PWAiN

I was wondering if I could get some feedback reguarding the 5-Speed Sequential Sportshift transmission on the TSX. I wasn't sure if there was already a thread pertaining to this topic so if there is sorry 'bout that. Anyhow, are there any TSX owners out there who ran into both good or bad things with this feature, I'm still not exactly familiar with the way it works, what I do know is that there are gears 1&2 in which you can upshift and downshift with. Does this have the potential to utterly screw up your tranny or what? Help!! Thanks..Oh yeah and was there a change in the SS from the '05 to '06 years?

PWPTSX

SS had been working great for me, i don't think it will mess up the transmission if you shift it correctly. hum........no complain for me so far, i also had driven the sportshift thing in a BMW.....if you compare them two Acura is a lot better with quicker respond plus great feel!!

Not Specified

I feel that the SS mode on my 06 TSX picks up a tiny bit slower than fully automatic mode. The engine seems to be a bit more noisey as well. I hardly use this feature, I would've gone 6 speed but didn't because I'm not the only driver.

PWAiN

Ah, so does the car actually shift closer to redline with SS mode because I just read up on some info and I learned that there's some sort of over-ride feature that prevents you from overrevving. i.e. if you somehow forget and leave it running in 2nd it automatically shifts it for you so you dont actually blow the engine. I'm actually hearing good things about it vs other cars; audi,bmw, even infiniti which all have the sportshift
I'm in the same boat with you "not specified", I gotta have that sporty feel somehow!

Not Specified

SS mode is pretty simple to operate, just push the shift knob up to move to a higher gear anytime BEFORE the redline....say about 800 RMP before the readline for the sake of your engine, it's true, these cars have an overide feature but try to avoid it. Downshifting is also simple, if you chose not to downshift, it'll do it automatically at certain speeds (listed in the manual)

crispy34

I don't think its shifts for you....it just bumps off the rev limiter. On a few occasions I forgot I was in SS mode and hit the rev limiter in both 1st and second.

Like the previos poster said, just shift about 800 rpm before and you should be fine.

psteng19

I don't know why people would think using this feature would break the transmission.
Think about it, why would Honda/Acura include a feature that could potential cause themselves more major warranty work in the long run?

And to answer the question, I absolutely hated the SS mode because of the long delay between shifting and the tranny actually changing gears.
After a few "manual shifts", I immediately put it back into D and let the computer do it on its own.

PWAiN

Well there have been reports in the past about probelms with certain SS in other cars. My friends prelude for example, he used to always use this feature(jamming on low gear and throwing it in high gear for fun) until he messed up the transmission. But then again, we should be comparing apples with apples and oranges with oranges and there is quite a difference between the TSX and Prelude. I guess it's safe to say that other than the slow/long gear shifts and what not, it's a pretty good feature on the 5AT??

Gen4MDX

PWAIN - Welcome to AZ. SS Does not make slow/long shifts, atleast for me. I guess it depends on "how" you shift. I also thought I would use SS much more, I only use it about 10% of the time, maybe less.

PWAiN

Thanks for the welcome turbo. Yeah, seeing as how I havent had prior experience using a standard transmission and the fact that my daily commute will be in a downtown area with plenty of traffic, I really don't see myself with the 6MT. Thats why Im opting to the 5AT and was curious about the feel of the SS. Maybe I can put all of this to rest and take a stroll down to the local Acura dealer for a test drive

Gen4MDX

Yeah, a test drive would answer alot of your questions. I "thought" the 5 speed auto was slow from what I read on these boards. After thinking I was going to purchase an 6 spd manual and then driving a 5 spd auto, I was pleasantly surprised how quick the auto was and ended up purchasing it. Don't get me wrong, the 6 spd was a blast and slightly faster.....BUT, I would have grown tired of the 6 spd in the massive traffic congestion and stop & go driving. If you want quickness when sportshifting, don't lift your foot off the accelerator, just blip the lever fwd. I think you will be impressed with the changes that were made in the '06. Don't know how an '04 & '05 SS feels.

Knox

I'm a fan of the SS mode on some days. Often, I'll get off of work after a bad day and want to somewhat drive the car harder than normal. So, I'll slap it into SS mode and take off. The only issues I've had are hard shifts from 1st to 2nd where the car literally jumps or bucks. Every other gear transition is smooth like in auto mode.

PWAiN

Yeah see thats the thing. I'm actually going to be relocating to another state on the 29th and I'm looking to purchase my TSX there. I'm having my uncle look at a non-navi '05 CGP 5AT with factory kit. Like you said, there might or might not be changes to the sportshift between the 06 and 05. There really shouldnt be, I havent read up on any manufacturer issues with the '05 5AT. Eh, either way I'll test drive the '06 5AT

Jack Slate

The SportShift on the TSX is really nothing to complain about. It's pretty damn good for a shiftable semi-automatic transmission. It allows you to hold a gear at times when you want as opposed to just having the auto upshift/downshift when you don't want. As for people complaining about it being slow...yes, does not instantaneously shift like a manual, but you just have to know how to use it.

PWAiN

Do you usually keep your foot on the accelerator when you shift from 1st to 2nd? That could be why it jumps, I dont see that as much of an issue though..well not concerning any damage to the tranny at least

taz98spin

Actually in the owner manual it says start off with the 2nd gear in place when
using the SS.

I recently started playing around with SS since I do not know how to drive manual,
and when I accidentally downshift to 1st and try to go back up to 2nd, the car
would jump too.

jlukja

The SS shifts faster than in the fully automatic "D" mode because it takes shift commands from you directly instead of from the AT logic. It does process your shift commands before enacting them to make sure you don't shift it into a gear outside the permitted rev-range. You can't screw up the transmission using SS any more than if you were in D. If you "forget" to upshift when in SS you'll hit the rev limiter which will cut off fuel to the engine at the redline.

bradykp

there's a AcuraZine (AZ) member named Colin, who is a manager at the dealership in hawaii FYI so find him on here and let him know you're coming!

Also, SS is disappointing to me as a former manual driver. I would have a manual if it were my car primarily, but it's my fiance's and she doesnt want to learn yet.

SS does not give me any satisifaction when it comes to my desire to drive a manual, but, it does offer the ability on highways to drop a gear quickly and pick up some speed to pass.


i wouldnt really use it on a regular basis, because i find that it doesnt really feel wonderful with the delay from the time you move the shifter to the time it shifts (1-2 seconds?).

as far as your questions, if the car needs to downshift, it will downshift automatically.

if you rev it too high, the rev limitor kicks in, it does not shift up for you.

so the trick to driving it like a manual is to figure out the point where you need to initiate the shift and hit it at the right time, accounting for the delay, to shift close to the rev limitor. then it's sort of like driving a manual if you want to push the gears.

overall i'd say it's a good SS compared to other cars, i am just baised against SS overall.

hope i offered some help though

bradykp

well played lad

TSXdawg

While SS is no manual, it will give you better performance than in the auto mode. A test was done at the TOV in both modes and the result for 0-60 times was:

Auto - 8.7 secs and SS was 7.7 secs

Not bad, especially in SS mode.

jlukja

I think you should have this disclaimer in your signature. I see it often.

bradykp

point well taken.

PWAiN

Thanks for all the great feedback guys!

Billy M

my only complaint with the SS is that it's backwards, up and down should be the other way around (BMW does it the other way, and i like it much better) but i have now gotten used to it, and its fine

Knox

That seems like more work than it's worth then. When you stop, is downshift to 1st for you. If the manual says 2nd, it looks like it'd start in that gear then. I rarely use it so I'm not sure I'm that concerned anyhow.

I've tried both gas and no-gas shifts from 1 - 2 and they're both hard. The dealer looked at it and said it was "up to Acura specs" and this is the only dealer I trust so we'll see.

psteng19

I was not aware that Preludes came in Sportshift, aka Tiptronic, aka Steptronic.
Must've been in later models.

Are you referring to shifting through D1, D2, D3, D4?
If so, that's definitely a no-no

PWAiN

Yes Preludes actually came with a Tiptronic auto transmission. I do believe it was in the later models.

jaehshim

SS is working better than i expected when i purchased the vehicle.

i have '06 tsx + 5speed auto.

the lock up torque converter SS is working great, and it is "absoluelty" responding faster
than the "steering sequential shift" on Lexus IS 250 or 350 model. (go for test drive, you will exactly feel the difference).

if i were to compare the system further, it is better than the ones in IS but slower than DSG in Audi and VW (of course, DSG is different story, using 2 gears converting 1,3,5 and left and 2,4,6 on the right side of transmission)

Overall, SS is an awesome feature fitting very well to our i-vtec engines.

niranjan162

I tried using the SS in my 05 5AT tsx tonite on my way home, and i dont know if i wasnt shifting at high enough RPMs or doing it right but it was pretty jerky. Everytime i shifted, a second later the car would lurch. Anybody else feel this

chuson

The car DOES NOT acts/feels jerky by itself, it's how you drive.

For normal acceleration, 2nd will do you fine. If you want to do a quick launch, put the SS into 1st gear, floor it to redline then shift to 2nd. DO NOT step on the gas pedal periodicly, or let go the gas then step the gas. The 1st gear is very sensitive so it will jerk alot. The same if you shift down to 1st from 2nd, do it only if you need. I think the jerkiness is cause by more torque in lower gear?? SS is fun, while the D mode is quieter usually for me, cause I drive less aggressive too.

Gen4MDX

Nope

kboosman00

^^^

bradykp

so up should be down and down should be up? what are we? pilots?

it's logical the way it is, forward to go up a gear and backwards to go down a gear.

PWAiN

Yeah I was somewhat confused by what Billy was saying here. So the sportshift on BMW is different than the TSX?

niranjan162

i guess i dont understand how to use it. I just tried going by wut the tachometer said. Obviously that does not work too well, so u only have to shift when ur at redline?

PWAiN

dude I'm as clueless as you are. Thats why I started this thread,LOL but actually I think I feel more confident about this feature, now that i know that you can't blow your tranny by using it

Gen4MDX

Guys - It is real simple, drive it and shift it by "feel", "sound" & "RPM's". Turn down that stereo, put away your cell phone or pull the IPOD ear buds out of your ears. If that is too much work, just put it in D and forget about it. You all are making too much ado about something that is so simple to drive in SS it is ridiculous.

God forbid if you have a 6 Spd MT.

PWAiN

I'm actually considering the 6MT now...





KIDDING!

PWPTSX

haha yeah, BMW does have it the other way, which after driving my SS in my TSX for a couple months, switching to my sister's BMW's 325i is really mess up, because i would shift the gear to the wrong direction!

PWPTSX

TSX SS:
+ is in the forward position
- is in the back position

BMW:
+ is in the back positon
- is in the forward position

which is better? i guess TSX SS make more sense