Does DIC show current gear when in manual mode?

Dale L · June 4, 2017

When in manual mode the DIC will show L# to show the range you have selected. Is there any indication to which gear is selected?

Thanks

redwngr · June 4, 2017

No indication of current gear.

gearheadesw · June 4, 2017

My work Truck has it at the bottom of the DIC, lower left it I'm not mistaken.

GMC4Zee · June 5, 2017

So does mine. Shows up in the DIC. You have to be in "M" mode.

Arth · June 5, 2017

No indication of current gear on my 15 Sierra.

It will show the max gear I have limited it too.

4wdriver · June 5, 2017

It would be nice to know wouldn't it

MotionMan · June 5, 2017

Yup, shows the max gear. It would be interesting to see but also another thing to take your eyes off the road. I use manual to lock out 6th gear a lot, sometimes 5 too....just remember to up shift before you get on the highway. Had 5th and 6th locked out and was entering the highway and wondering why the truck seemed so responsive to throttle, looked down and I was at 5000 rpms...oopps

Dale L · June 5, 2017

So does mine. Shows up in the DIC. You have to be in "M" mode.

No M mode on mine, it's L instead.

newdude · June 5, 2017

L or M, they just show the gears you've locked out to but no live indicator of what gear you are in unless you are hitting the + or - as you drive directly. So, if you put it in L or M, and leave it in L5 or M5, you get gears 1 through 5 but no indication of what gears you are in as you drive.

1500, 2500, 3500, all the same. Even the 8 speed. The GMT-900 trucks were the same way with the 6L80/90 transmissions as well.

Dale L · June 5, 2017

Can live without knowing, have gone many a year with the auto tranny doing the thinking for me. The geek side of me just likes having a bit more info when in manual mode.

Can I assume the tranny won't allow a downshift at speeds that would over rev the engine?

newdude · June 5, 2017

Can live without knowing, have gone many a year with the auto tranny doing the thinking for me. The geek side of me just likes having a bit more info when in manual mode.

Can I assume the tranny won't allow a downshift at speeds that would over rev the engine?

Correct it will "shift denied" if you downshift too fast.

Dale L · June 5, 2017

Thanks

Big Whiskey · June 6, 2017

No indication of current gear on my 15 Sierra.

It will show the max gear I have limited it too.

My 2016 is the same.

No M mode on mine, it's L instead.

For some reason, they switched from M to L on the 2017's. Seems to be the same function though.

L or M, they just show the gears you've locked out to but no live indicator of what gear you are in unless you are hitting the + or - as you drive directly. So, if you put it in L or M, and leave it in L5 or M5, you get gears 1 through 5 but no indication of what gears you are in as you drive.

1500, 2500, 3500, all the same. Even the 8 speed. The GMT-900 trucks were the same way with the 6L80/90 transmissions as well.

Do you know why they switched to L on the 2017 models? I noticed that my dad's 17 has an L, while my 16 has a M. I also noticed that the HD's act differently when shifting from D to M while driving. On my old 1500's, I could drop it to M mode and the RPM's wouldn't change. On the HD's, they seem to downshift at least one gear when you shift into manual mode while cruising.

sdeeter19555 · June 6, 2017

My 2016 is the same.

For some reason, they switched from M to L on the 2017's. Seems to be the same function though.

Do you know why they switched to L on the 2017 models? I noticed that my dad's 17 has an L, while my 16 has a M. I also noticed that the HD's act differently when shifting from D to M while driving. On my old 1500's, I could drop it to M mode and the RPM's wouldn't change. On the HD's, they seem to downshift at least one gear when you shift into manual mode while cruising.

Maybe L is cheaper than M?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

newdude · June 6, 2017

My 2016 is the same.

For some reason, they switched from M to L on the 2017's. Seems to be the same function though.

Do you know why they switched to L on the 2017 models? I noticed that my dad's 17 has an L, while my 16 has a M. I also noticed that the HD's act differently when shifting from D to M while driving. On my old 1500's, I could drop it to M mode and the RPM's wouldn't change. On the HD's, they seem to downshift at least one gear when you shift into manual mode while cruising.

Not sure on the M to L change. Just about every other GM made that change as well, and I think the first ones to have L instead of M all together were the Lambda trio (Traverse/Acadia/Enclave) back at their launch in 2007.

As for the gear dropping...It started with the K2 products for trucks. The GMT-900's where set up like the 6 speed Allisons were in 2006 when they launched. You went to "range selection mode" and if you were doing 60mph in 6th gear, it would display M6 and stay in 6th. It may be a "performance" related reason? As in, GM thinks if anyone is looking to go into M/L they are wanting a fast downshift to pass or something? Kinda pulling at straws there but it sort of makes sense to me.

I can't copy the chart over, but on the chart this is how it's set up:

Drive Gear before/after shifting to M/L:

D 6th - goes to M/L 4th

D 5th - goes to M/L 4th

D 4th - goes to M/L 3rd

D 3rd - goes to M/L 2nd

D 2nd - goes to M/L 2nd

D 1st - goes to M/L 1st

This came from the online copy of the owners manual for a 2017 Silverado.

If equipped, Range Selection Mode helps control the vehicle's transmission and vehicle speed while driving downhill or towing a trailer by letting you select a desired range of gears.

To use this feature:

Move the shift lever to L (Manual Mode).

Press the plus/minus buttons on the shift lever to select the desired range of gears for current driving conditions.

With an 8-speed automatic transmission, hold the plus/minus buttons on the shift lever to select the highest or lowest range available for the current vehicle speed.

When the shift lever is moved from D (Drive) to L (Manual Mode), a number displays next to the L, indicating the current transmission range.

This number is the highest gear that the transmission will command while operating in L (Manual Mode). All gears below that number are available. As driving conditions change, the transmission can automatically shift to lower gears. For example, when L5 is selected, 1 (First) through 5 (Fifth) gears are automatically shifted by the transmission, but 6 (Sixth) cannot be used until the plus/minus button on the shift lever is used to change to the range.

In vehicles with gasoline engines, when the shift lever is moved from D (Drive) to L (Manual Mode), a downshift may occur. The gear that the transmission is operating in when the shift lever is moved from D (Drive) to L (Manual Mode) determines if a downshift occurs. See the following chart.

Grade Braking is not available when Range Selection Mode is active. See Tow/Haul Mode

.

While using Range Selection Mode, cruise control and the Tow/Haul Mode can be used.

If the vehicle has an exhaust brake, it can also be used, but will not automatically downshift the transmission. See “Exhaust Brake” in the Duramax diesel supplement.

Caution: Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in one place on a hill using only the accelerator pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will not be covered by the vehicle warranty. If the vehicle is stuck, do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill, use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.