Hey everyone! Just got myself a 97 volvo 850 wagon!
#1
06-18-2010, 01:44 AM
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Hey everyone! Just got myself a 97 volvo 850 wagon!
Hey guys! I got a new car cause my old one finally died.
I am now a proud volvo owner.
I got a 97 volvo 850 T-5 wagon style. Has turbo and 5cylinder.
This is the 2nd car I've ever owned and of the two this is the car i dont feel like its going to break down on me at every street light. So I really wanna take good care of this thing and get to know it.
So I'm reading through the manual and came up with a lot of questions but they all seem to interconnect with each other based on what the real answer is with each question.
Sooo to avoid confusion I'll just ask you experts one question at a time if thats okay.
#1. I'm reading tips on driving economy to get best fuel consumption and one of the tips reads this:
"Avoid using automatic transmission kick-down feature unless necessary."
So not sure what that means i go to the definition of 'kick-down' in the manual and it reads this
"Kick Down: Automatic shift to a lower gear (kick-down) is achieved by depressing the accelerator pedal fully and briskly. An upshift will be achieved when approaching the top speed for a particular gear or by releasing the accelerator pedal slightly. Kick-down can be used for maximum acceleration or when passing at highway speeds."
So im unclear as to WHAT exactly does that mean.
So if I release the gas pedal it will shift into a higher gear? And is that bad or good?
Whats going on with kick-down and how does it affect the gas mileage?
So thats #1. thanks for reading such a lengthy question
I am now a proud volvo owner.
I got a 97 volvo 850 T-5 wagon style. Has turbo and 5cylinder.
This is the 2nd car I've ever owned and of the two this is the car i dont feel like its going to break down on me at every street light. So I really wanna take good care of this thing and get to know it.
So I'm reading through the manual and came up with a lot of questions but they all seem to interconnect with each other based on what the real answer is with each question.
Sooo to avoid confusion I'll just ask you experts one question at a time if thats okay.
#1. I'm reading tips on driving economy to get best fuel consumption and one of the tips reads this:
"Avoid using automatic transmission kick-down feature unless necessary."
So not sure what that means i go to the definition of 'kick-down' in the manual and it reads this
"Kick Down: Automatic shift to a lower gear (kick-down) is achieved by depressing the accelerator pedal fully and briskly. An upshift will be achieved when approaching the top speed for a particular gear or by releasing the accelerator pedal slightly. Kick-down can be used for maximum acceleration or when passing at highway speeds."
So im unclear as to WHAT exactly does that mean.
So if I release the gas pedal it will shift into a higher gear? And is that bad or good?
Whats going on with kick-down and how does it affect the gas mileage?
So thats #1. thanks for reading such a lengthy question
#2
06-18-2010, 08:54 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Glen Ellyn, IL
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First, welcome to the forum and congrats on the purchase!
Sounds like they’re trying to explain that when you stomp on the gas, the trans will downshift. This downshift causes the engine to increase its RPM's, which in turn is easier for the car to accelerate at a faster rate. If you watch your tach while you drive (but pay attention to the road, obviously!) it takes a shorter amount of time to rev from, say, 3,000 RPM to 4,000 RPM than it does going from 1,000 RPM to 2,000 RPM – even without your turbo kicking in around 3,500 PRM. With the turbo, your acceleration will be much more at higher revs.
When you watch the tach when the car shifts, you’ll see that with a hard acceleration the shift point will occur just below redline, but with a gentle acceleration, it happens at much lower rev’s. When you flip the switch from Economy to Sport, the Sport setting will cause the trans to shift much closer to redline. It has to do with the engine producing maximum horsepower at redline and getting that power to your wheels. Obviously, max horsepower equates to max fuel usage!
When you do a gentle acceleration or you decrease the pressure on the gas pedal after a hard acceleration, the system thinks you don’t need to rapidly increase your speed, so it stays in the gear instead of dropping down one.
Sounds like they’re trying to explain that when you stomp on the gas, the trans will downshift. This downshift causes the engine to increase its RPM's, which in turn is easier for the car to accelerate at a faster rate. If you watch your tach while you drive (but pay attention to the road, obviously!) it takes a shorter amount of time to rev from, say, 3,000 RPM to 4,000 RPM than it does going from 1,000 RPM to 2,000 RPM – even without your turbo kicking in around 3,500 PRM. With the turbo, your acceleration will be much more at higher revs.
When you watch the tach when the car shifts, you’ll see that with a hard acceleration the shift point will occur just below redline, but with a gentle acceleration, it happens at much lower rev’s. When you flip the switch from Economy to Sport, the Sport setting will cause the trans to shift much closer to redline. It has to do with the engine producing maximum horsepower at redline and getting that power to your wheels. Obviously, max horsepower equates to max fuel usage!
When you do a gentle acceleration or you decrease the pressure on the gas pedal after a hard acceleration, the system thinks you don’t need to rapidly increase your speed, so it stays in the gear instead of dropping down one.
#3
06-18-2010, 09:18 PM
But pushing on the accelerator and feeling it downshift is the beauty of these cars. Keep your foot off the gas you get better gas mileage, put your foot in the accellerator and feel the thrust. Flooring an 850 turbo at 60 mph is a great feeling. Just hold on to the steering wheel cause you get a lot of torque steer with these cars.
Enjoy your new ride and welcome aboard!
Enjoy your new ride and welcome aboard!
#6
06-20-2010, 11:25 PM
Another way to get a little better gas milage is to keep the transmission selector in the "E" (economy) setting. In the "S" (sport) setting, you will get more kick down and it is set to allow you to drive more agressively. When you are in the mood to have fun, select the "S" setting. I keep mine in the "S" setting, I like the option to jump ahead at any time. I look at it as a safety feature.
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