Economy mode on an Allison Transmission

[holstein13]

Does anyone know if there is any benefit to turning on Economy mode while using cruise control on a highway? If I've got the cruise control turned on at 64 miles per hour, will economy mode help?

What about after I've had to slow down for a vehicle in front of me? Will economy mode make a difference vs. the cruise controls acceleration?

Is economy mode better for city driving?

[MrWizard]

on my 1995 DP
the button says "MODE"
nothing about economy and it does not improve fuel mileage
it does change shift points, it up shifts sooner
i use mode when i'm not driving on the interstate
when on interstate highways.. i do not use it

[holstein13]

DSDP Don wrote:
"holstein13".....Economy Mode on your King Aire will be of very little value. In reality, it only helps coaches that are underpowered. If you have a coach with a enough power that can run through rolling hills in 6th gear, using Economy Mode won't change anything.

I suspect you are correct. I've tried it several times and noticed no difference.

[phranc]

Glenn , is there a push button just below the red circle in your diagram ?
( just to the right of the 'R' button )

[DanTheRVMan]

It depends on your engine.

Hard to impossible to get my isb or other low powered engines into 6th without economy mode. measurable difference in mpg for those engines from my experience.

Hills and passing better without economy mode imo. YMMV on this issue.

[DSDP_Don]

"holstein13".....Economy Mode on your King Aire will be of very little value. In reality, it only helps coaches that are underpowered. If you have a coach with a enough power that can run through rolling hills in 6th gear, using Economy Mode won't change anything.

Some of the older coaches with 275 HP to maybe 330 HP may benefit slightly by holding a gear longer on a grade. Even then, I doubt that you would ever see a measurable mileage increase.

[jorbill2or]

GlennLever wrote:
I have an Allison World transmission. The shift panel has an economy display in the upper right position.



This is in a 1997 American Dream.

I have no idea how to active or deactive that mode.

Any ideas?

yes push the mode button just below the Economy word you circled .. the light should come on. You must do this ea time you start .. it resets to "normal " mode ea time Or pushing mode again turns it off.

[racerchaser]

It does not hold the transmission in a higher gear. It delays the shift point which is why it is recommended for use in rolling terrain. Other than rolling terrain it is of marginal value. In other than rolling terrain, i.e., the mountains the recommendation is to turn it off. For the best explanation of this topic contact Brett Wolfe.

[GlennLever]

I have an Allison World transmission. The shift panel has an economy display in the upper right position.



This is in a 1997 American Dream.

I have no idea how to active or deactive that mode.

Any ideas?

[Empty_Nest__Soo]

jorbill2or wrote:
economy only changes the shift points in my understanding .. it shifts "sooner" keeping the rpms lower ( less acceleration)

That is my understanding.

I wish economy mode was the default. I try to switch it on after shifting to Drive.

Wayne

[bluwtr49]

One other thing is that if you need to drop a gear to pass it doesn't downshift very readily so you might need to shut it off in those instances or manually drop a gear.

[Kidoo]

I only have a few hundred miles on my MH, but I also found it switch gear less often. So I just keep it in eco. all the time.

[fcooper]

bluwtr49 is right on. If not in economy mode, my tranny will "hunt" on rolling hills trying to decide if it wants to be in 5th or 6th gear. For that reason, I run in economy mode all the time unless I need a little more acceleration. When trying to merge onto the interstate, I'll shift out of economy mode.

Fred

[bluwtr49]

It does a couple of things. It doesn't shift any quicker but it holds the tranny in the highest gear to a lower RPM allowing you to lug the engine for better fuel economy. It also prevents constant shifting on rolling hills.

[Old-Biscuit]

Take it out on hwy and PUSH the button.

You know you want to.....so try it out. See what it does.

[Kidoo]

It seems to shift to lower RPM when going on a small hill, as when you get onto an overpass, with the eco on, it will not shift down as soon with the cruise on.