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Adaptive transmission


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Yes, but contrary to popular belief, adaptive doesn't mean it adapts to your driving style. It adapts to it's own tolerances and adjusts timing of shifts and hydraulic pressure so that shifts are smooth and fast. Each transmission even has it's own unique "DNA" file that gives a good starting point and is loaded into the computer. If you change the transmission, you must also change the file.

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Yes, but contrary to popular belief, adaptive doesn't mean it adapts to your driving style. It adapts to it's own tolerances and adjusts timing of shifts and hydraulic pressure so that shifts are smooth and fast. Each transmission even has it's own unique "DNA" file that gives a good starting point and is loaded into the computer. If you change the transmission, you must also change the file.

 

Not sure how/if it's implemented on the Fusion, but there is such a thing as adapting to driving style

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=2574

 

"What it is: The Adaptive Transmission Control system recognizes individual styles of driving (e.g., aggressive vs. Relaxed) and adapts transmission shift parameters accordingly. Two types of ATC are adaptive shift-scheduling and adaptive shift-quality control. Adaptive shift scheduling uses information to assess driving style and decides when to upshift or downshift. It also can identify uphill or downhill gradients and recognize hard cornering. This helps inhibit shifts that might be annoying to the driver or affect vehicle stability. Adaptive shift-quality control uses information about the vehicle or environment, such as changes in the transmission due to wear, to improve the quality of shifts. This system can also adjust shift smoothness to suit driving style (e.g., crisper shifts for aggressive driving or smoother shifts for normal driving).

 

How it works: Adaptive Shift Scheduling uses a microprocessor to read signals from various sensors. It uses a complex algorithm and ongoing memory to decide when to shift. For example, high lateral acceleration during cornering may prevent shifting even if the accelerator is suddenly depressed or released. This helps avoid potential loss of tire grip due to load reversal. Shift points can be based on calibration curves in memory. Adaptive shift-quality control adjusts parameters that affect the speed and smoothness of the shift by interpreting data, including driveline feedback from various sensors, as well as post shift parameters.

 

Customer benefit: Improves shift consistency and transmission durability and allows for shifting that is better suited to specific driver styles or operating conditions.

 

Ford status: Available on many North American vehicles"

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ssssooooo...what sort of impact would this have in a 2+ driver household where completely different driving styles are applied to the car? I'm about to get a 2010 SEL V6 (pick up tomorrow) and all this tranny talk that somehow missed my eye when I was doing research is starting to freak me out.

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Ssssooooo...what sort of impact would this have in a 2+ driver household where completely different driving styles are applied to the car? I'm about to get a 2010 SEL V6 (pick up tomorrow) and all this tranny talk that somehow missed my eye when I was doing research is starting to freak me out.

 

Bottom line is - you don't need to worry about it. It will work just fine either way.

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Found a nice article on the topic...

The Truth About Adaptive Transmission

 

Looks like these are issues, including "Multiple Driver Syndrome" (as the author calls it) with all cars with this system, and it's just something drivers of modern automatics must accept. Score one for the good old stick shift, I guess.

Edited by chitown
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Even with that Ford article, I don't think the Fusion trannys adapt to the driver - they only adapt to manufacturing tolerances or changes to get back to factory specs. I don't think the driver has anything to do with it. Notice the Ford article doesn't mention any specific transmissions or applications (IIRC).

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Ssssooooo...what sort of impact would this have in a 2+ driver household where completely different driving styles are applied to the car? I'm about to get a 2010 SEL V6 (pick up tomorrow) and all this tranny talk that somehow missed my eye when I was doing research is starting to freak me out.

A lot of cars can customize seat positions, radio presets and so on based on a driver's personal key (or a button on the dash) - so it wouldn't be beyond the limits of technology to have different profiles for the transmission. Might cause more wear and tear though (?)

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  • 2 months later...

Thanks Waldo and Moosehead. I guess it's a good thing, although I'll have to investigate further.

 

I would not expect the car to adapt to the driver. If you have two drivers that would be a problem. Even a single driver changes his style of driving during the day, week or month. Do I alway accelerate to 40 in 8 second. If I am on a highway yes, it I am on a back road I may take 15 seconds. If it raining I drive different. If I am alone in the car the car would accelerate quicker with the same accelerator position. Place 5 big adults in the car would take more movement of the accelerator to accelerate at the same rate.

 

It would appear that the Transmission may monitor itself to maintain the same shift point as parts wear.

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if you drive you car hard and then some one like your wife drives it slow she will complain because the shifts are hard but it adapts quickly. so they are adaptive...and when some one says they changing the adaptive strategy (shift strategy) it is just a way to improve shifting and prolong transmission life by manufacturer. also change your tranny fluid and it will last a life time...i know of people not doing it and then complaining about their trannys being bad...and then there are people who do it and no problems at all...(of coarse there are few that just have problems no matter what you do)

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if you drive you car hard and then some one like your wife drives it slow she will complain because the shifts are hard but it adapts quickly. so they are adaptive

 

Wrong. It only adapts to manufacturing variances and wear over time. It doesn't adjust to individual driving styles. Never has.

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