psteng19

It seems like when creeping in first gear going up an incline, the engine is lugging.

There's this occasional route I take that's an incline that is backed up with slow moving traffic, so rather than clutch in, out, in, out, I'll just creep forward slowly in first.
It got me thinking...

shmork53

you can lug any engine, but it is not good at all. It puts a lot of stress on your engine, my advice avoid lugging at all costs, slip the clutch a little bit, that is what it is there for. In the long run it's less expensive to replace a worn out clutch then to wear your engine out prematurely.

psteng19

Yeah, I know it's possible to lug any engine, but I thought first gear should be good even at lower RPMs.

ck123

this engine has pretty good torque for a honda. Ride the clutch longer if needed, lugging will scar piston wall and lead to oil consumption.

fyi, the auto tranny goes into 5th at 41-43mph if the road is flat and when you accelerate at this speed in 5th, i can hear the engine lugging a bit....not smart on honda if you ask me.

davidspalding

When you're "lugging" the engine ... what are your RPMs? I can't imagine "creeping" so slow that the engine lugs on a slight incline....

(And YES, I have driven stick, most of my life in fact.)

CGTSX07

depends on your RPMs..obvisously if they are too low, the engine will start lugging and the car will eventually stall.

davidspalding

Oh, okay, I bought a vowel and reread the original post. Sounds like a little judicious use of riding the friction point with a few extra RPMs (800? 900) is what's called for. Depending on the incline, and the speed of the TSX in 1st, engine at idle set point, and no throttle input, it may not have enough torque to "creep" up an incline without some throttle.

This isn't a TSX thing, I've experienced this in my MGB, Accord LX, Jeep Wranger, and other stick drives I've known and loved.

psteng19

800-1000 rpms.