Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) cars are widely popular now as compared to older times, and therefore, more and more automatics are being launched with each passing day. AMT equipped cars are way different than the regular automatics. While driving an AMT car doesn’t need some special pre-driving lessons, but there are few tips and tricks that you can follow to ensure the longevity of your AMT car.
Do Not Rely On Engine Braking
Driving manual-transmission cars for a long period of time makes us rely on engine braking extensively. But with an AMT car, its not the same. You need to “stay sharp” on roads as you cannot totally rely on engine braking.
Driving an AMT car for a suitable time period would ensure that you understand each and every aspect of an AMT car. Moreover, AMTs are much more economical than the regular automatics in terms of running cost and maintenance and will also reduce load of pressing clutch everytime you get stuck in traffic.
Always Check Your Surroundings Before Overtaking
Unplanned overtaking in an AMT equipped car can be very dangerous. AMT equipped cars are not much energetic as the regular automatics or the mighty DSGs. They do take some time to Upshift, therefore always look forward for wide-area opportunities to overtake. Always ensure that you have suitable time and space upfront to overtake safely.
Do Not Keep Accelerator pressed in Heavy Traffic
Almost all the modern automatics are equipped with a slight automatic acceleration. You must have noticed while driving an automatic car that if you release the brake pedal, there is a slight automatic acceleration even without pressing the accelerator. Infact, this feature is integrated for heavy traffic situations only.
This feature not only helps a lot in city traffic, but also keeps your AMTs safer from early wear and tear. All the modern automatics include this feature.
Do Not Take Handbrake For Granted
Its true, cars with AMTs are much better than manual-transmission equipped cars, but one thing that they lack is the Hill-Hold Control. The absence of this feature in AMTs indicate that you must use your handbrake on inclines. Therefore, it prevents your car from a roll-back and also puts much less pressure on your transmission.
Driving an Automatic Like a Regular Manual
If you’ve driven a manual-transmission car, you that while changing the gear, you need to lift your foot off the accelerator to avoid a major jerk in your vehicle. Failing to do so will wear out your engine and your transmission much earlier than expected. This is same with the AMTs.
Lift your foot off the accelerator when you need the gear to be shifted, and the transmission computer will do the rest. Even while downshifting, let your foot off the accelerator and apply brake slowly, and the transmission will do a downshift for you, easy as that.