what ed1161 said, if you shift slowly the message goes away by the time you reach 2nd gear..try going in 1st gear to about 2750 rpm slowly approaching 3k and almost hovering it there. that is how I got the message to pop up. if you are going through that much trouble though just leave it alone and don't worry about it and drive the car.

I don't know how you can quickly shift from 1-2 anyway. I have been driving stick shifts for a while but when I first got this car I kept accidentally going from 1-4 because to get to second you have to go down and nudge the shifter to the left and go down. I am used to second gear being directly underneath first. if you pull straight down from first gear it takes you to fourth...just took me some getting used to

 

EDIT: LOL, I got it to force the skip in both normal and sport mode. Man, I would have never found that with my normal driving style - what a useless feature.

 

really? the car i drove didnt feel like that, felt like 2nd was right under 1st. And thats even with the fact they the throws are slightly further than my 05 with the short throw shifter. Not once did i have a problem going straight back to second

 

i think i was just not applying enough pressure to the left of the shifter or something. my 350z is a direct drop from 1-2 by pulling down but for some reason the 6 speed in the mustang needs a bit of direction to get in that second gear otherwise it will go into fourth....regardless, this car is known for having very narrow gates.

 

Its designed so you have to exactly replicate the conditions of the EPA Mileage Test to get it to get it to do it.

That means 15-17 mph at lighter than normal throttle for that speed in 1st. Most people would either using more throttle at that rpm or already have shifted to 2nd.

The EPA requires shifts at a designated speed on the test. Skip shift allows them to go to 4th when 1-2 is called for, 5th when 2-3 is called for and 6th when 3-4 is called for.

The test parameters need to be changed. Its the reason automatics have started getting better fuel mileage than autos when manuals get 5-20% better mileage in the real world.

Alternatives to Skip Shift are elimination of manual transmissions, extremely tall gearing or much wider gear splits. Which would you prefer?

 

Okay, Gene, point taken on the purpose. So, does this particular skip shift feature force 5th on the 2-3 shift or 6th on the 3-4?

 

Can't speak for the EPA on the 2011 GT but there are a couple other reasons autos now get equal and in some cases better gas mileage than manuals do.

1. 2nd gear starts
Many autos will actually have you start in 2nd gear rather than 1st when in "normal" mode with the autos. Click the "sport" mode button and among other things you will now start in 1st. This is of course with cars with those features for the autos and enough power to start in 2nd. The 11 GT auto fails the prior but has the latter.

2. Early shifting.
In normal mode and under normal acceleration, the auto will short shift at 2000 rpms or so in many cars, so you could be in 6th by 45-48 mph already. Most people who drive manuals won't short shift that early and often won't go into 6th until they are doing closer to freeway speeds.

3. Drivetrain efficiency.
My 335i's were the first performance cars I've ever owned with automatic transmissions. But I dynoed it dozens of times, along with other auto 335i's AND many manuals. Surprisingly the manuals would on average only put down 4-5 rwhp more and even less in the torque department.
I was very surprised by how efficient the autos have come.

Again, not sure how it is with the 6 speed auto in the 11 GT, since Ford inexplicably offer no "extras" with the auto. And based on early auto GT dynos, it doesn't appear the auto in the 11 GT is as efficient as some others either. It requires a very tall 2.73 final drive ratio to match the manuals mpg with a 3.31 final drive.
I suspect if Ford would of put a "sport" mode button on the 11 GT auto, they could of used the 3.31 final drive in the auto as stock, and just programed the "normal" mode to start in 2nd and short shift for fuel economy and gotten the same ratings they currently have. Then, if/when drivers want performance they just hit the "sport" button for 1st gear starts, rev matching downshifts, and holding gears longer before shifts.

My .02

 

Nope, just the 1-4 shift. Thats all they need because the EPA test treats it like a 4 speed then.

Seriously, Ford did a very good job getting it to not engage by accident.

PS SCT now has Tune Files available for the 2011 5.0 if its still an issue.

 

The auto in the GT has 3.15 rear gears. Only the 3.7's come with 2.73's.

My skip shift light has come on exactly once in 1700 miles, in a construction zone south of San Bernadio last week. Putting along in 1st gear, slow speed, the message came on in the dash. I just gave it a bit more gas, the light went out, and I shifted into 2nd.

It is much, much, much less obtrusive than the F-body/Vette skip shift.

 

Yea, I had a 94 Trans Am where the skip shift would kick in probably 50% of the time. Of course, the fix was a simple snip of one wire at the tranny.