To me firm shifts = bad too in regards to passenger comfort. There's no secret whey mercedes transmissions shift so smoothly you almost don't feel them...passenger comfort is high on the priority list. Hmm, and those transmissions last a long time too.. Sure wish my CTD shifted like my E class..

 

I think one thing to remember on the firm shift while empty is that this truck was designed to pull heavy loads. The shift is perfect when loaded. If the truck was to shift like a passanger car while empty just think of the shift quality when loaded, not an expert but I would think we would have a high failure rate while pulling.

 

Could be a valid point bh, although I'm not sure if that's how it works as I'm no trans expert either.

 

I dunno. I don't hear any clunk. That would be disturbing.

Maybe mine is peculiar. I don't suffer from shifts being too firm. On the contrary, it seems like it shifts smoother (too smooth, in fact, for my taste) when empty and firmer when the fiver is attached. I seem to recall seeing a post on this topic that said, under a load, it stays in each gear longer developing more RPMs which in turn develops more line pressure to the tranny. The increased line pressure results in firmer shifts.

My Ford 4R100 had its shifts firmed up by the Hypertech programmer. That tranny's line pressure was controlled by the ECM so it was something that could be reprogrammed.

Neil

 

Smooth shifts equal slipping cluthces. Just like driving a stick, if you slip the clutch a lot taking off, you will wear out your clutch. A clutch never wears out while fully engaged.

While a smooth shift may feel nice, something is either slipping or being engaged slowly to create that smooth shift. I like an automatic to shift hard. I know there is no slippage that way, and you won't harm a thing inside either.

 

I would just assume to have firm shifts myself. The transgo firmed mine up, and i love how it shifts now. NEVER hangs a gear. I know i have the 47rh, but i think really smooth shifts mean less longevity, and a lot more heat buildup. Its fine for cars, and vans, but trucks need to be firm because they are built to pull, and they need to be reliable.

Eric