[IronJack]

I’ve had that same “transmission lag” scare with the last couple of cars I’ve owned. It’s spooky sitting with your foot to the floor waiting for some electronic Fate to decide if you live or die that day.

[oldtech]

My personal experiences with electronic controlled transmissions is that they offer few advantages,but do have some notable disadvantages. I’m curious how much could be saved by going back to the old systems.

[j. earl carter]

I'm assuming the transmission in question is a non-synchronized manual that is completely computer controlled. I've experienced just this sort of transmission while driving a tractor-trailer (they are now being put in cars to help meet CAFE standards). These transmissions are not ready for the real world.

While driving an '07 International 9400, I had several truly terrifying experiences. The computer would lock up, and refuse to shift gears.

For example: The transmission once faulted while I was on the interstate. Before I could find a suitable exit to pull over and pull the battery cable to reset everything, I came to a hill. Since there was no way to downshift, the truck came to a stop in the middle of the interstate (this particular hill provided a 3rd lane for slow moving trucks, unfortunately, the 3rd lane was simply the lane that should have been the shoulder of the road). I was very lucky that this occurred at 7 am on a Sunday morning, and there was no traffic on the highway.

[JimRed]

The “rolling stop” cures that. Not always an option, though.