I accidentally tested the rev limiter the other day by forgetting I was in manual mode and driving off rather crisply from a stoplight. Got some nice revs, and good acceleration, and suddenly the car starts jerking, and I'm wondering what the heck is going on?

I look at the tach and see it bouncing up and down near the redline and finally catch the '1' in the display staring me in the face and realize what I've done. I thought the car had siezed up for a moment.

Since the average speed on my commute to work is a whopping 25mph, I'll sometimes put the car into manual mode and upshift to help the MPG a little (especially on the longer hills). Problem is that I almost always forget when I come to a stop. I then take off, and nothing but revs and engine braking when I let up on the gas.

Does anyone else do this? At least I haven't done this with my wife in car (yet).

Rob144

 

I've tried using the manual mode, but have a hard time. The cabin is so quiet you just can't hear the engine. Without hearing the engine it's hard to know when to shift. I found myself constantly having to glance down at the tac and it got annoying. I gave up.

I suspect it might be valuable trying to navigate through snow but even then the awd and vsa almost makes those days gone too. If I was still driving my 82 5L Trans Am, the paddle shifters would have been great! But now they seem like a frivolous feature

 

I've done this a few times myself. Shift lights?

 

I find manual mode useful up and down hills and fun on winding roads. My other car is manual BMW, so used to anticipating when to downshift going into curve rather than waiting for tranny to react.
That said, the RL is one of the first cars I've had that holds a low gear going down a hill in automatic if you are not giving it throttle. Most cars upshift and require excessive braking.

 

I would be nice if the display showed you what gear you're in regardless of shift mode.

I do appreciate the feature, but I haven't adjusted to using it yet. I guess it isn't really practical in stop-n-go commuting.

Rob144

 

I agree with you on display of what gear even in automatic mode.

 

I do find it practical in my morning commute. Before I changed my exhaust and added the CAI, I simply included the tach in my momentary survey of the instrument cluster while in manual mode. I use the manual mode whenever I have to drive into downtown Cleveland during rush hour.

Then again, I learned to drive originally on a manual. Even though I have driven automatics exclusively for many years now, anticipating shift points never quite leaves you, I guess.

 

Glad I'm not the only one who forgets to shift. Have found the following comfort levels.
Shift from 1st @ 2500 rpm
Shift from 2nd @ 3000 rpm
Shift from 3rd @ 3000 rpm
Shift from 4th @ 2500 rpm.
By this time you should be at or near highway speed.
But trying to shift from a stoplight while turning left or right has been a little hard to master using paddles.

 

Glad I'm not the only one who forgets to shift. Have found the following comfort levels.
Shift from 1st @ 2500 rpm
Shift from 2nd @ 3000 rpm
Shift from 3rd @ 3000 rpm
Shift from 4th @ 2500 rpm.
By this time you should be at or near highway speed.
But trying to shift from a stoplight while turning left or right has been a little hard to master using paddles.

 

Acura has had that feature since the 1st gen TL. It's called Grade Logic.

 

I've hit it before also when using the paddle shifters. I wish they were programed to shift faster.

 

Actually, all Hondas have had it for over a decade now, even the civic.

 

I did the same thing. I forgot I had it in manual mode, kinda floored it showing a friend the takeoff acceleration and hit the limiter. Started to cut out before I realized I was in 1st gear. My Audi, in manual mode will not stay in 1st, it will automatically shift to second, likewise you can't downshift to 1st unless RPM and speed are very low.

Luckily the limiter works perfecto.

 

+1

I think they're kind of silly and have used them just enough to figure out that I don't care to use them.

I understand completely that some of you treat your RL as a sportscar and you probably enjoy the ability to better control how your car is reacting, but I just can't bring myself to treat this huge, bloated, feature-laden car as anything more than a luxury car.

If you owned a proper, extremely light-weight, manual transmission car, in addition to the RL, you'd understand. To me, the RL is what it is...a VERY expensive car that I bought because it has a great level of comfort, luxury, and prestige. I'm not about to treat it the same as my 2,200 pound, 2-seater roadster.

 

Well....it is supposed to be a sporty lux sedan ala the 5 series. But you're right, it is NO S2000 or Elise. Definitely not a car I would take on the track without a massive diet (e.g. losing all the cool lux and tech features that make the car so unique).

I'm actually trying to decide whether to get a low-mileage lease on a 'vette or something similar that I could drive as a weekend toy. Will probably do it once I take care of some of my longer-term financial goals first, but it's definitely a goal on its own.

 

Yeah, I've mentioned this before.....I've bounced the limiter a few times because shifts are too damn slow/I misjudged.

With my G/F's RDX the paddles work no matter what mode you're in, but will go back to Auto mode after a few seconds.

 

I am not sure I would like that feature of the RDX. There have been many times when making turns where I accidently flipped the paddles. Coming from a TL where the HFL buttons were behind the wheel, I sometimes also flip them out of habits formed on my TL.

I would want to be sure the console center shifter was purposefully engaged in the manushift mode for the paddles to be active.

 

Like the RL, it won't shift if it thinks it's going to be "hurt", though I guess you might still be able to get in trouble.

 

I've accidentally shifted into neutral when in "auto" mode but thought I was in "manual" mode. The engine revs very quickly in neutral and no sense of forward acceleration made me quickly put it back into drive.