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.

 

[enark]

You are using it wrong you are supposed to hold the van with the foot brake then the hill holder holds the brakes on while you transfer your foot to the gas peddle. Same as on most cars.

Hi Lenny, done some trials with this and if I am correct, the problem is it only works on a hill of 5% or greater, which means;

a. How do you know as the driver when it will kick in?
b. Under 5% the van will still roll backwards.

or am I doing something wrong?

 

[Lenny HB]

I have found very few slopes where it doesn't work, if the slope is too shallow for it to work the van hardly moves when I take my foot off the brake. Weight may have a bearing on it we run at 4200 to 4300kg.

 

[DDJC]

We came down off the Pyrenees yesterday and the brakes were extremely hot. Tyres were also mega hot. Nervy stuff for us.

We pulled in to a layby and smoke was coming out from the front brakes. The handbrake wasn't holding so the only thing we could do was to encourage the Comfortmatic into reverse.

Anyway, the point of this post is to illustrate that the Comfortmatic is crap for engine braking. Even flicking off auto, and trying to gear it back couldn't slow us sufficiently.

Luckily we halted before the brakes were cooked, flaming or glazed the pads. Lesson learned. Creep down hills and disregard angry cars behind.

Can you uprate Ducato brakes?

 

[Mixyblob]

We came down off the Pyrenees yesterday and the brakes were extremely hot. Tyres were also mega hot. Nervy stuff for us.

We pulled in to a layby and smoke was coming out from the front brakes. The handbrake wasn't holding so the only thing we could do was to encourage the Comfortmatic into reverse.

Anyway, the point of this post is to illustrate that the Comfortmatic is crap for engine braking. Even flicking off auto, and trying to gear it back couldn't slow us sufficiently.

Luckily we halted before the brakes were cooked, flaming or glazed the pads. Lesson learned. Creep down hills and disregard angry cars behind.

Can you uprate Ducato brakes?

We did the Pyrenees and the Alps earlier this year and our Comfortmatic equiped Ducato PVC performed admirably. I hardly needed to use the brakes except for approaching hair pin bends and such.
We had friends following us so had a buffer between us and the speedsters behind. Still stopped and let them past when convenient though.

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[Roby2008]

Me neither, just gently drive the box, don’t rush it, lift the foot, it’s never Not gone up a gear or two gears, if I’m in the alps, switch to manual! 45k and never had a spanner on the comfortmatic or any fluid changed, not had any adjustment of anykind, and drives flawless, I’ll stick with that

Mine too, did 98k, drove it like you state...never a problem

 

[enark]

We came down off the Pyrenees yesterday and the brakes were extremely hot. Tyres were also mega hot. Nervy stuff for us.

We pulled in to a layby and smoke was coming out from the front brakes. The handbrake wasn't holding so the only thing we could do was to encourage the Comfortmatic into reverse.

Anyway, the point of this post is to illustrate that the Comfortmatic is crap for engine braking. Even flicking off auto, and trying to gear it back couldn't slow us sufficiently.

Luckily we halted before the brakes were cooked, flaming or glazed the pads. Lesson learned. Creep down hills and disregard angry cars behind.

Can you uprate Ducato brakes?

Hi,

yes I found that selecting hill decent made it select a really low gear and thus high rev the engine, but guess that’s good engine braking.

 

[Guigsy]

Hi,

yes I found that selecting hill decent made it select a really low gear and thus high rev the engine, but guess that’s good engine braking.

I think hill decent control is limited to 15mph. I've only used it once for crawling down a very steep and rocky track off a sheep covered hillside in the Lake District. Get to the desired speed and tap the button and leave the foot controls alone (as they cancel it as soon as they're touched). I'm glad it was there because lots of people were watching and it made it look like I knew what I was doing!

 

[Guigsy]

Anyway, the point of this post is to illustrate that the Comfortmatic is crap for engine braking. Even flicking off auto, and trying to gear it back couldn't slow us sufficiently.

The engine doesn't offer a lot of engine breaking, full stop. It'll revs to 3.5k down a slope before it feels like it's holding back at all. It really doesn't sound nice.

The solution is to descend slowly. Slow right down. Don't let the speed build. You're still on the brakes a lot, but you're shedding the energy at a much lower rate. So the heat has time to dissipate.

I agree on the handbrake issue. My previous van would easily hold. This one has been adjusted twice, but still struggles on even mild inclines.

 

[Lenny HB]

Anyway, the point of this post is to illustrate that the Comfortmatic is crap for engine braking. Even flicking off auto, and trying to gear it back couldn't slow us sufficiently.

I find the opposite when driving in the mountains which we do a lot the "UP" button is on and I find when descending the engine braking it too much and I have to take the "UP" off so it changes up a gear, never had any problems with the brakes overheating.
Don't know what chassis you are on but the brakes on the Maxi chassis are a lot better, we are 4500kg on the Maxi running at 4300kg.

yes I found that selecting hill decent made it select a really low gear and thus high rev the engine, but guess that’s good engine braking.

Only works up to a max of 25kph and as said you mustn't touch the brakes or accelerator when using it.

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[WESTY66]

Been up and over the Italian, Austrian, Slovenian and Swiss alps, never used any button, engine braking quite good on the 3.0L (not that it’s should be any different to the 2.3) never had an issue with brakes, never had them smelling at all, even at 5 ton!
Coming over the GrossGlockner with a 2.2L manual 3.5t Peugeot Elddis however, different story, the brakes faded and stank for hours

 

[Aspenshaw]

I use the Up button on stretches of the M62 and some roads in the Pennines. No surprise given that my van is a 2.3 10 year old Fiat. Rarely use it for down hill. The last time was a week ago when coming down the 1:4 Sutton Bank (near Thirsk) with. Caravans are banned for using this stretch of road.

I've used the Hill Hold the majority of times when I pull up on a slope. I will use the handbrake if the stops are likely be more than a few minutes.

Rarely use Cruise Control.

 

[TheMachMan]

I don’t think mine has Hill Hold, just the handbrake.
Also to clarify the operation of the hill descent button; you press and take feet off pedals and it maintains the same speed? Does it use the brakes automatically or just engine braking?

 

[RV-AL]

I find the opposite when driving in the mountains which we do a lot the "UP" button is on and I find when descending the engine braking it too much and I have to take the "UP" off so it changes up a gear, never had any problems with the brakes overheating.
Don't know what chassis you are on but the brakes on the Maxi chassis are a lot better, we are 4500kg on the Maxi running at 4300kg.

Only works up to a max of 25kph and as said you mustn't touch the brakes or accelerator when using it.

Is this the UP button?

 

[Lenny HB]

Is this the UP button?

View attachment 796301

Yes.

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[Lenny HB]

I don’t think mine has Hill Hold, just the handbrake.

Hill Hold is a no cost option with the Comformatic but it has to be specified for some reason a lot of Brit converters don't specify it.

 

[bobandjanie]

You are using it wrong you are supposed to hold the van with the foot brake then the hill holder holds the brakes on while you transfer your foot to the gas peddle. Same as on most cars.

Ours is manual and has that.
German LHD . Bob.