1st to 4th shift on M6

[Doc]

Forgive if this has been posted elsewhere, I couldn't find anything on search but is there a way to disable the nonsense about forcing you to do a 1st to 4th shift under certain conditions? Reading the manual it says I can damage the trans if I "force" it to 2nd and I have to watch the DIC to know whether this has been activated or not. This is crap. The whole reason for having a manual transmission is to make my own gear choices, not being forced into patterns like an automatic trans does.

I don't want to have to spend my time watching the DIC just in case it shows this has been activated. I shift by sound, not watching the gauges.

[FI4T0MCAT]

its called skip shift man, and there are skip shift eliminator kits, they are really easy to install and not that expensive.

[5th Gen SS]

BMC Performance has it right now.
http://www.bmcspeedshop.com/product_p/21008.htm

[2SSRS@Gen5diy]

Yes one of two ways, Have a tune done on the car and have it removed, Or a Skip-Shift Eliminator.

[Z/28orSs]

Originally Posted by Doc

Forgive if this has been posted elsewhere, I couldn't find anything on search but is there a way to disable the nonsense about forcing you to do a 1st to 4th shift under certain conditions? Reading the manual it says I can damage the trans if I "force" it to 2nd and I have to watch the DIC to know whether this has been activated or not. This is crap. The whole reason for having a manual transmission is to make my own gear choices, not being forced into patterns like an automatic trans does.

I don't want to have to spend my time watching the DIC just in case it shows this has been activated. I shift by sound, not watching the gauges.

you have to be going really slow if you hold first gear longer it will never happen

[Doc]

Originally Posted by FI4T0MCAT

its called skip shift man, and there are skip shift eliminator kits, they are really easy to install and not that expensive.

Oh LOL. I thought those were for automatics. Thanks!

[Gen5SSRS]

99 cents for a 1/2 watt, 2200 ohm resistor. Plug it into the plug to the cags solenoid- the solenoid in the middle of the trans, not the rear. and leave the solenoid unplugged. Have done many this way and never had an issue.

[Edrock]

Here's an observation that may be helpful...It usually gets me when I am turning left at a stoplight or stop sign. You typically don't accelerate too much when turning like that. Well, I noticed that, not only can you just stay in 1st gear longer, up to ~20 mph, to prevent skip shift but if you happen to need to change while the 1 - 4 shift indicator shows up in the DIC, you can put the clutch in, pull the gear shift out of 1st, and hesitate, just a second or 2, then it will let you proceed to 2nd gear. The key is not to panic but be patient and count to 2 Mississippi and you are fine. OR, keep the clutch in and quick shift to 4th then back to 2nd, OR, just go into 4th and forget about it. The easiest still is just to stay in 1st up to 20 mph, then change to 2nd. This has worked for me and has supressed the frustration a great deal. Hope this helps someone else deal with it without having to install anything.

[HDCrazy]

Forgive me for asking but.....I was not aware of this "Skip-Shift" what in the world is the purpose of this feature ??
Thanks
Gs

[Doc]

Originally Posted by HDCrazy

Forgive me for asking but.....I was not aware of this "Skip-Shift" what in the world is the purpose of this feature ??
Thanks
Gs

It's something annoying I hadn't seen before. Some tree-hugger probably came up with this one. It's where somebody at GM decided if you're going slow enough in 1st gear for some amount of time you HAVE to shift directly to 4th before you can shift to another gear. There's a warning in the manual that if you try to "force" it to another gear besides 4th you can damage your trans. The purpose is "economy" apparently. Lamest thing I've seen since a politician's promise.

[Gen5SSRS]

Originally designed to limit emissions on larger displacement sports cars. By shifting from 1st to 4th, the emission output from the engine is reduced. GM started using this on the first 6 speeds to meet emission standards without de-tuning the cars. The problem is, under certain conditions, when your driving slow and go to shift to 2nd, the CAGS solenoid engages forcing a 1-4 shift. This usually occurs at the most inconvenient time.

[VenomZ302]

I've noticed the gate to keep me from shifting into 2nd, but I must say that I've never had a problem shifting from 1st to 3rd when the skip shift message comes up. Am I just getting it past the message before shifting? Has anyone else noticed not being able to go 1-3 when the message is up?

[ffrcobra_65]

I have over 300 miles on the car now and skip shift maybe came on 3 - 4 times. If you are short shifting at low rpm from 1st to 2nd, it will come on. Give it a little oomph and let the rpm climb a little and it won't come on.

[brandotron]

Honestly, I don't mind CAGS. It saves you the gas guzzler tax, it's easily disabled with a $30 part, and it gives you an excuse to get your hands dirty on your new car. The fourth gens came with it as well.