Hi All,

I have a question on sport shift in our TL. How does it actually perform? If we downshift the gear to make the car slower, will it actually programmatically press the brake and make the car goes slower or what? Imagine if we compare it with the manual transmission since the clutch will do all the job and ease the job of the brake.

I was thinking of using the same technique as in manual transmission that is by downshift-ing the gear in SS mode. So, my question is: Will the car programmatically press the brake for us? If it does, what's the significant benefit of downshifting the gear in SS over manually press the brake (if the goal is to prolong the life of the disc brake)?

Finally, which one conserve more gasoline: SS or automatic mode?

Thanks.

 

It's the engine that is revving high and trying to slow you down...your brakes do not apply by themselves...
Ed

 

SportShift simply allows you to select the gear to use at any time (within reason). It won't press the brakes for you.

You're thinking of engine braking. When you let off the gas, downshift and release the clutch on a manual, the engine revs up to "catch up" with the wheel. The engine is thus "dragging" on the wheels and acts as a brake. You can do the same thing with SportShift, just shift down and keep your foot off the gas pedal.

Although this technique does save wear on your brake pads, it increases wear on your transmission. And brake pads are cheaper than transmissions .

Actually, there is another reason I like to use engine braking: Your engine is usually revving in the power band while you're decelerating, and it allows you to power away in case of an emergency. If you're driving a rear wheel drive, engine braking can also provide more control during the turn and prevents oversteer on slippery pavement. But the opposite effect occurs with front wheel drives: you tend to understeer during engine braking. But VSA helps to mitigate that. I wished the TL has a yaw sensor too!

Neither. Your driving style largely determines fuel efficiency. Remember, both SS and auto modes use the very same set of gears in your transmission. If you're not good at shifting early to keep RPMs low, use auto to save gas. On the other hand, you may be able to use SS to keep the car in a higher gear when you don't need the power.

 

Nice reply daverman!

 

Thanks.

 

It does. The 2002 VSA incorporates a yaw rate sensor, as well as steering angle sensor and a lateral acceleration sensor, and of course the sensors at all four wheels. The yaw rate sensor is behind the rear seat.

 

Really? I didn't know that; I thought VSA only sensed wheel spins and slips, but a second look at the Acura web site confirms that we indeed have a yaw rate and lat. accel. sensor. Well, that makes VSA as sophisticated as other similar product in the market. We should be proud!

 

Wow....thanks for all the reply. They're really informative though. Thanks everybody, especially to you Daverman.