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AutoStick Transmission

36K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  3ms 
#1 ·
As a new owner of a Jeep Patriot. I have a question about how the Autostick transmission works. There is a plus and minus which raises or lowers the gear ratio. The salesman did not seem to knowmuch about it and it is not in the books with the car.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to the JeepPatriot.com forum Doneil... Sounds to me you have already got the AutoStick figured out. Basically, To shift up, tap the knob toward the plus symbol, and to shift down, toward the minus symbol. On the instrument cluster you'll see which gear you are in displayed inside a small circle. To disengage the AutoStick, pull the knob toward the left and hold it there for a count of two, and you'll see the small circle disappear. Hope that helps answer your question.

Again, welcome to the forum. Post us some pics of the new ride when you can...
 
#3 ·
Welcome. I had the info in my manual and for mine (which works and is stated in the manual) you push and hold to the right to disengage and put it back in drive.
 
#4 ·
A lot of people have asked me the purpose of the AutoStick. As far as I understand, it's simply a way to force the transmission to change where it alters the shift points by engine speed.

In other words, the CVT usually changes the ratios at a given point, varied somewhat depending on how much throttle you use. Using the AuoStick, you force the transmission to rev higher (or lower if you're a sadist) to get more of a sporty feel.

The CVT, which I understand has really been improved from it's original iteration, uses a belt and pulleys instead of gears. In the 6 days of ownership, I have noticed that there is a certain amount of lag from a dead stop unless you really goose it - I can put up with that in exchange for a few more mpg.

I also read in the owner's manual that you should use full throttle acceleration "within the constraints of local laws" during break-in, so I have certainly followed my owner's manual in that respect. ;) It really changes the 2.4 from a little buzzy thing to a pretty powerful engine.
 
#6 ·
It can be used as an engine braking aid for long steep hill descents. Or just to have a little manual fun!!
 
#7 ·
I use mine to save gas. When travelling slow under a light load I notch it up a gear and the rpms drop significantly.

Also when pulling away from a tollgate. Amble through at about 30, notch it into 5 and hit the cruise. When the rpms get up there I notch to 6 and when its levels off I hit Drive.

Ditto Tiptronic on the hills.
 
#8 ·
I use it on downgrades to keep the speed down without dragging the brakes. Also it comes in handy on the freeway. When the cruise control is engaged, and you come onto a hill, you can translate it into 6 and keep the revs down and still hold the speed close to your set point. The ETC programming on the Pat shuts off fuel flow to the injectors above 1500 rpm with no throttle input detected, so I also use the Autostick to keep the rpms above 1500 when decelerating off the freeway or on a long downslope with a stop at the bottom.
 
#11 ·
I use mine extensively when towing a trailer or when ascending a hill in which the computer wants to keep it in 4th gear and wind the RPMs up to about 5k. I can usually maintain speed and RPM bumping it up into 5th. My feeling is: don't be afraid to play with it to get used to what it can do. You won't break it and it will help in certain situations to give better gas mileage and save wear on your transmission.
 
#14 ·
CVT transmissions when in drive dont have a set ratio. It uses input from the TPS ECM and TCM to use an "optimal" ratio. When put it to manual it uses predefined ratios from the TCM to mimic different gear ratios. This is a screen shot from my Altima service manual that are probably very close in design compared to the patriots
Good explanation! Indeed, they are both Jatco units.
 
#15 ·
I have mixed feelings on the autostick.

I find it useful on hills, where I can judge the oncoming road and base shifts based on that, but the transmission cannot. It's smoother than fussing with accelerator position to get it to shift.

On the other hand, it takes more attention to note what gear you're in, compared to a manual where you can tell by the position of the shifter. So for example it's non-ideal if you need to downshift from 6th to 2nd or 3rd to make a turn. I can't imagine someone wanting to use it the majority of the time to shift as if you were driving a manual.
 
#16 ·
drock, you've hit on one of the advantages of the CVT. It never hunts for a gear 1) because it doesn't have any, and 2) it works such that the change in ratio is only to what is needed, not moving to another gear with a predetermined ratio.

For most driving there is no need for autostick. Autostick is most useful in snow where a CVT can deceive the driver by the slight increases in RPMs as it calls for more power. Instead I can notch it into a particular ratio and then I can sense if/when the tires are slipping if the engine increases speed at all. Very helpful/necessary with FWD.
 
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