?

actually, gm does this so their cars would not be subjected to the gas guzzler tax so what they do is good for the consumers. there is an inexpensive device that can defeat this setup, so it's not as bad as it could have been :)

This is usually for high power V8s. Like Mick said, it's an EPA thing.

My 5.0 has a 1-4 "skip shift" feature. If you aren't accelerating quickly the transmission locks out 2nd gear and suggests a 1-4 shift. Doesn't really bother me much because I usually shift 1-3-5-6 or 1-4-6 anyways when I'm just driving normally. It is easily removed with a handheld tuner if it bothers you.

Well thats good. I wouldn't think they would have a gas guzzler tax? Maybe the Corvette. Are Z's don't that I know of.

Hell no these cars don't have the Skip Shift, thank God.

MANY THANKS..........that could be the decision maker....

They don't have skip shift because they can't. They don't have enough torque to be able to skip a few gears at low RPM. How would you like to drop into 4th gear at 1,000 RPM accelerating from a light? Not all that fun with the 3.7, but the big V8s manage without much fuss. Keeps the EPA happy.

And it ONLY happens if you are accelerating very slowly.

I know, I was considering a LS2 GTO before I chose the Z and after driving a couple with this feature, I knew the first thing I would do is get it turned off with a tune or a skip-shift inline eliminator. You are right about torque though, there is not much below 2krpm that's for sure!

It's based on throttle position too, so you would only get it if you are at let say 20%. With all that said, I did disable mine. Still with the Corvette, you don't really need to shift through all the gears. 1st gear redlines somewhere between 50-60mph, 2nd gear is like 60-80. It's nuts.

Wow... I guess they figure if someone can keep up with a vette in first gear then they really need to get down to business through the rest of them. :D

The 'Vettes are silly.

With the 5.0 under "normal" driving conditions I rarely have the thing above 2,000 RPM :icon17: