Sprint-shift gearbox

[karakachan]

Was thinking of getting an ex welfare bus to convert,seeing that it would be in between the 7.5t I have and say a lwb van.More room because they are wider and some of them have night heaters in them too.
One thing that's holding me back is the sprintshift gearbox.Had a BMW v8 once with a tiptronic gearbox which was faultless and smooth in auto and manual.
Done plenty of searching and they seem,like anything else to have pros and cons...more pros in this case.
At least the buses would have been well serviced in their lives.
Anyone had a merc with this gearbox

 

[helen262]

Yes and had no problems, I also know a guy who lost a leg in NI, who now does European courier work that clocked over a million miles in his with no problems, as with anything it is down to how well maintained they are

 

[hairydog]

My local garage says they are fine if you leave them alone, letting them change gear automatically. But if you use the manual controls a lot, they tend to go wrong.
I have no idea if this is true, but it's what they told me. My motorhome is 5 speed manual. My car is 7 speed auto, but has only done about 90,000 miles so it's a bit early to judge how long it'll last.

 

[Nabsim]

Mine has the 6 speed sprint shift that is fitted in ambulances and it is real smooth changing in auto, I think other sprinters of this age usually had a 5 speed box but thats only what I have heard rather than based on fact. Not tried manually changing with it yet as I normally just leave everything in full auto on any cars I have had unless it in snow or mud.

I had heard lots of good things about the sprint shift on the Merc before I bought our mh and was glad to end up getting one. Only thing I ever use with manual gears are motorbikes and have had autos since late 70's due to loss of a leg. Some of these semi auto setups that are really manual gearboxes with electronic clutch(es) can be less than smooth changing up and down but the sprint shift is definitely one of the good ones.

 

[skippy]

Contemplated one of the early ones mb fitter advised otherwise .Go onto motorhome facts.com look at sprintshift problems

 

[Nabsim]

Contemplated one of the early ones mb fitter advised otherwise .Go onto motorhome facts.com look at sprintshift problems

As in most things folks tend to post when they have problems so wouldn’t put too much stock in posts. Better asking ambulance drivers and couriers what they are like. I may be jinxing myself now but I have had auto and semi auto gearboxes since 1978 and really can’t understand why anyone would wasn’t manual, so old hat

 

[Deleted member 4404]

As in most things folks tend to post when they have problems so wouldn’t put too much stock in posts. Better asking ambulance drivers and couriers what they are like. I may be jinxing myself now but I have had auto and semi auto gearboxes since 1978 and really can’t understand why anyone would wasn’t manual, so old hat

I agree, when things are running sweetly nobody says anything, but when there's a problem it gets lots of net exposure. We all have our preferences

 

[trevskoda]

As in most things folks tend to post when they have problems so wouldn’t put too much stock in posts. Better asking ambulance drivers and couriers what they are like. I may be jinxing myself now but I have had auto and semi auto gearboxes since 1978 and really can’t understand why anyone would wasn’t manual, so old hat

Auto boxes use more fuel thats why,also no one here can fix them so most have to be shiped back to england

 

[Nabsim]

Auto boxes use more fuel thats why,also no one here can fix them so most have to be shiped back to england

Theoretically they will use less fuel as they will always be in the correct gear Trev, also less wear and tear on drive train for same reason. I would not attempt to get into that argument on real time events though ha ha. It is the future though, you know the yaks are always right

Not sure how these electronic clutch/semi auto boxes compare to a full torque converter though, used to be there were only manual, torque converter or the Van Doorne system but now there are so many variants. I had paddle shift on a Citroen and thought it totally pants, it’s hard to detect on a lot now if it’s torque converter or electronic clutches though.

 

[trevskoda]

Theoretically they will use less fuel as they will always be in the correct gear Trev, also less wear and tear on drive train for same reason. I would not attempt to get into that argument on real time events though ha ha. It is the future though, you know the yaks are always right

Not sure how these electronic clutch/semi auto boxes compare to a full torque converter though, used to be there were only manual, torque converter or the Van Doorne system but now there are so many variants. I had paddle shift on a Citroen and thought it totally pants, it’s hard to detect on a lot now if it’s torque converter or electronic clutches though.

One cars with auto box the fuel mileage is always lower as there is a loss in any flued drive sys,so car doing 40mpg man/box a auto will only return say around 36mpg.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yup the torque converter makes them more thirsty, however mile for mile if the top gearing is the same ratios as a manual, there should be no difference overall as they lock up, so motorway cruisers are not that bad, but around town, terrible, we have an A6 with the CVT box, on a 2.5 diesel, it is a thirsty beast around town but great long distance.

 

[Nabsim]

CVT should be a variant of the Van Doorne box unless Ford stopped it being used (patents?) after acquiring from Volvo so no fluid losses. Same with the myriad of semi autos that use electronic clutch(es) same as a manual and is in fact conventional manual gearbox just no manual clutch.

I will confirm though that of all the automatics and semi automatics I have had (that’s everything I have ever owned with more than 3 wheels) none have ever come close to the fairy tales that are official fuel futures. Current car is stated somewhere between 60 and 80mpg I think and it is averaging 34mpg. How they compare to a manual in real life I have no idea but put no stock in any official figures. A torque converter or fluid drive will absorb power which means fuel but it will depend on the driver to if a manual can be more fuel efficient or not.

 

[trevskoda]

Sort of true as some makers qts are on a oval track with hot engine and all silly bits removed like hub caps wipers etc
However my last skoda was stated at 48mpg at best but i managed 52mpg on many long trips through england but not so much here as all very hilly countryside,as for my van im getting 30mpg with 5 speed standard stick shift at 55mph cruise in midle of green zone on rev counter,cannot complain as its rated at 6.3 ton.