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Awful shift points. Will we ever be able to do anything about it?

11K views 41 replies 13 participants last post by  bigpanda 
#1 ·
I know this topic has been discussed before, but I just wanted to bring it up to find out if there is anything that we are going to be able to do about the shift points in the WK2's. I cant speak for the V8 as I own a 2012 V6 Overland, but one of my only gripes about the car is its shift points. Dont get me wrong its not a huge deal, but noticeable nonetheless.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Chrysler did this all in the name of just being able to claim another mpg on the window sticker. If this is true thats very unfortunate that the owners driving experience has to suffer all for Chryslers advertising. I know MPG is a huge thing these days, but if I had a choice I would GLADLY loose a mile per gallon or two to have good shift points.
The other day I was accelerating up a hill and unlike what most cars would do and hold a gear, sure enough my Overland shifts and was literally at 1000rpm going up a hill. THen I have to apply more gas just to get it to kick back down. Its little things like this that I wish we could change for an all around better driving experience. Sometimes I will drive manually and try to simulate exactly how I would want the Jeep to shift and its amazing!! If only there was a way that it would do that on its own.

So after all this rambling, what are, or will be my options? My Overland is only a couple months old and is an amzzing vehicle and before anyone says anything, no there is nothing wrong with it. Sport mode doesnt really do much as far as shift points go so that doesnt help.

Will there eventually be some sort of tune that can help this? Does anyone think the driveability issues will be fixed with the new tranny coming in 2014? I would absolutely consider trading for all the new things and especially the transmission if they make it drive likes its supposed to!!

Thoughts, opinions!
 
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#2 ·
The Hemi is just as retarded as the 6 is. :) I know I can limit the gears but that doesn't work well either.

I wish I could get the JGC with a nice 6-spd manual transmission, or at the very least a programmer to move shift points around. The Jeep shifts well on level ground but gets stupid when any sort of hill is involved. I thing the tranny programmers only tested it in the parking lot and decided it was good to go. :)
 
#6 ·
I hear and agree, it is the one (plus the rainsensing wipers )thing that spoils an otherwise great vehicle,seems to get a bit better with milage,but is enough of a pain for me to get rid of it. If i keep a steady throttle from the lights, keeping up with the traffic mine will go 1st,2nd, ok then drop straight into third and i have to give it a boot to get it down again to maintain flow, in low speed traffic it has no idea what gear to go into, not smooth at all and i shoulnt have to change manually, its a bit like the rain sensing wipers, they have no idea of what to do. :mad:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Yeah thats the kind of stuff im talking about. I have noticed that as well with somewhat normal one and two shifting, then third comes ridiculously too soon and I look at the tach and its at like 1000rpm and I cant accelerate with everyone else unless I give more throttle.
As for the rain sensing wipers thats odd that you are having issues with it or not happy with its operation. The Chrysler vehicles are one of the few that IMO have a excellent working system. The rain sensing wipers work flawlessly for me and put the speed of the wipers almost exactly where I would want them if I were operating them myself. I love it!
 
#11 · (Edited)
My shift points are fine. It shifts into whatever gear it can manage to get up whatever hill I'm going up. Not quite sure what everyone is complaining about to be honest, lol.

And what's wrong with the rainsense wipers? Mine work great, they're maybe a touch too sensitive for my tastes, but I drive with what others consider a suicidal amount of rain on the windshield.

I have noticed the delay in throttle. This is just one of those hallmarks of a modern vehicle, electronic throttles have built in delays because stupid people often unintentionally press the pedal harder. The little delay keeps that from happening and improves fuel economy (and just might keep a mouth breather out of your rear bumper). Pretty much every vehicle of the past few years has this.
 
#12 ·
I'm definitely no expert, but if you're forced to apply more gas when it shifts to third and is at 1K RPM, I would think that would mean you're consuming more fuel than you otherwise would be, and so that would suggest (to me, again a non-expert) that it's not trying to save fuel but rather the transmission software is just kinda dumb in certain situations. And if that's the case, I would think this could be fixed with a transmission software upgrade -- assuming of course that Jeep would be willing to come out with one to resolve this issue. Complaining to Jeep might make it more likely that they do...
 
#14 ·
Well it was close to it whatever it was. Hopefully I didn't make it sound worse than it is, it just seems that in some situations the tranny should be shifting at better points. And like mentioned above these better shift pouts IMO would be more beneficial for economy reasons. I agree with what was said above, how could bogging the engine up an incline, then have to push the accelerator more to get it to downshift be good fr economy? If it would have just stayed in the original gear to begin with would have been perfect (just as an example).
 
#15 ·
I agree with you guys 100%. I love our new 2012 V-6 Grand Cherokee but, I am worried that the dead spot in the shifting is going to cause a safety issue for the wife when she is driving it in traffic. I notice it especially when I am moving at a slow rate of speed and try to accelerate and nothing happens. Sometimes you need that shot of power NOW to slip into a gap in traffic or get across and intersection. The delay created throws the timing off and will no doubt cause issues if not remedied in short order.
It is better in sport mode around town but, once on the highway mine doesn't seem to want to go into fifth when I have it in sport mode.
 
#17 ·
Could you elaborate on this further? And does this happen immediately after the transmission shifts, or...?

I'm hoping to buy a V6 when the 2013s come out, but if that sort of transmission / other behavior -- which I agree could potentially be a safety hazard -- is normal and unfixable for this transmission via a software update, then that makes me a little wary.
 
#16 ·
I suspect part of the problem is that the torque of the v6 is produced fairly high up in the rev range and to get a couple of ton mobile to get in a gap in traffic or whatever, the poor little v6 needs revs, and when it gets over 2000 or so you can really hear it working, mine sounds quite harsh over a couple of thousand revs, funnily enough mine climbs hills ok once it gets in its torque band.Maybe we will get a transmission shift update before too many people get pissed off.But as i said before it is definitely better than it was before, the adaptive learning is happening or i just compensate more with the throttle. My shit box standard work Falcon ute is better at deciding what gear to use, just sit back and go with the traffic and not give it a thought.
 
#19 ·
I used to notice it most when exituing a slow speed turn. I would go to accelerate and there was a dead spot in acceleration. As you slowly push the gas pedal down nothing happens. You have to jab the throttle to the floor (or use the gear shift) to force a transmission shift or you basically are moving at 20 mph in 4th or 5th gear with zero throttle response if you don't. Trying to merge into traffic is a crapshoot without immediate throttle response and unfortunately, it's just not there right now unless done manually. I have high hopes Jeep can get this fixed.
 
#21 ·
Yes, it does happen all the time unless I turn it to Sport Mode. Once in Sport Mode, I seem to lose 5th gear on the highway. It forces me to jump back and forth from Auto to Sport. Not good! I can muddle my way through the shifting by doing that but, my poor wife would just put it in Auto and do her best to drive. That's where my fears come from.
 
#24 ·
I do this while in sport mode...
good luck
 
#26 ·
The whole problem is we are having to come up with novel ways to make the transmission do what it should be doing on its own. I have mentioned this to Chrysler twice and I have asked my dealer about updates and I am told I have the latest one available. If they fixed this problem on the 2011 models, one would assume the 2012 models should come with the fix as well, but after driving the vehicle for I while, I am beginning to wonder.
 
#27 ·
Exactly. And regarding the tip-in, just because other vehicles have it (and after a quick Google for "throttle response" on InsideLine, it looks like a lot of newer cars have it to some degree, seemingly for fuel economy reasons), doesn't mean it should be that way or has to be that way. Things like ESC and traction control can be partially disabled, so it'd be nice if delayed tip-in could be disabled too.

IMO if you tell the car to do something, it should do it when you tell it to, not when it wants to. So just as if you press the brake pedal, the brakes should apply instantly, if you press the gas pedal, more gas should be applied instantly also.
 
#29 ·
You nailed it with this statement Jeeperscreeper.

"IMO if you tell the car to do something, it should do it when you tell it to, not when it wants to. So just as if you press the brake pedal, the brakes should apply instantly, if you press the gas pedal, more gas should be applied instantly also".

Lag time can equal disaster in many cases. Built in preprogramed pauses are akin to giving your Jeep dementia.
 
#30 ·
Lag time can equal disaster in many cases.
I don't necessarily agree with the need for the delay in throttle, but this is just absurd. Aggressive driving, not planning, and being in a rush is what equals disaster.

As I've said before, if the half a second delay causes what you were going to do to be unsafe, what you were doing was ALREADY unsafe, and the blame for any disaster rests SOLEY on drivers involved.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Drive reasonable, and you don't need to worry about half a second delays.
 
#31 ·
That goes without saying Fauee.

I'm not talking about aggressive driving at all. I'm talking about trying to merge into heavy traffic, changing lanes or trying to get across a busy street. I am teaching my son to drive as well and not having your foot feeling directly connected to the speed of the vehicle is a recipe for problems.
 
#34 ·
I really dont think it has any thing to do with throttle lag, just poor programming and i most certainly dont push mine hard, my evic is 90% of the time 10 ltrs per 100k. Also why should one compensate for the poor programming by switching off this and locking it in that etc,etc, that is not what an automatic is all about, for me anyway. By the way diesel engines are doing everything possible to eliminate the half second turbo lag and succeding. My friend has the diesel model GC and it is a hell of a lot better than the v6, i suspect because it has so much torque available down low in the rev range to counteract the poor shift points.
 
#39 · (Edited)
If throttle response is important to you, be sure to purchase a Jeep with a Tow/Haul button.

It holds shifts longer on upshifts, and holds higher gears longer on down hills to provide engine braking.

Due to Federal regulations all companies are now calibrating their engines to get into the most economical gear as quickly as possible. They are responsible for obtaining the federally mandated corporate average fuel economy, and lugging engines are the only way to obtain it.

Normally I appreciate the additional fuel economy, but when the situation calls for it, I simply tap into a lower gear as needed.

Remember, You are a driver, and you must drive. Don't be so resistant to taking advantage of the tap shift.

Complaining to Chrysler is preaching to the choir. If they had the freedom, they would map the transmission shift points more aggressively.
 
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