I drive an 11 plate FH13, may I suggest you don’t use the performance button as you’re mpg will drop through the floor. Your boss won’t appreciate much use of that feature. If you are struggling for revs just drop her into manual instead. Apart from a Jacobs brake, the stalk mounted engine break is about the best in the business. Reverse for an auto is also surprisingly adept when it comes to control. I don’t know how much experience of autos you have, but for anyone who has I defy them not to admit that this is by far the best.
gnasty gnome:
robinhood_1984:
Just a pity its in a rabit hutch sized cab!If you think that’s bad try the day-cab version! ■■■■-poor design, you can barely tilt the seat back at all and what a waste of the back wall… all that space and not even a document pocket. Cup holder’s crap too, probably made to fit a wineglass, typical Frog crap.
Don’t care much for the indicator stalk either, too damned easy to turn the lights on or off.
Rant over, got me FM back on Monday!
Yes thinking back I do seem to recall something along the lines of when I tried indicating i’d end up flashing the headlights, whatever it was, the indicator stalk was very fidgety. Good truck just a very small cab. Suppose you get used to anything though.
Drove my first i shift 2 weeks ago,as has been said just select A and give it some welly,cracking drive.
i haven’t read all the posts other than the op but here goes …
i drive the renault version of this gearbox and i have to say its the best thing since someone invented fannys , i swear to god you just put it in drive and away you go , you wont ever faze it and you’ll never put it into any situation that it cant cope with , yes it sometimes chooses the wrong gear but keep your foot on the throttle and let it do its work and trust me it will do whatever it is you want it to do .
dont floor it , the biggest mistake you’ll make is trying to rush it , just give it some revs and it will do the rest we do some farm work and quite alot of brick work , and everyone that does that kind of work knows it takes you to some out off the way places , hilly , muddy , you name it and i cant fault the gearbox .
if you want the truth ive been known to turn my radio off and listen to the gearbox doing its stuff 
and i kid you not its fine , you wont get into any situation it cant cope with . its that good i promise …
give me a clutch and a gearstick and i couldnt change that quick when its needed , its brilliant … 
BUT DO NOT TRY TO RUSH IT IT WONT WORK …
i never thought id say that about an auto box … wtf is the world coming too …?
i have been driveing a renault premium optidriver for the last 3 years and have to say the gearbox is the best i have ever used 
at the moement i am now useing a scania, and this is the auto with the clutch pedal 
what is that all about
the scania box is not a patch on the renault box ,yes i know it is a volvo box but with difrent softwear ,i am a fan of auto trucks i dont see the point anymore haveing a gearstick ,well in fact the truck is still manual but the gearbox is computer controled! 
roads are far to busy now to worry about gears so its good to have a auto
i have also tested recently the scania without the clutch pedal this was better but still not as good as the renault box!
Snudger:
tootman318:
TonyCBR:
the big un:
Motorway Jockeymy FM i shift spent most of its life in and out of farms,quarries and landfills its only just been replaced with a brand new Daf 85 CF and in all honesty i would have the FM back tomorrow
I think the little FM is a great tool, the I-shift box is great. by far the best auto box on the market, and if you struggle with it, i suggest you find a new career, cos driving certainly aint your cup of tea
Going up from a standing start is a piece of cake even fully freighted, get going, knock it into M and then change up, as Alexander would say “simples”Agree 100%. That hill start switch is superb, holds the footbrake just right.
Wish I could get that thing to work. Obviously pressing the button, on with footbrake, release the handbrake, release the footbrake, results in a roll backwards. Though I eventually worked out how to get Cruise Control to engage (I don’t like braking).
Leave it switched on, when you come to a stop, don’t touch handbrake, just keep brake lights on, should say on dash ‘hill start thingy engaged’ or something. When you come off brake, you have a few seconds to press the throttle before it releases the brake, it auto releases as soon as your revs rise enough to engage the box.
Even my Daf CF has that, 1st encountered it on an old Merc Actross though, thought it was great.
Daf 1 is a push switch rather than a rocker switch, so have to turn it on everytime you turn engine off if you want to use it, Merc and Volvo ones you just turn on or off with a rocker switch.
the renault has the hill start as well its a great bit of kit to use but you have to switch it on manualy every time as the scania automaticaly stayed on everytime you came to a stop,such a great idea
waynedl:
Snudger:
tootman318:
TonyCBR:
the big un:
Motorway JockeyI think the little FM is a great tool, the I-shift box is great. by far the best auto box on the market, and if you struggle with it, i suggest you find a new career, cos driving certainly aint your cup of tea
Going up from a standing start is a piece of cake even fully freighted, get going, knock it into M and then change up, as Alexander would say “simples”Agree 100%. That hill start switch is superb, holds the footbrake just right.
Wish I could get that thing to work. Obviously pressing the button, on with footbrake, release the handbrake, release the footbrake, results in a roll backwards. Though I eventually worked out how to get Cruise Control to engage (I don’t like braking).
Leave it switched on, when you come to a stop, don’t touch handbrake, just keep brake lights on, should say on dash ‘hill start thingy engaged’ or something. When you come off brake, you have a few seconds to press the throttle before it releases the brake, it auto releases as soon as your revs rise enough to engage the box.
Even my Daf CF has that, 1st encountered it on an old Merc Actross though, thought it was great.
Daf 1 is a push switch rather than a rocker switch, so have to turn it on everytime you turn engine off if you want to use it, Merc and Volvo ones you just turn on or off with a rocker switch.
Yep, don’t use handbrake. Works 100% every time.
You’ll love the ishift, while you’re getting used to it just remember that if you’re in a yard or a Quarry, somewhere with gradients, you’ll be as well to use maanual because the truck can’t see a hill in front of it & it will lose it if you’re only driving slow. Once out on the road, leave it in A & get used to using the hill start if you have one on it, that’s a lever bit of software which allows you a second or so to go from the brake to the throttle to pull away.
I’ve had mine 14 months now & the only thing I’d consider changing it for would be to have my old twin Splitter back, that was the best box I’ve ever had in a lorry without a doubt but, the ishift is superb. Let us know how you get on with it.
BB
Thanks for the hill start info chaps. I will give it a go on Thursday when I’m next due out in our FH12. Just hope it won’t roll backwards after a few seconds with me there not noticing, thinking it’s as if the handbrake were on.
it should bleep at you if its like the renault ,just hold your foot on the brake pedal with the hillstart on then take your foot off and on the throttle pedal it should work fine its a great bit of kit!
madmark01:
it should bleep at you if its like the renault ,just hold your foot on the brake pedal with the hillstart on then take your foot off and on the throttle pedal it should work fine its a great bit of kit!
Yep, it sounds a warning before it releases due to you not being on the brake, but as long as you keep the brake lights lit, it stays on, don’t have to hold the brake hard enough for the brakes to be on, just the light.
You’ll get used to it, it’s a nice function
I don’t like the thought of brake lights being on unnecessarily, e.g. whilst stationary for some time. I think they should show (obviously) that you’re slowing down (or trying to!) or, if e.g. at the end of a queue and someone is bearing down on you, that you’ve stopped. Just my opinion.
if you are waiting on a hill you can aply the handbrake then when you are ready release the handbrake then hold your foot on the brake pedal with the hillstart on then pull away ,its a great thing so usefull!
the scania i am useing at the moement doesnt have this as it has the poxy clutch pedal with the autobox 
why did scania do this? i canot see the point of the clutch pedal its a pain in the arse!
Put your coffee in the holder on the drivers side, and your pen will fit nicely in the pen holder. 
Snugger make sure the elec hill start is engaged, it happened a couple of times with me but lucky it was a non event, I think it is brill infact I dont think a driver could move of a hill smoother …happy miles .
Elec hill start? What’s that? I now know the hill start function on our vehicle is of course working as it’s supposed to, i.e. not hold you till you want to go as I thought, but hold you for a couple of seconds only - it was this misunderstanding which I found somewhat disconcerting as I sat there at the lights with the handbrake off, thinking it would do it all for me. As it stands, it is a useful function with a subtle effect (it makes pulling away slightly easier/smoother) but even without a clutch is somewhat unnecessary IMO.
Snudger:
Elec hill start? What’s that? I now know the hill start function on our vehicle is of course working as it’s supposed to, i.e. not hold you till you want to go as I thought, but hold you for a couple of seconds only - it was this misunderstanding which I found somewhat disconcerting as I sat there at the lights with the handbrake off, thinking it would do it all for me. As it stands, it is a useful function with a subtle effect (it makes pulling away slightly easier/smoother) but even without a clutch is somewhat unnecessary IMO.
It has a clutch, it just doesn’t have a dedicated clutch pedal so you use a different one. 
Yes, to be clear, I should have stated, without a clutch pedal. So what is the hill start function actually doing? Holding the clutch temporarily at biting point?
no the hillstart is holding the brakes on for you it just takes away the handbrake part