D vs S Drive Mode

[RangersLeadTheWay]

I thought S was just for you to manually shift the gears with the flappy paddle thumb button?

Yes and no... it automatically shifts for you, unless you want to shift manually. So you're not wrong, sort of...

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[Floyd]

I don't understand why the gear you are in is not always displayed. I have to turn it on in D and can't display is in S unless I go into manual mode.
Also what about using S and "tow haul" at the same time? It won't display the gear.
Of course it still has a Tach.

 

[FunInTheSun]

I kind of have mixed feelings about both modes. I much prefer manual transmissions, not so much for the direct gear selection, but for the immediacy and delicacy of torque control offered by a clutch. All qutomatics have similar failings for me. One, they can't see, and two, they can't plan ahead for what you want to do next. Third, they are programmed by someone else, and usually they are trying harder to satisfy government demands that the vehicle get the abolute best possible gas mileage, and user experience be damned. So they all end up with pregnant pauses while "waiting" for the trans to shift when I'm ready to accelerate. Coming out of a turn when you've taken foot off the accelerator, the damn thing goes ahead and upshifts all the way up (for better gas mileage, no doubt), so when you want to smoothly accelerate out of the turn, the trans is dumping clutches and downshifting, and in between gears, there is zero power to the wheels, followed by the squishy torque converter re-engaging with the road. Upsetting the balance of the car mid-corner is not that fun for some more skittish vehicles.

But all that aside, I started out as a newb only using D mode at first. I found the D mode to be programmed with such low shift points that the engine was lugging. Vibrating like a jackhammer at certain speeds (just under 40 mph, the rpm is about 1100, and seems to set up resonances in body panels and just thundering vibrations). Extremely grating to my mechanical sensibilities, as when I was learning to drive, I learned that doing this is hard on the crankshaft, rods, and bearings, etc, so watching the automatic trans do this was hard to take. Ford probably knows all this, but the EPA CAFE ratings vs premature death of engines, the choice was not too hard to make. Overcoming this in D mode means cranking the (-) button down through 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, etc, and stopping at a gear that keeps the revs at a reasonable speed (I hover between 1500 and 2500 for tooling around in traffic. But once you do this, you have to mind the upshift, and adjust when the speed limit changes, or you end up with revs too high. SO that is a solution, but maybe not the best solution. I wish we could adjust the behavior of the trans in a more sensible way. Selecting a more reasonable upshift and downshift limit would seem to be a logical way to do it, but I'm sure there are complications that I can't even imagine that would make something like this terrifying to Ford for liability and warranty reasons, even if they DIDN'T have the ever-watchful EPA breathing heavily over their shoulders.

So I started playing with S mode. This changes the shift points, and makes the transmission dither a lot less, but now it keeps the rpm a bit too high when just cruising around, which wastes gas. But not waiting for the trans to downshift three gears when you DO want to accelerate makes for a crisper overall driving experience. So I prefer S mode for the more reasonable shift points, but sometimes I don't want the truck poised on the razor edge, keeping the turbo spooled up, so I can upshift a couple clicks and she settles down, without going into LUGGG-O-RAMA like D mode. but what happens now, is that since I touched the button, I have now made myself responsible for EVERY shift from that point on, and that gets to be annoying too, SO I end up slipping back and forth from S to D and back again to give control back to the automatic brain, until I have to tell her to settle down again.

So this is where I am at for now. Mostly S for around town, occasionally poking the button for an upshift or two, and quick slipping into D and back to S to give control back to the brain.

For turnpike / expressway driving, D is fine, with an occasional poke at the downshift button or slipping into S for subtle passing without using the loud pedal to provoke a downshift. Then a quick slip into S and back to D when it's time to get back to letting the Ford Brain take care of business.

 

[Tom_C]

I kind of have mixed feelings about both modes. I much prefer manual transmissions, not so much for the direct gear selection, but for the immediacy and delicacy of torque control offered by a clutch. All qutomatics have similar failings for me. One, they can't see, and two, they can't plan ahead for what you want to do next. Third, they are programmed by someone else, and usually they are trying harder to satisfy government demands that the vehicle get the abolute best possible gas mileage, and user experience be damned. So they all end up with pregnant pauses while "waiting" for the trans to shift when I'm ready to accelerate. Coming out of a turn when you've taken foot off the accelerator, the damn thing goes ahead and upshifts all the way up (for better gas mileage, no doubt), so when you want to smoothly accelerate out of the turn, the trans is dumping clutches and downshifting, and in between gears, there is zero power to the wheels, followed by the squishy torque converter re-engaging with the road. Upsetting the balance of the car mid-corner is not that fun for some more skittish vehicles.

But all that aside, I started out as a newb only using D mode at first. I found the D mode to be programmed with such low shift points that the engine was lugging. Vibrating like a jackhammer at certain speeds (just under 40 mph, the rpm is about 1100, and seems to set up resonances in body panels and just thundering vibrations). Extremely grating to my mechanical sensibilities, as when I was learning to drive, I learned that doing this is hard on the crankshaft, rods, and bearings, etc, so watching the automatic trans do this was hard to take. Ford probably knows all this, but the EPA CAFE ratings vs premature death of engines, the choice was not too hard to make. Overcoming this in D mode means cranking the (-) button down through 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, etc, and stopping at a gear that keeps the revs at a reasonable speed (I hover between 1500 and 2500 for tooling around in traffic. But once you do this, you have to mind the upshift, and adjust when the speed limit changes, or you end up with revs too high. SO that is a solution, but maybe not the best solution. I wish we could adjust the behavior of the trans in a more sensible way. Selecting a more reasonable upshift and downshift limit would seem to be a logical way to do it, but I'm sure there are complications that I can't even imagine that would make something like this terrifying to Ford for liability and warranty reasons, even if they DIDN'T have the ever-watchful EPA breathing heavily over their shoulders.

So I started playing with S mode. This changes the shift points, and makes the transmission dither a lot less, but now it keeps the rpm a bit too high when just cruising around, which wastes gas. But not waiting for the trans to downshift three gears when you DO want to accelerate makes for a crisper overall driving experience. So I prefer S mode for the more reasonable shift points, but sometimes I don't want the truck poised on the razor edge, keeping the turbo spooled up, so I can upshift a couple clicks and she settles down, without going into LUGGG-O-RAMA like D mode. but what happens now, is that since I touched the button, I have now made myself responsible for EVERY shift from that point on, and that gets to be annoying too, SO I end up slipping back and forth from S to D and back again to give control back to the automatic brain, until I have to tell her to settle down again.

So this is where I am at for now. Mostly S for around town, occasionally poking the button for an upshift or two, and quick slipping into D and back to S to give control back to the brain.

For turnpike / expressway driving, D is fine, with an occasional poke at the downshift button or slipping into S for subtle passing without using the loud pedal to provoke a downshift. Then a quick slip into S and back to D when it's time to get back to letting the Ford Brain take care of business.

Wow. Wall of words :| But, I mostly agree. I've only got 1200 miles so far, but in D the trans wants to hang in gear 7. I like S, but don't like it keeping the rpms so high... is that engine braking? Don't know. But, I don't feel some of the gear searching problems others are mentioning, at least so far.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

My main use of the S mode is to disable the auto stop/start function at a light, not that I don't enjoy a "spirited" drive with it in S mode every now and then.

The shifter is a lot closer reach than the button on the console.

 

[Joyride]

I've had it slip right into S once in a while...not sure how or why...

slippin’ that D right into S hmm…

Yes, I’m that immature ?

 

[FunInTheSun]

Wow. Wall of words :|

LOL. Story of my life... I'm not really good at 'concise'...

<snip> but in D the trans wants to hang in gear 7. I like S, but don't like it keeping the rpms so high... is that engine braking? Don't know.

Might be something to do with keeping turbo spooled up to avoid lag. First time I really nailed it, when I let off, it kept the revs really high, for a really long time. Kind of the opposite of engine braking for me. That was in D, but it tends to do it in S mode, too, but I also have a check engine light, so it may be that isn't normal behavior.

Overall, S mode shifting is a better match to the way I like to handle the driving task, but it does keep the revs too high when I'm up to speed. But D definitely keeps them too low. I consider D mode to be EPA mode, and S mode to be DRIVER mode. And I use the +/- button when she gets a little too enthusiastic.

 

[Trigganometry]

Wish I could get paddle shifters for this rig. Oh man that would rock the casbah

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

Wish I could get paddle shifters for this rig. Oh man that would rock the casbah

I think you’re on to something Rick. I have paddle shifters on my Passat - never use them - have Sport mode too and a +/- shift mode (off to the side) - never use it. I use S mode in my Ranger all the time and would likely use paddle shifters - fun, right?

Hmmmm, maybe it’s time I start discovering just what I can get out of my sedan.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

My Mazda had terrific paddle shifters and the transmission actually responded near instantly to their input.

Car was a blast to drive but was invisible to other drivers while they were texting in their Suburban.

Too many close calls.

 

[FoD]

didnt someone post on here, a guy from across the pond putting in a paddle shifter steering wheel into his truck?
guy has more skills than me with regards to wiring that up

You're right, I vaguely remember it around the time we had some of those great Thailand mods posts...I think

Edit: This is the one I was thinking of

 

[wanted33]

If they made it without the lock people would complain. You know what they say, "For every action there's an equal, and opposite reaction".

 

[Doc]

Mine stays in S mode …

 

[FoD]

Mine stays in S mode …

Why Doc, I am shocked!!

 

[gasmanjohn]

but what happens now, is that since I touched the button, I have now made myself responsible for EVERY shift from that point on, and that gets to be annoying too, SO I end up slipping back and forth from S to D and back again to give control back to the automatic brain, until I have to tell her to settle down again.

When in S and manually shifting, to go back to auto-shift you don't have to move the lever back to D. Just hold either the + for about 2 seconds and it goes back to automatically shifting while remaining in S.

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