Comformatic - different way of using it

[Aspenshaw]

Do you leave your foot on the pedal when the Comfortmatic van changes gear or do you take your foot off when your Comfortmatic changes gear (a bit like we do when driving a manual car)? And why.

The question arose in a group of motorhomers I was in and which became some what heavy. There were other arguments about the way we drive the Comformatic and Fiats in general.

 

[DDJC]

Up button is in front of the gear leaver, holds lower gears longer, well worth using if you are over 3500kg.
The hill descent is next to the traction plus button, holds low gears on steep descents only works below 25kph.

Won't work hit the brake and throttle at the same time engine cuts out.
What's wrong with relying on the Hill Holder?

Thanks. Got an up button, never used it. We have the 150hp engine.

Haven't got the hill descent or traction Can it be retro fitted and if so, is it worth it?

 

[DDJC]

Thanks. Got an up button, never used it. We have the 150hp engine.

Haven't got the hill descent or traction Can it be retro fitted and if so, is it worth it?

(Have to say, I get off on the thought of more buttons on the dashboard. I'd put in buttons that did sod all, just to have more stuff to push. Makes me feel like an airline pilot )

 

[dunnah01]

I wish mine had Hill Holder . Lifting the arm rest and trying to grab the handbrake can be a PITA sometimes so end up being Ninja footed to skip from brake to throttle before the guy behind poops himself

Another project to find out if it can be retro programmed

 

[DDJC]

So I have got this one,

but not these two.

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[Lenny HB]

Haven't got the hill descent or traction Can it be retro fitted and if so, is it worth it?

No you can't add it.
I think all x250 & X290's have Traction control, it's on by default and you can turn it off.
Traction Plus is an option on x290's Traction control is permanently on and you can turn on Traction Plus.

 

[dunnah01]

No you can't add it.
I think all x250 & X290's have Traction control, it's on by default and you can turn it off.
Traction Plus is an option on x290's Traction control is permanently on and you can turn on Traction Plus.

Don't think my X250 has Traction Control, just the UP button. How can I ell?

 

[Lenny HB]

So I have got this one,
View attachment 775261

but not these two.
View attachment 775260

 

[Lenny HB]

Don't think my X250 has Traction Control, just the UP button. How can I ell?

ASR Button turns Traction off and a symbol lights up on the dash.

 

[dunnah01]

ASR Button turns Traction off and a symbol lights up on the dash.

View attachment 775300

Nothing there except a disappointing switch blank . I'll try the UP button one day but not sure when I'm supposed to use it as the van drives fine anywhere and everywhere

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[Lenny HB]

Nothing there except a disappointing switch blank . I'll try the UP button one day but not sure when I'm supposed to use it as the van drives fine anywhere and everywhere

On hills makes a big difference in the mountains especially on the heavy chassis.

 

[WESTY66]

It's a no cost option with the Comformatic from Fiat but it has to be specified not all converters specify it.

Your Carthago has it, you are hopeless son, how long have you had that van?

What’s it look like? I don’t do button thingies, hell I hardly had the stereo on for the past two weeks, I’ve been listening for the comfortmatic clunk, but I never heard it!
I don’t think I’m gonna let Jackd have this van, it’s too good for him

 

[WESTY66]

I wish I had the option of a crash box!

 

[dunnah01]

On hills makes a big difference in the mountains especially on the heavy chassis.

Never tried real mountains although got some scary hairpins in around Italy but the 3.0l never seemed to struggle on any hills. I'll have a play with the UP just to see what happens

 

[Lenny HB]

What’s it look like? I don’t do button thingies,

No button it just works, haven't you got hill holder on your car, most have even my 11 year old Kia Venga has it.

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[WESTY66]

No button it just works, haven't you got hill holder on your car, most have even my 11 year old Kia Venga has it.

Errr not that I know of! How the hell am I supposed to know the Carthago had hill holder when there’s no button Handbrake off, and set off the old fashioned way
there’s too much crap on these new motorhomes

 

[WESTY66]

Never tried real mountains although got some scary hairpins in around Italy but the 3.0l never seemed to struggle on any hills. I'll have a play with the UP just to see what happens

Up button? What’s that do? I think I need to RTFM

I never use any buttons in the alps, just slot it into manual and shift accordingly

 

[Lenny HB]

Errr not that I know of! How the hell am I supposed to know the Carthago had hill holder when there’s no button Handbrake off, and set off the old fashioned way
there’s too much crap on these new motorhomes

Says it in the spec on the price list.

 

[dunnah01]

Lil Smart car has Hill Holder and it's really useful but I can live without it on the Moho - coz I have to

 

[Jonno1103]

ASR Button turns Traction off and a symbol lights up on the dash.

View attachment 775300

Yeah but that's the 9 speed proper automatic box with a torque converter rather than the robotized 6 speed manual comfortmatic

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[Lenny HB]

Yeah but that's the 9 speed proper automatic box with a torque converter rather than the robotized 6 speed manual comfortmatic

No that's the standard traction control regardless of type of box. My first van a 2008 manual had it.

 

[Guigsy]

My 2020 manual has the traction plus button. I believe standard traction control just reduces power when it detects a spinning wheel?Traction Plus also brakes the spinning wheel to try to transfer some torque to the other side. Especially useful on grass and mud. Use it before you dig yourself in though!

It's also got the descent button. I'm not sure what that does on a manual...?

 

[Carpmart]

An LSD would be much more useful for the light front end, FWD Fiat platform.

 

[Guigsy]

An LSD would be much more useful for the light front end, FWD Fiat platform.

The front is lighter, but a 60:40 split still puts a lot of kg on the front wheels.

Lots of hot hatches use single wheel braking to reduce spin and get great performance without an LSD.

 

[Lenny HB]

My front axle is 1930kg, last van it was 1630 kg, grip is just as bad with the heavier front end.

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[Carpmart]

The front is lighter, but a 60:40 split still puts a lot of kg on the front wheels.

Lots of hot hatches use single wheel braking to reduce spin and get great performance without an LSD.

May be on yours and maybe you can drive, but for the less capable and with tag axles and heavier rear bias Fiat/Pug/Citroen (the generic FWD) it would probably be more useful than some virtual smart diff.

 

[Lenny HB]

May be on yours and maybe you can drive, but for the less capable and with tag axles and heavier rear bias Fiat/Pug/Citroen (the generic FWD) it would probably be more useful than some virtual smart diff.

I've found the Traction Control/Traction Plus as good as useless on the Fiat.

 

[Guigsy]

May be on yours and maybe you can drive, but for the less capable and with tag axles and heavier rear bias Fiat/Pug/Citroen (the generic FWD) it would probably be more useful than some virtual smart diff.

On a tag axle, doesn't the front axle have the most load?

 

[DDJC]

No you can't add it.
I think all x250 & X290's have Traction control, it's on by default and you can turn it off.
Traction Plus is an option on x290's Traction control is permanently on and you can turn on Traction Plus.

Lenny, I've got a 68 plate bus. Is it possible that Traction plus and Descent are there, but just not attached to a switch on the dashboard? Seems to be a common practice to avoid building lots of different engines or gearboxes.

 

[Guigsy]

Lenny, I've got a 68 plate bus. Is it possible that Traction plus and Descent are there, but just not attached to a switch on the dashboard? Seems to be a common practice to avoid building lots of different engines or gearboxes.

It wont be enabled in software either.

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[Larrynwin]

I have found the traction control useful, a while back I was moving off uphill on a loose surface towing car and found it was impossible without traction control.