Does anyone use the "manual" mode on the automatic transmission?

[Equitasforall]

I use it all the time. Live in a fairly mountainous area and like the ability to downshift it going down the mountain on the highway, especially on wet/slick pavement. Like other posters said, I also use it to kick it to 8th gear at times when the Jeep is reluctant to do so. That said, I test drove a manual back in '18 before I bought my first JL as I've always preferred it, but hated 5th/6th gear and the 8 speed auto was just money with the V6. Great combination and it sold me immediately.

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[HungryHound]

You do 0-60 in under 6 seconds in 4 LO? Can you post a video? Please???

Sorry....4-hi auto. I'd like to blame autocorrect, but it's just all me.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Sorry....4-hi auto. I'd like to blame autocorrect, but it's just all me.

Dang. I was hoping that you meant that. I wanted to see the carnage.

 

[santa]

I downshift every time when I stop at the light, same as when I drive stick Scatpack.

 

[No IFS]

I have the dynamax muffler delete and the AFE cold air intake. Sometimes I use it to show off. Sounds so cool Manual shifting. Gets a lot of looks, sounds very exotic

 

[EU_Wrangler]

I use it every time I go off-road... super useful to keep RPMs where you want and have all the torque available instantly

 

[J0E]

coupled with 4-lo auto, you can get to 60 under 6 seconds.

With manual hubs and a non-Ruby xfer case, at least years ago, an automatic in 4 low with the hubs unlocked was much faster 0-60 than in high range.

I used to routinely blow hot rods off the line with a dodge PU in low range.

 

[JEEPmole]

Don't worry about hurting anything with the auto-stick feature. You're rev-limited and it won't let you up-shift too high and lug the engine.

Are shifts on the JL rev-limited or rev-forced? The Chrysler/Jeep vehicles I've owned in the past, including a JK, all forced an upshift at redline. I don't have my JL yet, so haven't had a chance to test it out. From a performance perspective, if the auto forces upshifts at redline, it really ruins the experience and makes manual mode useless.

I could see the manual mode being really useful when driving in icy or slippery conditions where you don't want it shifting on its own while going uphill, etc.

 

[Jeepsmashin]

I use it every day, when I'm on the highway at a steady pace I'll put and leave it in 8th gear and use cruise control to get better gas mileage

 

[kbp810]

Are shifts on the JL rev-limited or rev-forced? The Chrysler/Jeep vehicles I've owned in the past, including a JK, all forced an upshift at redline. I don't have my JL yet, so haven't had a chance to test it out. From a performance perspective, if the auto forces upshifts at redline, it really ruins the experience and makes manual mode useless.

I could see the manual mode being really useful when driving in icy or slippery conditions where you don't want it shifting on its own while going uphill, etc.

I never had this problem in my JL or JK; it let me ride the rev limiter through a climb without up shifting. I could see it not allowing you to shift again manually while under those conditions… but picking 3rd gear and then dropping the skinny pedal through a climb, never had it upshift on me.

 

[jeepoch]

@rcadden,

AutoStick (Manual Mode) rocks!!! I've been a left foot calisthenics driver most of my adult life. But this ZF8-based Automatic transmission is really way more fun to operate. Yes I used the proper term.

I manually shift quite a lot. Both on and especially off-road. When in 4Lo I'm almost never in 'Drive'.

I have even convinced my transmission to routinely use 8th gear when in full automatic even on 35's with the 3.45 gearing. Simply by using AutoStick frequently on the highway to force it into overdrive, it seems to have gotten the hint. It selects the top gear almost as frequently now as when it was bone stock.

Still, please don't try and convince a manual jockey to try it though. I've been tarred, feathered, keel-hauled and blocked (literally) on other threads for attempting to educate the left footers of just how cool this automatic transmission really is.

For me it's the best damn daily driver I've ever owned by far (bar none). I have both a manual and an auto in the same vehicle at the same time. It's just so way cool.

Did I mention how much I really like this thing?

One piece of advice however, I adjusted my cluster setup to display the current gear. When in 'D' it shows D1-D8. When in 'M' it indicates just 1-8. By doing this I know precisely what gear is selected at any time. This is helpful, especially off-road.

I both manually up and down shift all the time. I have to admit however, it routinely does a much smoother job. The calibrators really nailed it when tuning it's shift points, particularly well done on my 3.6L.

I don't know if I could ever be convinced (now) to ever own a JL with that crappy MT6 and all of it's clutch nightmares. Don't get me wrong, I like rowing through the gears like all manual jocks. However, I still can but now through all 8 gears. I can also just sit back and admire how well it does totally on it's own.

Did I ever mention how much I really enjoy this Jeep?

Jay

 

[TJ_HOOKER]

This is my first automatic wrangler, a MY21 JLUR diesel. Now that I have the GDE tune and their transmission tune, I use the “manual mode” mostly for slowing down when towing. They’ve activated an “engine brake” mode, to which to my understanding anything over 2500rpm utilizes an internal sliding nozzle in the turbo to cause back pressure for additional braking. Works especially well to wake up some jag-off tailgating you as well.

I had the ZF8 in my last car, 2016 M235i 2wd, and with the flappy paddles on the steering whee it was a lot of fun when I tuned it to adjust the torque parameters. I’ve had a DSG trans in a Golf R, and this shifted just as well, just as quick. I’d love to get my hands on the steering wheel from the 392 wrangler with the paddle shift. Most posts I’ve read about the potential for the wheel swap are littered with opinions like “why bother”, but unless you’ve had the option in a vehicle that was properly designed for it, you can’t know how much fun it can be to drive with them. Up until the Golf R, everything I’ve owned in the last 30 years had a proper manual gearbox.

 

[TangoRomeo7688]

I often use it when towing a trailer for better use of engine break when driving downhill.

 

[HungryHound]

@rcadden,

AutoStick (Manual Mode) rocks!!! I've been a left foot calisthenics driver most of my adult life. But this ZF8-based Automatic transmission is really way more fun to operate. Yes I used the proper term.

I manually shift quite a lot. Both on and especially off-road. When in 4Lo I'm almost never in 'Drive'.

I have even convinced my transmission to routinely use 8th gear when in full automatic even on 35's with the 3.45 gearing. Simply by using AutoStick frequently on the highway to force it into overdrive, it seems to have gotten the hint. It selects the top gear almost as frequently now as when it was bone stock.

Still, please don't try and convince a manual jockey to try it though. I've been tarred, feathered, keel-hauled and blocked (literally) on other threads for attempting to educate the left footers of just how cool this automatic transmission really is.

For me it's the best damn daily driver I've ever owned by far (bar none). I have both a manual and an auto in the same vehicle at the same time. It's just so way cool.

Did I mention how much I really like this thing?

One piece of advice however, I adjusted my cluster setup to display the current gear. When in 'D' it shows D1-D8. When in 'M' it indicates just 1-8. By doing this I know precisely what gear is selected at any time. This is helpful, especially off-road.

I both manually up and down shift all the time. I have to admit however, it routinely does a much smoother job. The calibrators really nailed it when tuning it's shift points, particularly well done on my 3.6L.

I don't know if I could ever be convinced (now) to ever own a JL with that crappy MT6 and all of it's clutch nightmares. Don't get me wrong, I like rowing through the gears like all manual jocks. However, I still can but now through all 8 gears. I can also just sit back and admire how well it does totally on it's own.

Did I ever mention how much I really enjoy this Jeep?

Jay

Yeah, I don't get the whole 6-speed Jeep thing either. I drive both auto and manual shift vehicles. Leave the shifting to the sports cars, trucks and Jeeps are too clunky to be fun with a clutch.

 

[GMX]

Use it frequently.
Wish mine had paddle shifters.

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