i used to always put my gear on d5 and mash the pedal but i figured it was about time to move on. But i dont know much about sportshift. So it would be great help if someone could tell me how a sportshift should be used to get the fastest desired speed AND what kind of things are bad for the engine? like if i'm at 4rth gear at going at 60, then i just let go of the gas and let the car roll to 40 is it ok to shift down to third? thanks

 

If your gonna use it to slow down the car instead of using the brakes to come to a stop then this will cause some undue wear on the trans. If you use it to hold a certain gear while going down hill or waiting to jump on the gas to make a faster get-away then that's o.k.

As far as heavy acceleration and upshifting goes, I have yet to see the ultimate rpm to shift at but I'm sure it's between the maximum torque-rpm output of the engine and the maximum hp output. Don't lift your foot between gears when upshifting (as I was very tempted to do thinking there's still a clutch pedal under there) but just slam it into the next higher gear and hold on!

 

When you are goin over 65mph + becareful of your downshift to third... Make sure you compensate the throttle with the downshift... (basically when you downshift you should be flooring it) It is harsh on your motor to downshift in high rpms...

 

Sportshift is a joke unless you're gunna use it to hold a lower gear ... it's USELESS if you expect it to upshift faster for you ... time and time again.. the fastest times produces w/ your TL-S will be gate-shifting (not recommended to do on a daily basis ..) drop into D1, at 6900 rpms... shift to D2 and the delay in shifting will actually let the engine rev to 7100 rpms ... same deal w/ the 2->3 shift.. by the end of 3 you're going 110 so I would leave the rest to you at that point.

 

For some reason, my trans shifts really quickly when using sportshift.

 

whats gate-shifting?

 

O yea and i always did let go of the gas when i switched gears, does it really make a difference though?

 

Manually shifting thru the gates starting with D1 instead of using sportshift (SS).

 

Remember to keep in mind that when you are in 4th or 5th gear in SS and you decide to get alittle more umph and downshift to 3rd while going around 80 mph, the engine won't let you do it. The gear display will only blink at you while your competition starts to pull away from you. The key is to let go of the accelerator for a moment and then downshift. Once you see the light engage in 3rd, punch it! You'll hear the sweet sound of your engine as the RPM needle instantaneously swoops up in front of you. You would be well into VTEC range. I love my car...when it's not in the dealership for repairs.

axleback

 

lol axleback. thanks for the tip, yea i love my car too and it has 8 k miles on it but i want it to last....but i must race....

 

OK, here's my $0.02 worth of advice based on my experience with a 2003 TL-S. I use the sport shift when I'm in city traffic. I can keep the car in third which gives me a much broader powerband than leaving it in D5 hoping it will shift the way I want it to.

If you use the sport shift and have it in third, you have instant power at your foot pedal. If you don't, you have to wait for the transmission to downshift for you. I never thought I'd use the sport shift feature until I realized that I could use it for instant power. When that baby is in third, it'll take off like a rocket. When it's in D5, I never know what to expect.

Just my observations. This is the first automatic transmission I've owned in 10 years. I like stick shifts since I have full control over the torque of the car. The sport shift doesn't compare to a true stick shift, but it's not bad at all.

Don't know if this has helped, but I pop her into SS every time I hit traffic. Let's me bust through almost every time!!

 

Good info Allen. Cant wait to try that !!!!!
I never knew that i can be goin 80 mph and Downshft to 3rd gear... jus figured nasty thins would happen if i do that... WOW .. i need to start spendin more time wit my TLS.

 

I hardly (or ever) use the SS, as not sure how to use it well enough. Besides, with all the horror stories regarding the acura/honda transmissions running thru this forum, I'm surprised so many are brave to use SS with such frequency.

 

I have since completely stopped using it out of spite for my past two defective trannies...

I restate my previous point -- there isn't anything magical or sophisticated about the SS .. it's the same technology that's in a $20K Dodge Stratus "Tiptronic"... it's just a sensor that initiates a shift in an automatic tranny... something it was gunna do anyway, now you have control over when it happens to a certain degree. Those w/o SS can easily gate shift to a lower gear and achieve the same "Rocket power" as decribed by someone to achieve instant passing power ... clearly, the transmission Acura uses isn't beefed up to accomodate the use of SS... bazillions of tranny failures have proved this.

 

i am unaware of the ss flaws. is it risky using ss everyday, not for racing but just for regular driving?

 

by the way, what do the majority of the people use when racing other cars? ss? d5?

 

Damn Ash, you better start driving the car like how it's meant to be driven! I've been on this forum for quite some time now and many have proved that using SS has a minimal effect on the tranny failures. Some trannies failed with the driver never using SS, while others use SS on a daily basis and their trannies are fine. Although I don't punish my car often, but when the time comes where I need those extra ponies, you'll be damn sure I'll make my baby go like a monkey's a$$ on fire. The most important thing is to be safe out there.

axleback

 

Depending on what you mean by racing. On the tracks, I do gate shifting while VSA off. But in traffic, I mostly do SS. There are times when some punk teenagers in tin can exhaust Civics wanting to start something with me. I just look over and punch it for a few seconds while in D5. That usually get their attention enough to stay back...way back.

axleback

 

cool, thanks for the opinion axleback. i mean sure i try to keep the car's engine in healthy condition, but i cant resist but to slam on the gas pedal and feel the world blur. I wasnt confident in pushing my car thinking i was the only one who would. but seeing how there are others who race with it and their cars are fine as well, i'm up for it

 

When youre at the runs youre supposed to Gateshift... (Drag Race your Family Sedan )

On the highway Sport Shift is fine...

Out here in Socal you must be very very careful when it comes to street racing. There are so many accidents and tradgedies...

My TL has already sat in an impound yard for 31 days


Its nuthing but trouble... GO TO THE TRACK!

HERES WEHRE- Feb. 22nd + 23rd Import Drag Racing ( IDRC ) Season Opener. Its gonna be held at Los Angeles County Raceway in Palmdale... ANY ONE ELSE GOIN?

 

Acura says that the gears change 10% quicker using SS. Not much really.

 

Don't worry about it. If the transmission is going to fail it doesn't seem to matter whether you babied it or not. May as well fail while it's under the warranty.

 

Correction, Acura says "up to" 10% quicker... which pretty much is a bag of nothing, if you ask me.

 

When i turned off VSA and gassed it using SS i thought it was a little bit faster, probably my imagination but, and it also chirped when the gear changed from first to second, is this good? bad? same thing? is it better to turn off vsa when racing?

 

Definitely turn off VSA when racing. I could get mine to chirp everytime from first to second if I have my VSA off (even with the sticky Sumitomos HTR+). It's not your imagination. Don't quote me on this, but somebody on this forum mentioned something about our engine being controlled by two throttle(?). When VSA is on, it needs to pass through the VSA throttle and then to the master throttle. This is so that the VSA can respond immediately and cut off fuel when slippage is sensed. But when VSA is off, it goes directly to the master throttle resulting in faster response. It's all in the ECU program. I'm sure some pros can explain it better than I can.

axleback

 

well, this is what i do, right as i mash the gas, i down shift...