I've only seen mds come on while in autostick mode during a long decel under moderate engine braking.

 

I have an '09 Challenger R/T and had a '06 Charger R/T, both with the 5.7 hemi and MDS automatic. On the Challenger, the MDS has a much wider range than the '06 had, kicks in as low as 30mph and is still hooked up at 80+mph. I do have the EVIC package and have the ECO signal turned on all the time. In the Challenger, I have seen the ECO mode engaged (4 cyl. operation) while using the autoshift in manuel, but I typically use auto shift for decelleration going downhill...in the '06, MDS would not engage in the manuel autostick mode. The MDS would not function in any gear or mode in the '06 if any heavier grade motor oil was used (like 10W30, 10W40, etc.)....don't know about the '09, but I suspect that's still the case. Also, in both cars you can hear the exhaust note change when the MDS engages....that's the ugly drone that everyone talks about, the 4 cyl. operation. Not prevelent in the 6 speed cars since no MDS.

 

My MDS only operates in drive. Never in autostick mode. It's easy to tell when you have loud exhaust.

 

When going down the highway around 60 mph, you can tell and hear that MDS is on, but if I tap the autostick to the right to put it in 5th, the MDS turns off. Driving in autostick mode, I do not notice MDS engaging at all.

And I concur with tzoid9, on my 06 Charger, the MDS was way less active then this Challenger. The MDS on this engine is way to intrusive imo. Would have been nice if DCX engineers gave us the option to have it enabled or not, via a switch. ECO or Performance mode. First thing I'm gonna do when I get my Predator is disable the damn thing.

 

I disabled mine but later re-enabled it. The MDS saves a lot of gas when it really matters (long highway trips) but, I can always get rid of it by driving in manual mode through any town.

 

My MDS never comes on in autostick mode. I have driven a whole tank in autostick and it never came on. I also drive in the ECO screen. I also have loud exhaust and can tell when it is in MDS or not. If I leave it in auto the MDS will come on as low as 20 MPH.

 

There you go CYRMC, classically different responses on the Forum. Well, I guess since everyone else says you can't, I have just got to be clearly halucinating when I see "ECO" show up on the EVIC system, when I am decellerating down a hill by downshifing in the auto-manuel mode. Good Luck..........

 

Well doesn't the manual indicate that MDS is disabled in autostick mode?

 

My MDS does not operate at any time when in suto stick mode. It does however operate at speeds all the way down to zero when it is engaged. In fact the car will idle at 500 rpm for a few seconds with the eco on lit up then jump to 700 rpm as it turns off. I would lvoe it if it only operated at cruise speed but it really lugs the car around at low speeds.

Seriously I think there is an issue with mine and people I talk to all seem to have a different experience with it. Either way the thing sucks and is poor engineering.

 

Well I took the car for a fun run this morning and drove in both auto and autostick modes, this time paying very close attention as to what was going on.

In auto, the mds would come on when letting off the gas, and would remain on if I gently accelerated, I had to push the pedal a bit to get it to dis-engage. The mds would turn off at full stop. I consider this normal behavior.

In autostick, the mds would only come on when my foot was off the gas (coasting) but as soon as I applied throttle, the mds would turn off. So if I stay in the throttle, even slightly, the mds would never turn on. And finally, the mds would turn off at full stop. I now consider this normal behavior.

The mds never turned on while at a stop in either mode.

My conclusion is that in autostick mode, the transition from coasting (mds on) and accelerating (mds off) was very quick when compared to driving in auto. Even the slightest throttle input would turn the mds off in autostick. The mds does engage in both modes, just much less in autostick mode.

CC

 

Well I took the car for a fun run this morning and drove in both auto and autostick modes, this time paying very close attention as to what was going on.

In auto, the mds would come on when letting off the gas, and would remain on if I gently accelerated, I had to push the pedal a bit to get it to dis-engage. The mds would turn off at full stop. I consider this normal behavior.

In autostick, the mds would only come on when my foot was off the gas (coasting) but as soon as I applied throttle, the mds would turn off. So if I stay in the throttle, even slightly, the mds would never turn on. And finally, the mds would turn off at full stop. I now consider this normal behavior.

The mds never turned on while at a stop in either mode.

My conclusion is that in autostick mode, the transition from coasting (mds on) and accelerating (mds off) was very quick when compared to driving in auto. Even the slightest throttle input would turn the mds off in autostick. The mds does engage in both modes, just much less in autostick mode.

CC

Can anyone confirm that when ECO lights up, it goes into MDS mode. Does the 6 speed have the ECO indicator on their EVIC screen?

Seems to me, with your foot off the accelerator, any car would be in an ECO mode state. When coasting, wouldn't it be hard to tell if your engine has gone semi-hemi.

 

Now CYRMC, you've had a drink of the Kool Aid with Jim Jones....all these people said the MDS (a.k.a. the ECO mode) DOES NOT come on in the auto stick/manual mode. Like I said, decelleration will kick it on in the manual mode. Now think about why it does that, grasshopper. MDS will only activate when the load factors are next to nothing on the engine....very low load, at best (notice how fast it kicks out if you're on cruise control at 60 mph and hit a slight hill....does it even faster if you're going 45 on the same hill. It's the load (or lug) on the engine that the electronics sense saying "I need more torque" that tells the engine to disengage MDS. In auto stick/manual chances are you have your foot slightly (or more) into it, hence engine senses load and MDS is disengaged. As for it being slow acting, yep it is in 2009....the '06 Hemi's MDS was much quicker and less intrusive. Why's that....simple, programatically Chrysler had to reach deeper into the electronic controls to hit tougher Federal air quality standards and MPG ratings in 2009. As long as your foot's in it, she jumps pretty well for a 2 ton car. If you had a GM car, you'd really be P.O.'d.....their MDS is not quite as quick as ours and their transmission is a complete P.O.S. It doesn't know what gear it's in half the time....it's so slow you can actually count seconds between nailing it and the car reacting. In fact, there was a class action suit being prepared by GM owners calling the auto transmission "unsafe" because of it's ultra slow reaction time. And NO, 6 speed cars DO NOT have MDS...it's got 6th gear and that's where they get the MPG Chrysler is looking for.

 

Even when you "disable" MDS with the Predator, it still will activate with zero throttle input, as in coasting. My conclusion to this would be in auto stick or with the disabling feature of the Predator, it just moves the activation trigger of the MDS to zero and it never is truly "off".

 

I got a 5.7 auto with Pypes exaust(I can here when MDS comes on). MDS will come on when you are using autostick. It just wont come on as often as it does when you aren't using autostick.

 

MDS is strictly an auto transmission function....it is so the auto equipped cars can meet the mileage numbers that Chrysler has to live with. 6 speed cars have a very low rpm overdrive that allows them to get mileage numbers that are supposedly even better than auto cars with MDS in ECO mode....can't prove it either way, but it is possible.

 

I have a 2010 R/T Classic, and have not seen it turn on in auto stick at all yet (however i only have about 1200 miles on the car so far) but in auto mode it works great, especially for highway mileage. I do not have EVIC and have tried clicking it over while cruising and a few diff speeds (35, 55, 70, 80ish), and every time i click it out of auto, the ECO ON does turn off.
Don't know if that helps but thats what i have experienced so far.
However, the ECO mode does NOT work when cruising at 140! :burnout::burnout: