If anything, the characteristic of the W3E for a long time has been
the violent, quick yet sharp jerks you mention. SBST seems to have
made the clutch engage quickly because I don't remember the 0405s
to be like this last time.
I prefer Voith 0405s....at least the clutch engages smoothly in
most voiths, not violently like the W3Es. But of course engaging
faster means the W3E 0405s pick up faster and respond quickly. If
there's anything I dislike about Voith is its stickiness
downwards, particularly between 1st and 2nd and its resultant
reluctance to disengage the clutch once it has engaged.
Oh well, boils down to individual preferences.
Okay, you missed my point totally. Let me go simple. Jerks
when buses switch to higher gears do not result in highly likely
falls by commuters as the jerks are not as forceful as the
ones done by braking by Voith which the W3E does not
have. This violent and sharp jerk happens
when these Voith Merc are about to reach stationary
position and results in countless falls all these years
and drivers losing their humble pay due to complaints, also with
the slower pick up drivers often end up late from schedule and also
when they slow down because they take extra precautions for the
notorious jerk.
When the stickiness happens and Voith Merc wants to
hit the upper gears, the gear will drag before changing with a
harsh jerk.
One thing about 568E and 554U, they have really poor pickup esp
with loads, brakes are worn out screeching like free, often
shui gun and their A/C power is questionable.
Can we get back to talking redeployments.
