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How it works 'yew did more than any other manufacturer
Page 47
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to establish ZF's AS-Tronic as the standard transmission for half the industry.The 1997 EuroStar perhaps wasn't the most inspirational machine, but the real-world development was invaluable in proving the concept of practical and efficient self-changing gears.
Iveco's current flagship, the Stralis ES, has come a long way since then, and the ZF box has seen much refinement itself. Iveco makes a half-hearted attempt to brand the ZF as an Iveco product with the EuroTronic 2 name and, like the other users. is responsible for the interface between driver and transmission Two versions are available: a direct-drive unit for ratings up to 480hp. and an overdrive for the 530. While previous incarnations had 16 ratios, the latest version gets by with a dozen. Transmission functions are accessed by the joystick mounted to the left of the driving seat, on a housing that swivels MiliMMOMMEMMEMMi, around to facilitate access from driving space to rest space:111e chunky fist-shaped lever has two buttons on the sides. Starting off involves pressing the grey function button to engage the recommended starting gear.The electronics choose a start-off gear according to the gross weight and slope remembered from previous movement. It's possible to override the choice.
Pressing the button again cycles between auto and semi, which is effectively manual, but is also used to hang on the current gear in the short term.The lever has two positions fore and aft, a small nudge for one gear, a bigger one for two. Pressing the button while moving the quadrant produces lots of tricks. Nudging forward selects the correct gear for maximum tory ue, while nudging back to the first position gives maximum power and to the second gives maximum revs.
To engage reverse, lift the collar and nudge back to the first position for low ratio and the second for high: the second button, coloured blue, engages neutral. Short-term downshifts are provided by the throttle pedal kick-down.
All this is monitored by the dash display which shows whether auto or semi is engaged; the current ratio:and the number of ratios (up to three) available. It also displays diagnostic fault messages such as low air pressure.
On the road Fewer changes are needed with the 12-speeder than the old I6-speed unit.The number of ratios may be reduced, hut the number of little grey cells has been greatly increased.Again, there's no need to override the automatic mode.The increased computing power also removes the requirement to press the function button to select the optimum gear when. for example, driving off from a roundabout.
Regular shifts are as swift as you could hope for.There's a lag between calling for the correct gear to power away but it's covered by a count of one.
On the Stralis, brake blending differs according to mode. In semi the exhaust brake is applied, but in auto it changes down to give optimum revs.The Stralis is also one of the slowly growing number of trucks with the feature of not disengaging cruise control during check braking above the set cruising speed. But the gearing isn't quite ideal for obedient A-road drivers, as it needs about 42mph to be happy in top gear.
Low-speed manoeuvring behaviour is among the best. In low-reverse and the first three forward ratios, throttle response is deliberately reduced to improve control.