Quote:
Originally Posted by Xist
How many car systems are designed with efficiency in mind?
|
The constant increasing of gear ratios in automatics has been for efficiency. Now they're going the other way- our minivan with a 6 speed has an "eco" button that keeps the torque converter locked longer and skips gears, giving it fewer gears- in a search for efficiency.
Again, it goes back to what an automatic is for. If you just shift into Dumb and go, then more gears will keep the engine closest to peak efficiency. If you're willing to use technique to increase mileage, the eco setting will alter the shift points and pattern to work with you. But it's still an automatic, and it's still going to always be in the gear it wants to be in instead of the gear you want it to be in.