I have an 06 AT with navi. I am curious about using the MT mode (don't remember the proper name).

I know basically how it works but since I have never driven a manual I don't even know the basic concepts of when to shift. I know it has to do with RPM's and the red-line but I am not clear. I read the book that came with the car and it seemed to be giving different mph's for when to shift for example it says anything above 33mph you can shift into 5th.

What I am asking for is some pointers on how to use the manual mode effectively and whether or not it is even worthwhile to do so.

Sorry, I suck at cars but am interested in learning.

 

The only thing I can think to tell you is: practice. Drive it in SS mode and you'll get a feel for when to shift (and how much lead time is necessary given the inherent delay of not having a real manual shifter) depending on the driving conditions. Overpowered and not really going anywhere fast? Upshift. Underpowered and not really going anywhere fast? Downshift.

 

is there an rpm that i should be shifting at?

Like lets say I am on the freeway cruising at 70 mph and I merge onto another freeway but have to slow to 35 mph for a merge curve and then proceed onto the other freeway at 70 mph. What should the shifting look like?

In a second scenario lets say I wanted to race (which I don't) but lets say from a dead stop I wanted to go as fast as I could as quickly as I could, what would that shifting look like? I mean should I wait till every gear reaches the redline to shift? Or is that not how it's done?

And is there a benefit to even bothering with this mode or should I just stick with the completely automatic?

 

The K24, like most Honda engines loved to be revved. For the most power, get that needle up there as high as possible, without redlining. Vtec doesn't even start until 6,200 rpms

 

I think the best way for you to learn is to leave it in "D" and watch what the transmission logic does under various conditions. Once you see what its doing then put it int Sport Shift and mimic that. Once you are comfortable with using Sport Shift then you can start experienting with downshifting or waiting longer to upshift for better power.

Now, as far as your scenarios go:

1. Stay in 5th gear when doing 70mph. Slowing down on the curve to 35mph you can either apply brakes and leave it in 5th or downshift to 4th and slow down using engine and brakes. Once you get to 35mph and you see you will need to speed up again, shift into 3rd and accelerate, then shift to 4th and then 5th at around 4500rpm or when you get to your desired speed.

2. For maximum acceleration start in SportShift in 1st gear, floor it, and then only shift to 2nd (and 3rd and 4th and so on) when the RPM's reach redline.

 

I shift at 3 to 4000 RPMs during regular driving... redline during spirited driving

 

No, V-tec is around 5 rpm i correct? Because once i get around 5, i can hear it.

 

There are only two scenarios where I use SS:

1) making an "unnecessarily" sharp right turn. You need to shift down to 2nd, or the AT will leave you in no man's land.

2) Passing on the highway. Shift down to 4th and watch the tach climb to > 5000 rpm.

 

Not unless you have Hondata, your hearing things

 

just put it in gear and mash on the pedal... LOL

 

Don't tell the guy to do taht, he'll get a speeding ticket lol.

Welcome aboard, you made a good choice with the car. Youll love it.

jlukja, has the best advice.
Under normal city driving, accelerate in first at the rate you like and you'll probably find that @ 3,500 is a comfortable zone to shift in. Take 2nd gear to 3,000 - 3,250 and you should be doing 30-35 mph. Then, take 3rd to 40ish and cruise in 4th gear at 45mph. I usually cruise in 5th over 45mph but accelerating is a bitch that low.

 

is the tiptronic really worth using?
i mean, if you dont downshift, it will downshift for you, there really isnt a point i see of using it. Everyone i know who has a car with it, never uses it.

 

It is worth using if you want to pick the shift points yourself. If you can anticipate that you will need to shift then its faster than actually mashing the throttle and waiting for the tranny to figure out what gear it thinks you need to be in.

 

Matter of personal choice, really

It gives you the option of overriding the computer so if you don't like how the computer is doing it, then you have the option of doing it yourself. It's all about choice.

 

^^ YES. Not having that choice is un-American.

 

Sport shift is so disappointing. it's terrible. i dont even remotely like using it. i guess i had secret hopes it would be at least semi-fun. i'm coming to terms with having an automatic now.

 

I was taught how to drive on an automatic. Didn't touch the sportshift for a while in the TSX. Now that I'm comfortable in it, use it all the time. Why? Because I hate having to WOT to tell the auto tranny to downshift. I like having having precise control over the gear I'm in. And unfortunately since I didn't know how to drive manual when I got the car, SS is the closest I'll get, so I'll take what I can get.

The nice thing is that you'll never make a mistake of downshifting too early - the gear indicator will just blink at you letting you know that it's unsafe to shift down from your current RPM and keeps you in the gear.

The thing about being in first gear is that because of drive by wire, it can be really sensitive and the car can jerk a little bit if you're not applying a constant pressure to the accelerator. So if you're in a parking lot, the auto tranny would normally shift into 2nd for you after you pull out, and you'll want to do that just so you can have a smooth ride. First gear is for redlining from stoplights, that's about it. Otherwise, you're rarely using it.

2nd gear is nice for parking lots as mentioned earlier, and at least on the 04 is you won't hit redline till about 70 mph. If you're going to get onto a highway ramp, I recommend downshifting to 2nd gear. That'll give you the greatest amount of torque to get up to highway speed and quickly and safely merge with traffic. If you're going 35 on the highway ramp, you'll want to be in 2nd gear as well. That will give you nice torque to power out of the curve and get back into the flow of traffic. It's also nice for taking fast corners in city driving.

3rd gear is what I use to pass people on the highway. It's good up to 110 or so. You don't really want to shift down to 2nd on the highway, and if you're going past 50 mph, the computer probably won't let you anyhow. It's also nice for if you want to take onramps and curves a little faster, at about 50-60.

4th gear, I don't use it much, cept on my way up to 5th and on my way down to 3rd. And, I guess if you want to try to attain the max speed of your car, you'd use 4th =)

5th gear, going around town, get to this gear asap so you can conserve gas. This is the strategy your computer employs to conserve gas.

Sure, it's not the same as a manual, but for those of us who were raised on autos it's a nice way to get some experience so that the next car you buy, you'll have a better grasp of shifting.

 

warning: point 1 is why it's not like driving a manual, you can't really downshift for the power.

point 2....maybe a slightly better grasp of shifting, but not really.

 

if you think it's like a manual your forgetting the whole aspect of the clutch, which is the part that requires the most effort and ability

 

If it had let me downshifted from those RPMs when I was first learning I woulda been way past redline, and there's not much power to be had from a blown engine =) Although, I'm sure it would be very nice to not have to go to 4th gear first and go straight to 3rd.

As for point 2, that's the whole point you MT => AT guys are missing. Prior to playing with sportshift, I had 0 knowledge of how transmissions work. Heck, I'm not even sure the car I learned on even had a tachometer. But it got my feet wet and piqued my interest, at the same time it protects me from doing stupid errors.

Besides, the OP isn't asking whether or not it's like an MT, he's asking for tips to drive in sportshift mode.

 

Can you explain what you mean by that.

 

I get the most use out of SS when I'm slowing down. I down shift into 4 th usually at 70kmh or so, 3rd at about 55kmh, 2nd at about 40kmh, I let the auto component take in into 1st at 10kmh. When accelerating on a hill, I like to use it to keep the revs somewhat higher. When going down a hill the grade logic auto keeps the car in a lower gear rather than upshifting, I usually upshift myself to not waste the cars inertia. But overall, I don't use it because I've learned to shift with the throttle - although I'm still trying to master the most fuel efficient shift points.

 

I just got my TSX for about 3 weeks but I'm still NOT too used to the SS. However I use it almost everytime I drive. I used it for 2 reason, Gas saving and Accelerating.
1. Gas saving - When I stop in the traffic, I put the gear in 2nd. When it goes, I shift to 5th ASAP, usually I shift @ 2500rpm to the next gear, it's slow, but it save more gas and I think I get to the 5th gear faster than Auto. When I leave it to Auto, it won't shift up until I release the gas pedal or it will shit @ 3500rpm+ if I keep stepping on it (I don't mean floor it)

2. Accelerating - The first two gears seems to rev faster than 3rd but I guess that's normal. However, I'm running into the rev-limitor problem. The red-line is 7300rpm, when I shift @ 7300rpm, the rev-limitor has already kick in so I guess it reacts a little to late or I need to release the gas @ 7300rpm b4 I shift. I can feel some "choke" when it kicks in. With that in mind, I shifted a little earlier like @ 7000rpm, but still the rev-limitor kicks in? WHY? Is that "Choke" normal? Or I shift a little too late? I need some help~

 

The rev limiter sees you at 7300 and cuts fuel to the engine. What is happening is that by the time you use SS to shift up you've already hit the rev limiter. You need to shift a little earlier recognizing that it takes a split second for the tranny logic to read the SS input and the revs really climb quickly at WOT.

 

THX jlukja~
What's the best sweet spot to shift if I want to hit the red-line? I guess I should be trying it myself but I want some general suggestion. It seems it revs faster from 6000-7000rpm when compare to let say 3500-5000rpm~ I guess the i-vtec has kick in?

 

Shift when the tac actually hits redline and you should avoid the fuel cutoff. And yes, 6000 rpm is the cam changeover point for i-VTEC.

 

I guess you mean the "beginning" of red-line on the tachnometer right? so 7000rpm to be acurate? THX 4 ya tips~!

 

You know, I've never actually done it when NOT in SS. I wonder if, when you are in "D" and you really floor it, the tranny will shift to the next gear right before fuel cutoff or right at redline.

 

Additional thoughts on the SS. Yes, it's no replacement for a true manual. But the TSX has a very nice set up as far as SS goes. The TL will shift to 2nd gear for you if you don't floor it in first. It's very annoying to be in first gear, and see the computer shift up to 2nd for you. Also, people complain about the lag in shifting. Well, it exists in every SS setup, and I can tell you that the lag time on the TSX feels much shorter than on the G35 Coupe. But that's as far as my experience goes. Anyone else try sportshift in other cars?

Bradykp, you didn't try the SS mode while test driving? Was curious on your very negative impressions of it after you took delivery of it. Why didn't you get a manual anyhow?

 

I drove the Mazda 6s, G35 and a 325i. The TSX auto owns them all, no joke. It is quick, smooth and doesn't shift for you. I think it is the same auto on the NSX but it shifts one step slower. I forgot how they classify them, they have shifting stages for each model.

 

it's the girlfriend's car and she doesnt drive manual.

I didnt test drive it with SS because i knew i wouldnt like the SS, but it wasnt a factor in the buying decision

 

So bradykp, you have 3 choices:
1) get a new girl that drives a manual,
2) teach her how to drive a manual, or
3) buy your own 6MT TSX.

 

I really enjoy the SS. It just makes driving more fun. If I keep it in a lower gear and bip the gas, the car takes off more quickly. When in auto, I hit the gas and wait for it to downshift then move. Just not as much fun and doesn't feel as powerful. Also, I got better acceleration when in SS than in auto (using my Gtech Pro).

 

[QUOTE=chuson]I just got my TSX for about 3 weeks but I'm still NOT too used to the SS. However I use it almost everytime I drive. I used it for 2 reason, Gas saving and Accelerating.
1. Gas saving - When I stop in the traffic, I put the gear in 2nd. When it goes, I shift to 5th ASAP, usually I shift @ 2500rpm to the next gear, it's slow, but it save more gas and I think I get to the 5th gear faster than Auto. When I leave it to Auto, it won't shift up until I release the gas pedal or it will shit @ 3500rpm+ if I keep stepping on it (I don't mean floor it)

On the gas saving...recognize that your not being efficient if your loading the throttle and your shifting early. Actually, your wasting more fuel. Imagine accelerating on your 18 speed bike up a hill, if you shift to early to the highest gear, you won't have any accleration left unless you put full force into the pedals. So, its a combination of loading the throttle to the least amount that allows for smooth acceleration and then shifting. But I guess the ultimate test is your fuel economy, what kind of numbers are you getting?

 

considered #1 already.

been trying to convince her to go for a ride in a manual and just try (already taught my 16 year old cousin, but she's probably not getting a manual car either)

#3 just wouldn't be an option. 2 of the same car is no fun. maybe i'll buy the mustang i always wanted in a couple years. or just go all the way with the M3. how about the NSX? my dealer had a nice used blue one in the showroom. soooooo hot.


enjoy and sport shift shouldn't be said in the same sentence. it's really a disgrace to all mankind (at least all automobile engineers). i say it's kinda like a horrible christmas gift.....it's the thought that counts, right?

oh yeah, and you're not saving any gas there, if you are, it's very small amounts. whats your MPG with this method?

 

It's already been noted that the sportshift is one of the best in its class. You're using some pretty strong words here for lack of anything to back them up. If AT users want to get the most out of their car, they use sportshift. And you know what, those of us who do, enjoy it alot for what it is. And it's a lot more engaging than driving pure auto with both hands on the wheel. If you find that more enjoyable than sportshift, then you, sir, are a moron. Good luck hitting VTEC

 

i've had no problem hitting vtec. and whether you want to admit it or not, SS is NOTHING like manual. maybe it's a little more fun that automatic, but i'm assuming very few stick shift drivers would say SS is fun at all. Stick shift drivers will say the same about SS and Auto: boring. i'd prefer the manual, but it's not my car, it's the girlfriend's. she refuses to learn manual (even though it's so easy), so she got an auto. maybe if you've never touched a manual, you can get some satisfaction out of SS, but it seriously is nowhere near driving a manual, the car is still doing all the work for you, you're just pushing a lever forward and backwards. not very different from taking a car from the mid 80's and going from 2nd to 3rd, to D

 

The point I'm arguing is not whether or not SS is the equivalent of a manual, but that it makes the 5AT much more fun and engaging to drive. Why would a MT driver find driving it in D with total computer control more exciting than sportshift? That doesn't make sense. An MT driver is used to control. If an MT driver had to drive a 5AT TSX because his significant other couldn't drive MT, I'm pretty sure he'd opt for playing with the SS.

There are plenty of other MT drivers who've bought a 5AT because of a signficant other who can't/won't drive manual. Feel free to chime in on this.

 

I agree with everything you've said. The SS can't compare to an MT but it is far better than just leaving it in D.

 

it's just not satisfying is all i'm saying. i'd love to hear other's opinions. to me, SS is no more control or fun than auto.