keichan82

Hi all. Well, this is a really stupid question about manual transmissions. The thing is, I always drove a automatic and know nothing about the manual. So.. since me and my gf are planning to get a manual car next year.. I figured why not start with the sport shift..
Just the basic stuff you all know that I have no idea of :
When do you shift to 2 gear, 3rd gear , etc? at what rpm? at what speed?
Thanks all!!

Stevestr

So which is it? Sportshift or manual?

Sportshift is pretty easy to drive - its what you get when you purchase the TSX with Auto tranny.

As for manual, I'll leave that to one of the other resident experts on here.

Jim Holloman

The point at which you shift a manual is just like the point at which an automatic shifts -- it varies. Have you noticed that an automatic will shift later if you are going up a hill or accelerating hard. Have you noticed that many will shift early if you let up on the throttle a little. That is usually triggered by a manifold sensor -- also known as a vacuum sensor.

The shift point for a manual depends upon many factors. Do you want to accelerate faster or save gas. Do you have one person in the car or four people in the car. Are you on level ground, going downhill or uphill. Is there another traffic light right ahead or do you have open road. It becomes intuitive after a while and you do it without thinking about it; like swimming or riding a bicycle.

The peak torque on the TSX, I believe, is from 3000 to 5000 RPM's. Therefore, I would tend to stay under 3500 for easy driving, 3500-4500 for moderate driving and 4500-6000 when more acceleration is needed. And, 7000-7200 when you want a lot of engine noise. I refer to shift points. The tach. is far more important than the speedometer when shifting since shift points should be based upon RPM's and not the speed of the car.

Before buying an MT, be sure to test drive both the MT and the AT.

alnug

sorry to hijack but in the states do you not need to do the driving test using a manual shift???? seems very odd lol but then again that might be just me from the UK

RMATIC09

Theres no set guideline to shift, of course, you dont want to redline the car. I only use sportshift when i want more power to the car, becuase it really does make a difference.


So, when using SS, ill take the rpms up to mid 6's before shifting sometimes, i mean its more about prefrence with it....

landerso

If you've ever ridden a bicycle with multiple gears, you should understand the principle. Just replace your legs with the car's engine. Otherwise it's all the same idea.

ricecake

The sport shift will really not teach you much about learning the basic skills involved in using a manual transmission, with the exception of showing you @ which revs you shift--which is actually a variable of the driver's comfort/preference/driving style. If you are considering a car with manual transmission next year, I suggest having a friend help you learn in the meantime.

With that being said, there are a couple of unique features about the TSX's MT, in particular the lock-out from downshifting to 1st, that will need some getting used to after you have learned the basic skills. There is also the drive-by-wire throttle system, which often prevents you from having to shift to a lower gear on occasion where you would normally have to do so.

Selanne_2001

Yea like what people said above, driving with the sportsshift doesn't really teach you the basics with driving a manual. Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but driving a manual, at what rev you switch gears at also affect how you control you clutch. Shift at a lower rev may require you to hold on to the clutch a lil longer and such.But yea, a general rule of thumb is, you should shift gears according to your needs and shouldn't be limited to a certain set rev or speed.