Whats with the 1st to 4th shift?
 

Not how to search the forum for this, i tried a few ways. Whats up with the center console telling me to shift from 1st to 4th as I just start moving. I notice when that message comes up, it locks out 2nd gear so you can only move to 4th....this is annoying.

It's called CAGS computer aided gear selection also more commonly skip shift. It can be annoying but it's perpose is that by having it GM and YOU avoid having to pay the gas guzzler tax. To avoid it you have three choices rev it up till it goes off, shift to 4th then to 2nd (annoying), or what most people do is spend $25 on the skip shift eliminator from SLP or others. It installs easily in 5 minutes and can be done in the driveway with ramps.

Just take the RPMs up a little higher and it will let you shift normal. They've been putting it in the Vettes for some time now. Chevy does that to avoid the gas guzzler tax on large displacement manual cars.

Get the skip shift eliminator. You'll be glad you did.

I want an explanation of how it actually saves fuel.

As others have said, just shift at a higher rev (above 2000rpm).

Unfortunately, if I'm in traffic and not paying attention, I've been known to just shift at 1500 without thinking. I will usually pause and shift into 3rd instead if it happens. 4th lugs the engine.

My car has been in the shop for repairs, but I have the skip shift eliminator awaiting my cars return. As others have said, this is the way to go.

The fewer RPM's the engine turns, the more efficient it is. It basically forces you into higher gears earlier, so you don't spend as much time in the lower gears, where efficiency is lower.

You can also have it tuned out. Right now I have the skip shift eliminator installed but when I get my car tuned I will take it out and sell it and have the tuner tune out the skip shift crap.

oddly enough the next poster answered your question without trying :D
He said to rev the engine up to 2000 rpms and it will go away...
but so will the mpg ;) because of the faster RPMs

Get one of these--easy install

http://www.lethalperformance.com/ima...-21008_MED.jpg

One question will installing this void the warranty?

and wont it trip the engine chk light? ill do without if so, and just shift at higher rpms :P

The Apex Motorsports skip shift eliminator has never caused a check engine lights or trouble code. I can't speak for others.

CAGS is designed to increase MPG. I don't know who would buy a muscle car because of the mileage it gets, but hey... to each their own. Either quit driving like a grandma (I kid! I kid!), or buy a skip-shift eliminator. Apex Chase has posted on these before, and has done a thorough job of helping people understand CAGS. Everything he's posted has been accurate, so I'd trust his advice.

:thumbsup:

Thanks for that. :D

this may have been answered in another CAGS thread but if say i have a SS with the manual and i plug in said skip shift eliminator does it still say in the information center on the dash that CAGS has engaged like when it does engage in a car that does not have the eliminator?

EDIT: 1,100th post woo hoo!

Yes, it still displays on the DIC.

just take it off b4 getting any dealer work on the xmission they'll never know

Here is the explanation of CAGS and skip shift eliminators that I recently posted.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...highlight=cags

You know...the owner's manual explains this.

Can someone explain to me how CAGS eliminates the gas guzzler tax? From what I read, Vehicles that get at least 22.5 mpg (combined) don't have to pay the Gas Guzzler Tax. Is CAGS what helps us get that 22.5mpg?

I don't think the manual cars would get the gas guzzler necessarily, but the CAGS does help their CAFE number.

As far as the way the eliminator works, all it is is a fancy resistor. If you were to just unplug the CAGS connection, it would throw a code. But if you use the eliminator, the computer still thinks it's plugged in (which it is), and still happily sends its skip shift commands to the shifter (which is why you still get the light on the dash), however the shifter doesn't get the message because the eliminator has killed it.

No, it doesn't void your warranty.

And yes, GM made it easy to defeat for a reason...

ah, thank you well i am glad i am getting a LT then, NO CAGS in them ;).

I bought mine on Ebay for 12.95, works great, no problems, no check engine lights.

Mines from Ebay too. 12.95 and no issues.:chevy:

Mine came on only once when a granola eater in a Subaru was in front of me at a stop sign. As they started out at about 15ft/yr to save that extra teaspoon of gas, I dropped to 2nd and left about an eighth inch of Pirelli rubber on the road beside them as I blew past making them wonder about the gas that got used up while they were trying to save the earth.

Lol! :laughabove:

Why would reving higher save gas? I get this often in traffic or when I am just trying to drive slow - like stop and go in a parking lot. Or just when I am trying not to accelerate like a bandit! Why would they make people rev higher - am I missing something??????

The idea is this, when you rev and shift at say 2000, you would normally go to 2nd. your rpms drop to 1500ish and you rev up to 2000 again (arbitrary rpms for argument sake) so your average rpm for that time is say 1750.

with skip shift, you rev to 2000, and by switching to 4th instead of 2nd, your rpm drops to say 1000 and you stay in that gear longer to a higher speed at 2000. So your average rpm over that period is 1500 or lower.

it's all about the averages. if you average 1500 or lower rpm vs 1700-1800 you will use less gas.

make sense?

my skip shift eliminator is my right foot. Got it from my parents, no need to worry about ebay or paypal fraud.