VZ Active Select mode questions

[bloodninjasv6]

Hi everyone, just a few dumb questions about A/S (VZ Commodore SV6)

Can I turn it on and off at ANY time? Or do I have to come to a complete stop beforehand?

When should I be shifting up/down a gear? Is there an 'optimum' number of rpm's to look out for?

With the paddles on the steering wheel, how do you deal with corners?

I'm on my P's at the moment with an auto license, getting a real manual car isn't possible at this stage.

Thanks heaps.

 

[Pete_perth]

I have active select in my Adventra and I find it a useless function (I am sure some people will disagree). I have always preferred manual cars, and without the clutch, gear change combination that does provide the feedback and feel of driving old-school style, the tapping undersized paddles is hardly a substitute. I personally can't believe someone wasted their time developing Active Select if they thought it would appeal to people who love to drive manual cars but want the convenience of automatic from time to time.

Now that I have got that off my liver, I will assume the Active Select works the same in an SV6 as it does in my Adventra. I have a button next to my gear selector which is "A/S On/Off". I can turn it on or off while I am driving and don't need to be at a full stop to do so. If I turn A/S on while driving, it changes from whatever gear it is in "Drive" to the manual equivalent "5th gear". If I turn it off while driving then it does the opposite and goes from "5th gear" into "Drive".

Deciding when to shift up or down is more in line with how many rev's you want your motor to do. Over revving or under-revving is never recommended. I was taught the old fashioned way of when to select gears and that was to listen to the motor. If it's revving too hard then time to change gear, if it's under-revving then it's time to change gear. I am sure there are some people on this forum who just died inside thinking, there is no such thing as over-revving

You can lose the paddles when turning corners so you generally have to decide which gear you want to pull out of the corner with before you enter the corner (but while you are slowing down to take the corner), so you do need to get into that habit early. Even in a manual car you shouldn't be changing gears while cornering IMHO.

That's my two cents worth, hopefully anyone with a different view will do so respectfully. Personally I find the A/S a complete waste of time and only ever use it to demonstrate it to people who are interested in it. I am sure some people enjoy it. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to own a vehicle with it in the hopes that it will provide the manual driving experience though.

 

[routier1642]

I find it sometimes useful in climbing certain hills, but that's about it.

 

[bloodninjasv6]

Thanks guys for the replies so far.

It makes sense when you say 'over/under revving is never recommended', but with Active Select on it feels like there's a delay between when i hit the paddle compared to when the gear actually changes. So say for example when I'm on an empty road at a red light and I accelerate hard, the sound of the engine makes me feel nervous as if I'm causing it major damage during the time it takes to engage the next gear. When I drive normally in traffic it's fine though.

 

[graham7773]

You know when you have been "over revving". You will find a con-rod or two hanging out of your engine block. Under revving is when there is a shattered piston in your sump. And I thought that paddles were what heart surgeons used to jump start your heart after replacing clogged arteries. Oh and used when bike riders take to our waterways in their canoes.

 

[diysv6]

If you over rev in the assist mode the rev limiter cuts in - doesn't it?
It is nice to hear the motor spin out 6500 occasionally.

I find that not planning your cornering activity in slow traffic, messy intersections, roundabouts, car parks etc is where being in the right gear first is a big advantage.
Once I have turned the steering wheel past about 75 degrees, the paddle actuation is uncomfortable, probably from lack of practice; and the worst is my hands leaving the steering wheel and trying to figure where the paddles are as you want to drop down a gear etc.
Selecting the right gear before the manoeuvre is the best method.
Great on the open road. Not so good in car parks.

As for the shift delay, some discussions have suggested that the action of depressing clutch, changing into the desired gear through the various gate mechanisms, then releasing the clutch does take a finite time, and when measured may be competitive with the automatic changing under the paddle method. Psychologically, pressing a paddle then waiting and waiting does seem slow. The left foot and left hand are doing nothing.