Can you prevent kickdown? C300 coupe

[Racersedge]

Some advice please guys... I’ve been trying to configure my new car, and when setting up individual mode in dynamic select I selected manual transmission. However the vehicle still feels it knows best and kicks down if I ask for too much throttle even when at already fairly high rpm. Is there anyway to prevent this when I’m in manual? I know many will say it’s for optimal performance bla bla.... and most of the time I will use one of the preset comfort or sport settings and happy with the way the gearbox operates, kicksdown and decides on gear selection in these modes but when I specifically ask for manual I’d like to retain full control. Can this be done?

 

[Blobcat]

Hello and welcome

Every Mercedes box I’ve had has always had final say on which gear to use. It is frustrating if you want to use it as a full on sports car. The 911 I had would happily bounce off the rev limiter until I changed up.

I think it’s just the way Mercedes program them for safety of the boxes.

 

[Racersedge]

Thanks Blobcat, this is my first Merc. To be honest it’s not so much that fact it changes up to stop being bounced off the limiter I have a problem with, I can kind of understand that, it’s the way it kicks down when I’m already at mid RPM and want to use smooth torque to accelerate instead of a disruptive gear change and screaming engine. When I’m in “manual” I’d expect the only overrides to be those such as for engine/box safety.

 

[ajlsl600]

i an old fart, but if yr really light on yr acceleration ,surely it should NOT kick down on my older a class and clk i must positively apply the welly to change down sl seemed to work fine as well ml .yet to determine . maybe it has not "learnt" yr driving style yet ? i provide the boot to change down to pass ,when past i lift and they change up. i guess the more gears one has the more often the car will look for another gear .?

 

[Craiglxviii]

It kicks down because the car is far more intelligent than the driver when it comes to optimum power and torque of the engine for the speed and conditions it’s being driven under..! If you’re asking for more revs and the ECU knows that the car will handle better in the next cog up or down, it’ll change for you.

Lesson- learn to trust the car a bit more

 

[Blobcat]

It kicks down because the car is far more intelligent than the driver when it comes to optimum power and torque of the engine for the speed and conditions it’s being driven under..! If you’re asking for more revs and the ECU knows that the car will handle better in the next cog up or down, it’ll change for you.

Lesson- learn to trust the car a bit more

Yes and no, my W213 would let me have 9th in Manual but not in drive, some software setting somewhere said it was better in 8th at that particular speed. It wasn't as I wasn't wanting to nail it or about to go up a hill. It would happily stay in 9th only if I held it in manual. It's just a software setting with some preset points. I prefer full manual if given the option and full auto most of the time.

 

[ajlsl600]

It kicks down because the car is far more intelligent than the driver when it comes to optimum power and torque of the engine for the speed and conditions it’s being driven under..! If you’re asking for more revs and the ECU knows that the car will handle better in the next cog up or down, it’ll change for you.

Lesson- learn to trust the car a bit more

boeing thought that as well !!

 

[Craiglxviii]

boeing thought that as well !!

Welllllll with the political and economic considerations of pretending the MAX is actually a 737...

 

[ajlsl600]

i know i am wrong on tech when the majority find it palatable to climb on a boeing or any other civil aircraft with no pilot aboard . i think pilots were unaware of 737 max issues before , frankly i would not agree to pilot a civilian aircraft that i did not have the ultimate control of.period.

 

[Craiglxviii]

i know i am wrong on tech when the majority find it palatable to climb on a boeing or any other civil aircraft with no pilot aboard . i think pilots were unaware of 737 max issues before , frankly i would not agree to pilot a civilian aircraft that i did not have the ultimate control of.period.

So the Chinese man-carrying electric drone Quadcopter that can only be controlled by a smartphone ain’t for you then?

 

[EmilysDad]

..... .period.

Arrggghh!
FULL STOP

 

[Racersedge]

Talk about tangents . So long and short I can’t do anything about kickdown in manual... lol

 

[Craiglxviii]

Arrggghh!
FULL STOP

The irony being that there was a full stop after the period!

 

[V6Matty]

Roll on to the accelerator rather than stamp it and it should use the power rather than kicking down, also if you go through the kickdown switch it will kick down no matter what.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Talk about tangents . So long and short I can’t do anything about kickdown in manual... lol

Not unless you have the transmission ECU remapped.

 

[Craiglxviii]

Roll on to the accelerator rather than stamp it and it should use the power rather than kicking down, also if you go through the lockdown switch it will kick down no matter what.

You mean, drive the car the way it was designed to be driven?

 

[V6Matty]

You mean, drive the car the way it was designed to be driven?

I’d never insinuate that at all

 

[EmilysDad]

Where's TurboPete when there's an auto/manual debate??

 

[ajlsl600]

So the Chinese man-carrying electric drone Quadcopter that can only be controlled by a smartphone ain’t for you then?

grand,if you aint expectin to come back???

 

[LostKiwi]

Admittedly all ours are older 5 speeds and 4 speeds but if I select a lower gear it won't change past that gear (happily (?!) bouncing off the rev limiter if requested).
It will always change down if it thinks it's better to do so (the V8 more readily than the V6).
It's possible to have the transmission remapped to allow full control I believe.