[nop1988]

hello this is my first post here


I have seen some people talking about the A/T not letting the revs go very high and was reading a review that said if you hold the trip button to turn the eco Mode/light off then the 4speed A/T will be more sporty and let the revs build higher


anyone tried this out ?

I will be testing it maybe tonight or tomorrow

sorry if this has been asked or talked about i just did not see anything on it here

Thanks all !

 

[WHTKOUPSX]

I'm going to try this out later tonight because I've noticed the same thing when I drive. I'll let you know what happens!

 

[gripphard]

What review said that? Please post a link to it.

 

[nop1988]

Nova Scotia News - TheChronicleHerald.ca

"To help with fuel economy a green-coloured (naturally) ‘ECO’ minder on the main display indicated when the automatic was programmed for the most fuel-efficient shifts. When the driver turned off the ECO light (with a press and slight hold of the trip button) gear changes would occur at higher rpms."


http://www.driving.ca/montreal/research-car/roadtest/Style+poise+mark+Forte+Koup/2123861/story.html

" Turn off the ECO light (use the trip button) and changes will occur at higher rpm for a more vigorous driving experience."


that is all i see right now,but they might have been old posts and it did not make it into the car

 

[2.4LForteSX]

i turned it off like the first or second week (got annoyed) lol but it revs up to the limiter now about 6500rpms

 

[nop1988]

I will test it on a 4speed tomorrow

someone with a 5speedA/T test it out

 

[BigE]

I will test it on a 4speed tomorrow

someone with a 5speedA/T test it out

I'll be trying this tomorrow for sure but I've gotten into the habit of shifting manually when I want more performance and it does make a big difference.
Of course that would make sense since when the A/T is in manual mode, the ECO light no longer comes on.

 

[lilreeken]

That eco light does nothing more that let you know your driving efficiently keeping the revs up 2000rpms makes the light come on its basically a light and doesnt change anything whether its on or off.... i use manual mode when i need performance it gives you a little more control over each gear and a longer time to use each..

 

[WHTKOUPSX]

I noticed a difference while driving with the eco light off.

 

[BigE]

I also noticed a difference with the light off. The shifts seemed to occur at higher RPMs if you used a moderate to heavy thottle setting, not so much difference at easy accelrations. It also seemed to "catch" first gear quicker from a start if you give it a heavier throttle from a standing start. But this is all from the "seat of the pants" testing results. lol!

 

[KYLE'S FORTE]

I am going to try this too on the way home.

 

[domt1985]

Im going to go test it out now

 

[tmw76]

So does it do anything by turning it off? I am so disipointed at the shifting of this tranny. I have the 4 speed and it feels like it's shifting too soon. It acts like a manual when you shift into gear too soon and it bogs down and sometimes you even feel a slight shake. When you get agressive with the pedal it starts to shift better. I end up driving the thing manually half of the time as I can make it shift when I want it to.

 

[domt1985]

I didnt really notice anything. I have the 2.0 4spd A/T. I do the same thing. The manual mode is better

 

[PharaohKoup]

ok had to go for a long drive tonight from friends house so I tested this. I have 2.4 5 speed A/T. Here is what I found.

In eco mode at a dead stop no light.

In eco mode driving "normally" by 50mph I was in 5th. If you floor it from here the eco light goes off but the car feels VERY sluggish. Also If you floor it at any point in the shifting the light goes off and car is sluggish.

Driving aggressive (3/4 throttle) from dead stop the light never comes on until you let off and the car settles down. shift point looked to be at 4.5k rpm.

pedal to the medal from dead stop car went well into redline with no light to be seen until I let off and car settled down.

eco mode off seemed really close to what I stated for eco mode on but the car seemed to respond a little faster and better with random full throttle depressions.

There is a HUGE difference in torque and rpm range if you go to manual though. You are able to hold the car above 4.5 which seems to me where It likes to run and show its power.

I guess after this first test I would have to assume that the eco mode tries to keep the car shifts under 4k rpm under normal driving conditions. For safety reasons I would have to assume also that the car automatically jumps out of eco mode if you floor it. Maybe it assumes that you are getting on freeway and need extra power to get into flow of traffic safely.

I can tell you for sure without a doubt, If you flip it over to manual mode It will hit the full range of rpm before it shifts. don't worry about revving too high it will shift automatically when you hit the max rpms. You also dont have to worry about shifting too low when already moving it wont let you do that either. Yet another safety feature that may or may not be annoying at this point.

 

[tmw76]

Thanks for the info PharaohKoup. I have found that in Manual mode it performs the way I like it. Revs are around 3500-4000 and it moves like a raped ape. I would be willing to bet that I could get better gas mileage in this car driving it manually than using the ECO light. I drove a manual transmission Toyota Echo for 3 years and was averaging 46mpg highway. Using that ECO light it shifts too soon and just because the RPM is lower, does not mean you are using less gas. You will use more gas if you are running at 1500k and are accelerating than you will if you are at 2500k and accelerating. I just wish that Kia would have done like Toyota did with their transmissions where they learn the driver's driving habits and shift accordingly (My 07 Yaris auto). I think their shift points are too low.

Still love the car though! I love the look when people ask me what kind of car it is and I tell them it's a Kia. Kia still has a tarnished name for some reason, but I truly believe that they could become one of the top car companies.

 

[ForteSX2.4]

I find that when I press people who talk bad about Kia that have "a friend that knows somebody that knows somebody that some time in the past had problems with a Kia"...they rarely cite a real first-person or personal problem. It has to do with perception...Kia needs to overcome this.

 

[apecio]

KIA in my mind has done a 360 in terms of styling, quality, image, and service. I was shocked when i went into a kia dealership when looking for a new car. It'll take some time but with the new looks, super pricing, and increased quality checks Kia will be on top in no time. Last year KIA and Hyundai were the only ones to post a 2 digit sales profit... tells you something.

 

[APatel]

I turned the eco mode off and did not notice any difference in shift times. I tried it several times both with eco on and off. At 40 mph, I was already in 5th gear

 

[thiefness]

Now I assume that you mean the average shifting point, but if I lay hard on the gas from a stop, even in A/T on my 5 speed it'll go to the limiter.. The same happens if I lay hard on the gas at about 70 mph, it drops down into 3rd gear at around 4k-4.5k rpms and goes up from there. I think it just shifts low depending on how hard you are accelerating, if you are not accelerating hard, it assumes you won't mind if it shifts to higher gears. At least that is my thought.