Wonderful downhill shifting behavior with 8 speed auto

[DanW]

I've got a manual, and it upshifts or downshifts only EXACTLY when you want it to, and it'll hold whatever gear you prefer. It is just like it is reading your mind!

All kidding aside, has it changed at all once it has had time to learn your driving habits? I'm not sure if it will do that on hills, but the shift pattern for regular driving might be adapted to your driving style after awhile.

I think the program is optimized for off-roading, but will do this on road, too. If you don't like it, try blipping the throttle when going downhill and that might trigger an upshift. I think I would like it to do that, though.

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[McBeeve]

This seems to be a characteristic of these 8 speeds in general. I've now owned four different 8spd equipped vehicles (not counting the Wrangler) and they all have behaved like this. I personally like it, as law enforcement in my area seems to like to utilize the hills as speed traps.

 

[Kurtj29]

I like it, don't have to ride the brakes down our hills here in Seattle.

 

[smithrd65]

I like it good feature

 

[FrankieFJL]

I'll cast a vote for "like".

 

[bobzdar]

Yup, works great on hills. Of course, if you change something you'll always have a contingent that can't get used to it (see: ESS). This is the best auto I've ever driven. Works great towing.

 

[Arkewn]

Don't have my JL yet but this sounds great! I almost caught the brakes on my automatic LJ on fire coming down the mountains when I first got it. Literally smoking!

 

[Vinny2002]

Is there a way to get rid of that shifting behavoir? Factory programming?

 

[cosine]

i like this feature because i have a few long hills that i travel on a daily base. engine braking helps in controlling the speed and less time with your foot on the brakes. my last trip was in pigeon forge tn and gone thru the smokey mountain. my brother drove the jeep and found it very responsive in holding a gear while going down hill. it a better alternative than using the brakes. you get use to it. my work van (ram pro master) has a 6 speed auto and features the engine braking which acts the same way as the jeep.

 

[walweb]

I finally got my Jeep today!

I have a steep paved driveway and have to traverse some pretty steep hills to get around my neighborhood.

I've read a lot of threads here but none have mentioned how the transmission seems to be programmed to behave on downhill stretches with your foot off the gas. It is really resistant to upshifting and does a great job of not letting the car accelerate as if rolling with no engine resistance. If you press the gas pedal a bit it starts acting more like I'm used to with automatics, and lets gravity do its thing.

Am I crazy in thinking the JL behaves differently than most autos in this respect? I really like it - it's like a minor version of hill descent control but without applying the brakes. Most autos I've driven will engine brake, but they are programmed to always be in as high a gear as possible for a given speed when you take your foot off the gas and coast. The JL seems to not do that when it's pointed downhill.

I agree with you, I also live in mountainous area and find it to be very handy and "driveable"

 

[UTES]

I have the Diesel 8-speed "Dodge Truck" transmission and I am surprised how well it shifts. I was sure I'd miss my old truck's exhaust brake, but I don't. For, if I take my foot off the throttle pedal when coasting downhill, the Jeep will downshift moderately on its own. Or, I can put the auto shifter in the manual setting and bring it down through the gears myself.

There's obviously some safety built into the auto trans as it will not let me manually downshift if I'm speeding. Kudos to Jeep. The auto trans paired with the Diesel is a winner.

Hunter

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