# Adaptive Transmission Shift Points

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [April 11, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009 "2009-04-11T22:37:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![my2cents](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@my2cents](https://community.cartalk.com/u/my2cents)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009/1 "2009-04-11T22:37:28Z")

</div>

My daughter told me that her car (04 Mazda 6) has an adaptive transmission. I had never heard of such a thing. I did a quick search and apparently there is such a thing. I’m lead to believe that the transmission adapts the shift points to a particular person’s driving style. What’s the “straight skinny” on adaptive transmissions? Are they primarily for fuel savings or performance? How long have they been around? Could you confuse a transmission adapting to a driving style change with a performance problem?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009/2 "2009-04-11T22:52:08Z")

</div>

They’ve been around for a few years. The car’s computer (or at least one of them) monitors how you drive, and adapts accordingly. If you accelerate hard from every stop, the computer knows. If you drive gently, the computer knows.

The computer attempts to maximize the fuel mileage/performance equation depending upon how the vehicle is driven, and it’s constantly monitoring and making changes to the transmission’s shift pattern, according to its program.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\
**Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009/3 "2009-04-11T22:55:54Z")

</div>

Back in the day you did this for yourself. back in the day automaitcs shifted by fluid pressure and vacuum. Called “toe shifting” you could back off the accelerator at just the time you wanted and the trans would shift then. Mash on the pedal to downshift.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/adaptive-transmission-shift-points/29009/4 "2009-04-14T23:52:46Z")

</div>

I always thought that the “adaptive” means the more changing of the clutch/band engagement to fit the condition of the fluid and friction material than it means changing the shift points.