It might be the noobest question of this century, but i've been searching for its answer but can't find it, thus I am asking it here.

How do you actually drive the car in SS ?

I have read the manual three times, read many different posts but can someone please take out the time to explain what are the best ways to use SS when you "try" to race or just wanna fly. My main concern is downshifting, when coming to a stop or slowing down what is the best way, downshifting (how and when ??) or just using the brakes without downshifting or both ?

I've been playing with SS for a while but use D5 normally.

Its just my second car and my first car was auto so trying to use the quasi-manual!!

 

You don't have to downshitft when coming to a stop.

 

I would not downshift when coming to the stop, its called engine braking and its not good for the car, use your brakes. Sequential shifting is nice when you want hear vtec. I generally use it on the highway, be going 70 to 80 , downshift to 3rd , do a quick run then shift back d5. You can also use it SS when you want to get into 5th gear quicker or if its just stop and go traffic, shift it to d4 to avoid the shifts from 4 to 5.

 

Dont downshift to slow down.

I use it when I know something the car doesnt. Such as downshifting before a hill, or when passing someone. Otherwise I let it alone.

 

i drive SS mode everyday, all day. i NEVER put it in regular D5. knowing that, i let the car shift into 2nd automatically, then i shift everytime 3,000rpm comes...should be every 15m.p.h. except in 4th since we "hit a brick wall there" as azine says.

yeah, dont downshift, but this is the best way to do it: WHEN THE m.p.h. ARE AT THE RIGHT ZONE TO GO DOWN A GEAR AND NOT BE NEAR REDLINE, then you can go ahead and pull the lever back [the - sign] and then give the car the ABSOLUTE tiniest bit of gas, and the car will rev match BY ITSELF. dont try to rev match or the car will take off when it hits the lower gear, but you have to give a TINY bit of gas so as to not confuse the tranny.

other than that, you can shift up a gear at ANY rpm, and the car will downshift by itself when slowing down. you will never be stuck in an upper gear: 45?mph 5th-> 4th, at 35mph 4th->3rd, at 20mph 3rd->2nd, and under 10 2nd to 1st.

if you are redlining, shift about 500rpm before redline b/c, as with all above, there is a slight delay for the car to then go ahead and shift.

ask any questions if you have them, and welcome!

btw ive been driving SS mode for over a year now [everyday, all day]

 

If you want to race using ss, you would hold each gear to a certain RPM, say like 6500 rpm, by shifting the ss, racheting through each gear. Unfortunately ss won't hold 1st and the trans will shift "automatically" to 2nd (to protect the transmission, according to Honda). If you want total control from 1st gear, you would need to "Gate shift", meaning you will actually move the shifter in the 1st gear position, then move the shifter to the second gear position, 3rd etc. You won't need to downshift unless you want to slow down using "engine braking" down a hill. Otherwise the trans will downshift for you Even if you left the ss in 5th, it will go back to 1st when you slow down to stop.

 

I only use mine when I need it, in passing situations like sayfulhaqq and Zac and blowing through winding back country roads in order to keep the r's up. The other 99.5% of the time i'm in d5.

I also found a thread on here that reverses the shifting direction. It made more sense to me to pull the shifter back to upshift (under acceleration your momentum is shifted back) and push forward to downshift (under braking your momentum is shifted forwards). Like an F1 style gearbox. Its as simple as switching a couple of pin in the plug.

 

You can downshift if your engine braking. It's not going to hurt the engine unless you don't know when to downshift in SS mode.

Besides, if you try downshifting to early, the computer won't let you and the SS number will flash a few times. I wouldn't recommend using the gate unless you feel like you've mastered downshifting in SS mode.

I always loved the fact that the CL downshifted for you going down a hill.

My domestic now doesn't do that. I have to use autostick.

 

Haha, I hate that. Theres this one big hill that when Im going down it at around 50mph and brake a little the tranny freaks out and shifts to 3rd from 5th, so I always use SS to hold it in 5th.

 

its not bad for the car

 

I down shift all the time I mean when I feel I need to and I have had 2 A/T CL's and never had any problem. I think that's a myth that it's bad for your engine.

 

Agreed !!, as long as u not over reving.
the computer will nt even let u dwn shift past certain speeds in ss mode.
I have tried dwn shift frm 5th to 3rd at 99 + mph or smth like that, it will no let u.
so .. i think u are safe, now gate shifting is another story

 

Ok, look this is how you use SS mode. You see that little thing in the middle of your car interior near your legs, you grab that nob and put the car into gear preferably D5, then you push the gear nob, remember near you legs to the left, then look on your dash area and it should light up and tell you what gear your in. Then after that give it some gas and the car switches itself through 1-2 iteself, after that you push up on the gearshifter to swich gears! Magic

 

thnx guys really appreciate all the responses, i've been driving in d5 for now. but the tranny failure kinda scares me, although its a second tranny. i've just tried redlining once, i already hit 100 km/h in second gear redline; dreaming of redlining 4th gear.
thnx again guys

 

this is why i bought 6 gears

 

I think I've seen you. You go to Nalley Acura on 41?

 

Where in the manual does it say dont down shift?

 

if I'm in 4th and have to turn on a block. I brake then down shift to 2nd to have more power to pull out of the turn. I would never use the my engine for braking because I don't have a M\T.....

 

Hmmm.... I always thought downshifting was bad for the car, but seeing how I am a noob to manual transmission, what happens if I'm going like 40 mph and wanna go a quick run, could I downshift to second to get that instant push (doing this will put the revs to about like 4k) , could someone explain the proper way to downshift, would really like to master especially when taking turns to get on the highway and get maximum takeoff when I hit the highway.

 

Okay, I will assume you know nothing about manual or transmission workings, so here is a quick break down skinny-mini version.

Your transmission has different gears. Each gear corresponds to different range of speeds. For example, gear 1 may handle 1mphto a maximum of 30mph. Gear 2 may handle 31mph to 60mph. 3rd gear may handle 61mph to 80mph. 4th gear may handle 81mph to 100mph. 5th gear might handle 101mph to max speed. These numbers can vary on car and model type.

Your engine also has something called RPM or revolutions per minute. This is how many revolutions occur in a minute. For example, 1 on the tech represents 1,000 rpm, and 8 represents 8,000 rpm.

At each and every gear, the revolution starts over from the low end, and as your speed climbs, your RPM goes higher. Each car has a maximum REV LIMITER - the red portion of the 1-8x rpm. That is the portion in which you want to shift to the next gear.

So this is how your car goes from a full stop.

As you hit the gas, you're in 1st gear. Your RPM goes from 1,000 to 3,000 and 6,000 and by that time, it's screaming, then you upshift the gear.

Now you're in 2nd gear (past the speed your 1st gear can handle) and your RPM goes up again 3,000 6,000 then you shift up.

Now you're in 3rd gear (past the speed your 2nd gear can handle) and your RPM goes up again and again.

--------

So basically, if you understand the above, you can use your SS easily.

Anytime you're driving and need to haul ass for passing power or mering onto the freeway, you can shift into SS from auto anytime. WHen you do, you will see what gear your auto put you in. Then, you can downshift and that will force your lowest selectable gear to be selected and your RPM will climb, your engine will scream, and you will ROCKKKKKKEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.

So let's say you're driving 40 into an on-ramp into the freeway.

As you get close to merge, you switch your tranny into SS.

Your tranny might indicate your auto is in 5th gear to save gas. Well just downshift until it doesn't let you anymore. So go tap, tap, tap. As you do, your nose will dip, your RPM will go up all of a sudden, and this means you're in your lowest selectable gear.

HIt the gas and GO VROOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM until you redline on the RPM then shift up.

DUDE IF THIS DOESN'T FUCKING HELP YOU, SELL YOUR CAR.

 

Hahaha, man I not a total noob of downshifting, but thanks for in depth analysis. Thats what I have been doing, but I just wanted to make sure I was not destroying the tranny. SS is very fun, I mostly use it on the highway, but this helps. when your shifting up in SS mode do you let go of the pedal as well or keep pressing the pedal? When pressing the pedal it shifts fine, letting go of the pedal, the jerks. Thoughts ...

 

you can hold the pedal

 

If there was only way yo get the car to rev match like a new m5 or a GTI ( the BEST Sec Shift avalible) You wouldn't think it would be that hard to do.... any experts?... Anyways I always drive in D4 around town, D5 is sluggish as shit, and the tranny has to shift more. And for driving is SS all the time... WASTE OF GAS. If its control you think your getting, your wrong, shoulda bought a 6 speed. Sure the car won't let you down shift until its ready, but thats begging for problems...and BRAKES ARE CHEAPER THAN TRANNYS!

 

Yes you can do that but it may be dangerous, Honda put them in that arangment for a reason, IMO for safety, here is a senario.. your in triptronic mode and you have a panic situation and hit the brakes, the weight of you hand (naturally on the shifter) goes up, well as it is now the engine harmlessly up shifts and "boggs" the motor. now reversed, if that happend and under panic situation you tranny drops a gear and locks up the wheels, now you are under steering...


you know the rest..

 

bmw does it the correct way... opposite of the acura

 

No longer true. 2006 was the last TL to automatically shift to 2nd. Starting in 07 you could bounce off the rev limiter all day long in 1st.

 

Is in-town driving in D4 the way to go?

 

Only if its constantly shifting between 4th and 5th. If it never goes into 5th or it goes in and can stay there there is no need to have it in D4 because you will probably just forget to put it there when you do get to a point where it be used.

 

It's about time they did that......why have a ss when you can't hold 1st?

 

MIne holds first if I'm WOT. No one else's does?

 

If your in SS it will automatically shift if you dont at redline. If yours isnt you either have a manual or not a CL, or there is something wrong.