ok, im new so im still vette dumb... but i'm learning right?

What is CAGS. i know it had something to do with the 1 to 4 shift but thats all i know. i see my 1 to 4 come on about once a week or so, and i know what its for, but its usually in a parking lot so i shift to second anyways. i read in another thread tonight that its not normal to do that, but i have never noticed anything out of the ordinary when i ignore it.

fill me in oh knowledgeable ones!

 

CAGS - Computer Assisted Gear Selection was put on the six speed cars to help GM meet the CAFE standards for fuel economy. The idea was that in the lower RPM ranges you would be forced to shift from first to fourth, skipping second and third to get you into the highest gear reasonably as soon as possible to get better fuel mileage. The Corvette was never assessed a gas guzzler tax, and the CAGS is one of the reasons. Chevrolet and the GM marketing people thought that the Gas Guzzler tax would have had a detrimental effect on sales and the marketability of the car.

Some will tell you that you should spend $20 and get a CAGS Eliminator that is simply a solenoid that plugs into the side of the transaxle. The light will still come on, but you will not be forced to shift from fist to fourth. It is simple to install, but a waste of money IMHO.

The simpler solution is to drive the car as it was meant to be driven, in other words don't shift at 1200 rpm or so, bring the revs up higher (I'm not saying to redline it on every shift, but you could very reasonably shift at 2500 RPM and the light will not come on.

The LS1 has plenty of torque and can handle fourth gear in low RPM's, but why bother when you can simply "drive through it".

Oh and BTW - I just re-read your post and you said you ignore it and shift to second anyway - it sounds like you have the CAGS Eliminator already installed - you would not be able to ignore it and shift to second if it was working as it would without the CAGS Eliminator.

Hope that helps and answers the question.

 

thanks. very informative!

I had a feeling that something had been done already.. butim just curious what i would expierence if it was still factory and a shift to second happened when the 1 to 4 came on

 

You would be forced to shift to fourth, when you pull back on the shifter, it would go over to the right and down into fourth gear.

 

CAGS sucks, its dangerous, have it disabled!

 

It may not have been a big one but it was my first mod..

 

I left my CAGS intact for 6 months and tried to "drive through it". It wasn't always possible, especially in heavy traffic. I would be taking a left turn behind another car moving slowly up a grade, and wham I'd be ready to shift to second but I got fourth on a hill. Lug, Lug, chug, chug. I AM SO HAPPY I BYPASSED THAT POS DEVICE ON THE CAR, IT DROVE ME NUTS!
John

 

I was thinking about removing my CAGS eliminator, but my friend made me realize that driving in California, with all the big hills, it might come in handy. Most of the time, if the light comes on, I'll shift to 4th anyway. If I'm in traffic or on a big hill, I'll ignore it.

 

The CAGS eliminator is great. Before I installed mine I almost got rear-ended several times in heavy traffic because the driver behind a Vette wouldn't normally expect a Vette to start slowing down when it should be slowly increasing speed. As a previous poster said, taking those left turns into traffic up a slight grade seemed to be the areas that almost got me rear-ended when I was searching for a gear I could shift into and finally had to slam it back into first to avoid the crash.
In city driving when I'm just taking it easy I normally use 1st, third, and fifth gears. I find too big a differential between first and fourth. I find that I very seldom even use fourth gear unless I really want to accelerate hard like entering an entrance ramp on the interstate.
Remember, if the shift light comes on but you are not locked out of second and third then you already have the CAGS eliminator. If you don't have one, I suggest you get one soon before you get rear-ended.
It would be interesting to see data showing the relationship of Vettes with MN6 and those with A4 regarding being rearended.

 

Was the first mod I did to my car. Easy install and well worth the $20.

 

Eliminated here too, couldn't stand that feature.

Simple fix, just backed the vette up on my ramps, scooted underneath and installed the by-pass module.

 

It never would of been put on the car if it was dangerous. Be glad it was put there otherwise you would of been paying a gas guzzler tax.

 

oh, how niave of me, big corps would never do anything bad in the name of profits. Try pulling in to traffic on an incline and cant hit 2nd gear.

 

You dont know how to get your RPM's past 2400? Its only active for 500 RPM's. The C5 is not as bad as the F-body. My '02 SS had to go past 2800 RPM's if I remember correctly.

 

Absolutely do, but shouldnt have to remember to bring the revs up just to shift do 2nd, i know, know, performance car, should be winding out every gear, not!

 

I wouldn't say dangerous but I would say it puts the vette in a compromising position at times when it engages and the driver isn't expecting it or needs the change at that shift point.

Example I found is the situation it would put me in. Tight traffic, at a light as the traffic starts to move because the vehicle in front of you doesn't accelerate the same as the vette does in first gear and so you need to shift at that point. But if CAGS comes on right there as you are ready to shift the drivers is expecting to go to second gets locked out and moves to fourth. That causes a momentary lag in accleration in the vette and if someone is close on your rear suddenly your decelerating and they are darn near about to hit you. Now the vette is gone into fourth gear which is not too peppy from about 12-15 mph. Or worst since the driver knows getting it at least started into fourth they can now move back over to second it takes another moment for that to happen and thus the vette is still decelerating while the vehicle behind you is expecting acceleration and doesn't see any brake lights.

Yeah its fine when you have open road to work with but it comes on too prematurely when in tight traffic situations that put the vette in a more vulnerable position.

 

I agree with you, jetjock, because as I stated previously I was almost rearended multiple times in the exact scenario you described.
I have seen numerous rear-ended C-5's in insurance salvage sales over the past couple of years but I never thought about the possible relationship of the CAGS until recently.
I definitely think CAGS is dangerous and should not be on any car.

 

Yep it does have the CAGS Eliminator. I forgot to put that on the MOD list.

Hope your having fun with the car

 

I have to agree with BlackSedan...drive the car as it was meant to be driven...But maybe something is screwie with mine because if I depress the clutch and the 1-4 shift light comes on all I do is, with the clutch in give it some throttle (couple thousand RPM) the light goes off, shift into 2nd. Problem solved. Anyone else able to do this??

 

Yes that may work but the moment or two it takes to do that, the person behind you isn't thinking ah this Vette in front of me is going to pause during the acceleration so I'd better give extra room and let off my throttle just as I start to go.