Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
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- Location: Pearland, Texas
Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
I was taking the car out for a little trip this morning, and just for giggles, I put it into L, and accelerated pretty normally out of my driveway. While driving down the road, I could feel the transmission shift two times, then it seemed to stay in 3rd, until I up-shifted the shifter to D. Is this the way it works?
Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
Pearland, Texas
2012 Caprice 9C1
1992 B4C 1LE Camaro
2018 Tahoe PPV (her car)
1995 DGGM Impala SS
1985 Firebird - 310 LS1 C Prepared autocross car.
1980 Bluebird Wanderlodge
And some others
Do YOU have my SPID?
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- Posts: 430
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
- Location: Texas Hill Country
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
The 2014 column shift cars are the same unfortunately. I even tested throwing it into low at about 60 miles an hour to see if the car would gradually shift back in the second and then first when I was going slow enough but it never did just stayed in third . This is yet another sign of the times. I like these cars mainly because they are a Caprice but also because they have far fewer anti-stupid driver features than most contemporary cars but still you can see the gradual trend of eventually replacing the human element in driving
Garner Ames
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
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- Posts: 430
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
- Location: Texas Hill Country
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
One thing is good for on the road course type driving where the speed stay well under 100 miles an hour most of the time putting it in low does make the car more responsive as it only has to deal with three gears instead of six making the downshifts quicker
Garner Ames
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
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- Posts: 430
- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:58 pm
- Location: Texas Hill Country
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
Instead of thinking it as low gear I think of it as a low range of gears It would still work in the mountains at most speeds similar to putting the old caprice 9C1 into second gear
Garner Ames
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
1975 Pontiac Grand Am L77 - 14.82 @ 92.89
1991 Chevrolet C1500 L31 Vortec/5 Speed
2002 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 LM7
2014 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 L77 - 13.60 @ 105.87
2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 L96
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
I always use "L" low when going down hills in urban areas as it keeps me off the brakes. I also use low when going through a roundabout as it has quicker response over drive. More so if you are at a stop and have to accelerate quickly.
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
Not sure how strong the overrun clutches are on the 6L80E but I know they were terrible on the 4L60E and would burn out if doing lots of engine braking. Ask me how I know... (manually shifted 2nd gear is dead on my '95 Caprice and that trans has been rebuilt 3 or 4 times LOL).K9Vic wrote:I always use "L" low when going down hills in urban areas as it keeps me off the brakes. I also use low when going through a roundabout as it has quicker response over drive. More so if you are at a stop and have to accelerate quickly.
As for the other "anti-stupid" features, my 9C3 has a floor shift with tap-shift support. If I try to shift it at weird times, it will simply say "Shift Denied". Annoying. However, this transmission has other good features. In "performance mode", it will stay in lower gears when you let off the gas, unlike the old designs that will upshift immediately. However, the computer has to sense that you really want "performance mode". Otherwise it shifts normally. You have to do some spirited driving to trigger it. I know there is some algorithm that is explained somewhere for this...
Last edited by storm9c1 on Mon Apr 13, 2015 10:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tom (AKA: Storm)
2011 Caprice 9C3: L77, 8K miles, first-owner, purchased July 2011.
1995 Caprice 9C1: LT1, 178K miles, summer car.
1995 Impala SS: LT1, 21K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 62K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 128K miles. Rust In Pieces
1994 Caprice 9C1: LT1, beater winter car.
1969 Chevy C30: 383ci stroker, 4L80E, rollback car hauler.
1972 Chrysler Newport: 400ci big block, survivor 27K miles, 2-door hardtop.
1969 Dodge Charger: 383ci big block.
2011 Caprice 9C3: L77, 8K miles, first-owner, purchased July 2011.
1995 Caprice 9C1: LT1, 178K miles, summer car.
1995 Impala SS: LT1, 21K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 62K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 128K miles. Rust In Pieces
1994 Caprice 9C1: LT1, beater winter car.
1969 Chevy C30: 383ci stroker, 4L80E, rollback car hauler.
1972 Chrysler Newport: 400ci big block, survivor 27K miles, 2-door hardtop.
1969 Dodge Charger: 383ci big block.
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
Brakes are cheap and transmissions are expensive. I wouldn't use manual downshift to slow down unless I had already burned through the brakes.
-Brandon
2012 9C1 L77 - 228/234, .604/.609 112 cam, JBA shorty headers, Solo high-flow cats, X-pipe, Cherry Bomb single-chamber mufflers (Frankenstein exhaust), Roto-Fab CAI, CTS-V torque converter, 3.45 Camaro diff, G8 red/black seats/steering wheel
2012 9C1 L77 - 228/234, .604/.609 112 cam, JBA shorty headers, Solo high-flow cats, X-pipe, Cherry Bomb single-chamber mufflers (Frankenstein exhaust), Roto-Fab CAI, CTS-V torque converter, 3.45 Camaro diff, G8 red/black seats/steering wheel
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
I agree. But when you are towing, sometimes you need both. But otherwise, I try not to downshift anymore after learning my lesson and toasting the trans on my '95 a few times.bsparks72 wrote:Brakes are cheap and transmissions are expensive. I wouldn't use manual downshift to slow down unless I had already burned through the brakes.
Tom (AKA: Storm)
2011 Caprice 9C3: L77, 8K miles, first-owner, purchased July 2011.
1995 Caprice 9C1: LT1, 178K miles, summer car.
1995 Impala SS: LT1, 21K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 62K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 128K miles. Rust In Pieces
1994 Caprice 9C1: LT1, beater winter car.
1969 Chevy C30: 383ci stroker, 4L80E, rollback car hauler.
1972 Chrysler Newport: 400ci big block, survivor 27K miles, 2-door hardtop.
1969 Dodge Charger: 383ci big block.
2011 Caprice 9C3: L77, 8K miles, first-owner, purchased July 2011.
1995 Caprice 9C1: LT1, 178K miles, summer car.
1995 Impala SS: LT1, 21K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 62K miles.
1995 Caprice Wagon: LT1, 128K miles. Rust In Pieces
1994 Caprice 9C1: LT1, beater winter car.
1969 Chevy C30: 383ci stroker, 4L80E, rollback car hauler.
1972 Chrysler Newport: 400ci big block, survivor 27K miles, 2-door hardtop.
1969 Dodge Charger: 383ci big block.
Re: Shifter in L and the car still shifts?
I am never going over 35mph using low going down slight hills and the sport shift does a much worse job over getting stuck in a lower gears at higher speeds while in drive. You need the quicker response from a stop in L in these roundabouts. Not sure if any of you have ever driven in one, but you need a quick response sometimes from a stop and using low does help.