Guys,

I come from the world of AUTO and have never driven a stick shift car.

Now that the TL has this sport shift, i would really love to learn how to use it correctly. It seems like a fun thing to drive.

I do have a question, how much does the autometic part of this sport shift protect my cars engine from driver (yeah me) stupidity? I would hate to hurt the engine would learning to drive the semi-manual.

In general i could use any advice you guys can give me on how to drive using this funky stick, as reading the manual honestly did not make too much sense to me .

 

nothing to learn. the computer wont let you hurt any thing. shift it over and play. It will automatically shift from 1st to 2nd if you dont first, but after that its up to the driver. Just dont start using it and forget your in it and drive all over teh place in 2nd redlined. the dash display will show what gear your in

 

Ah i see... So... when do i shift this thing up and down?

I feel like a total idiot here as i to be honest dont even fully understand the transmission concept .

 

it will automatically downshift as you brake as well. basically shift when you want, the computer will disallow the shift if it would damage the engine in anyway, so have some fun with it

 

You shift when ever you want. Its designed for spirited driving to hold the gear so that the tranny isnt constantly jumping around trying to find the right gear. The best info we can tell you is to go out and try it.

 

Alright thanks again bud, i will play with it and try not to blow up the tranny

 

No matter how much you play with it, you don't blow it by doing that.

Oh dear, I'm not sure if we're still talking about transmissions now.

 

watch the RPMs. during normal driving conditions you can push the shifter forward between 2-3k rpms. but you can alternately shift when it reaches 6-7k. you can pull back occasionally as you brake. go play around with it seriously, you will figure it out in no time

 

keep the revs up to keep the power up.

 

Has anyone ever made a connection with using a sportshift and blowing their transmission?

Can anyone here attest to never using the sportshift and still having the original transmission for it?

Just figured it was worth giving some thought

But it sounds like a lot of fun and ill give it a shot tonight

 

when shifting, should we free the gas pedal?
to change between sport shift and auto, we don't have to stop our car, right?
Thanks

another idiot in sport shift here

 

Yila,

Since your in queens i should drive up to you (from brooklyn) and we can destroy our cars together learning sprotshifts lol

 

No amount of SportShifting will cause harm to the car.

You can switch between D5 and SS gates at any speed.

You do not have to release the gas to shift.

 

thanks 03CoupeV6,

MrFile,

guess we can't destroy our cars together by learning sprotshifts lol

 

On a related note, is D4 good for anything? Also, can i go between D5 and D4 at will?

It seems like D4 is a bit easier on me when im driving around crazy Brooklyn city driving, or is it all in my head?

 

you can switch. D5 is used for hwy driving. its just a overdrive gear

 

try it at lower speeds first instead of killing it and you'll get the feel for it.

 

do you guys release the gas when you shift?

also say im having fun and hit high RPM's each gear till say 3, then i want to slow down and drive normal. should i shift it back to 5 again? ive stayed on 3 then shift it back to the right on full automatic. does that hurt the tranny.

 

hmmm...how about all 3 of us meet up and ill teach you guys how to drive sportshift we wont destroy our cars but we will destroy our wallets on gas and new sets of tires.

 

No you dont release teh gas. Its not a manual where you need to push a clutch in to shift. Its still a auto
you dont have to do any thing. Just shift it back over to auto mode (D5)

 

Damn guys. Haha, sports shift is really fun to drive. But guess what, i burned up my gears in my tranny so it smells like metal. Thats what i get for relining and bombing though. But i have to agree with everyone, you gotta try it yourself!! Plus if ur under warrenty, what do you have to worry about? No harm done, all your doing is wasting your time =D but having fun while doing it haha.

IF you want something faster than sports shit, do the gear shifts. Its just as fun as sports shift but more complex then going up and down. Haha. The gear shifts are all the way at the bottom where it says 1 or D1. Then the same concept applies, 4k-5k is my limit before shifting up =D.

 

Oh i forgot, if you get a harsh downshift or when your at a complete stop, whatever gear you are on, it goes back down to gear one. I believed my first symptom was a clackin noise at the start of a car...then you start to smell something funny like burned eggs while your driving. Then thats when you know.......YOUR FUCKED!! haha just kidding. Like i mentioned, you got a warrenty, no need to worry.

 

mmmmmm sportshift Gotta love it. Gotta love rev-limiter.... Hit that once by accident. You do have to pay more attention while in SS mode Figured that one out all by myself. I do love have control over switching gears though.

 

Put it in SS mode, press the accelerator, STARE at the dash, when the tach shows 3k rpm, push that little stick like device by the cup holder forward, as you accelerate do this every subsequent time you hit 3k rpm until you run out of gears. (5). Do the opposite when you are slowing down. Seriously, it's ridiculously easy. After a few times you should start to feel and hear your car and shifting becomes second nature. No need for the dash indicator. The only thing easier would be paddle shifting. Mastering this doesn't mean you can drive a true stick. You miss a few gears there, and you're screwed...

 

LOL I love driving my friend's Honda Civic Si or Rsx Type S cuz I get to learn how to drive stick and you get to see their pain once you grind the gear or stall haha....

 

your such an asshole lol...enjoying the terror your friend gets when you grind his car

 

But Im a noobbbbbb and plus I want to learn plus I get to try their cars mwahahah we are all in the same honda/Acura family anyways hehe...whats a little grinding and stalling going to do...

 

Play with it and it will change gear by itself from 1st to 2nd gear but after 2nd gear youre on your own....just watch out for the rpm...

 

The trick is rev-matching.

For instance, if you're going wide open throttle, you wouldn't shift at 4k RPM. You would shift just before redline. And if you're applying only 30% throttle, you wouldn't wait until you hit redline to shift. Get what I'm saying?

It just takes practice and getting used to. Maintain constant throttle input, and you'll feel the point where acceleration levels out and the RPM no longer climbs up. That's your shift point. Shift like 200-300 RPM before that point for a smooth shift. Of course, throttle inputs always vary, so shifting points will always vary. That's the part you have to get used to, and learn to FEEL and KNOW the shift points coming up.

Once you get it down, you will be able to shift without even having the passengers feel it.

 

I started playing with it, its damn fun but so far in NYC traffic i dont have a lot of chances to test open throttle shifting

 

LOL I feel like trying out the sports shifting thingy mwahahha, I need me a Type S like right now

 

Seriously, this thread should be , if you want to know about sport shift, go experiment, you will not hurt your car

 

I know that this is off track a little but just a little info about our tranny. For anyone that drives in snowy climes, and you are having trouble getting traction when starting from a stand still, put the shift lever in 2 (not SS). This will allow the car to start out in second gear, putting less torque on the drive wheels, therefore causing less spinning when trying to get the car moving. The tranny is designed that way.

 

SS is more freeway suited. If you want power on the street use the lower gears.. which takes some getting used to but feels amazing for being an automatic as you have to shift up and left, and theres play in every gear but first. If you want to save gas. shift patterns should be close to normal automatic tranny shifts, 1 = 0-15, 2=16-low 20s, 3= 24-low 30s, 4= low 30s to mid 30s (in the 4 speed, cant help you on 2000 and up with 5 speed tranny's). If you want to drag them out and really feel the potential of your tranny, (in lower gears, not SS) 1 = 0-30, 2 = 31-65, 3= 66-80.. and 4th I have not discovered yet as I always have to slow down by then.

 

o, and it wont shift into 3rd before 65, even if you try.

 

 

Thanks for all the replies folks, this has been a great thread.

So now i started to play with it, and am fairly comfortable at shifting up to lets say 45mph by going 1, 2, 3, 4, and even 5th. But i am stil a bit confused on when i need to go back down to gain speed.

I have to admit i have not tried to go very fast yet with SS, but not understanding when to downshift for more power (i guess?) is appropriate.

 

Knowing when to downshift should be intuitive, common-sense stuff. If the car seems to bog some, you need to downshift. If you want sudden acceleration, you need to downshift. The computer will not let you downshift if it will cause an over-rev, nor will it let you hold any gear to the point of stalling.

 

Wow, I wasn't aware of this. I thought no matter what, it always shifts 1-2 automatically. I thought I had tried all manners possible to do this in the past always with the same result. I guess I'll try it at lunch if I remember.

Increase your speed and row through the gears to SS-4th. With a clear stretch of road in front of you, as you hit 100 mph, for a split secon, lift the foot off the gas and shift to SS-3, then floor it. immediatly afterwards, and without loosing focus, stare at your ear to ear grin in the rearview mirror.

 

Hopefully the cop that's also in your rearview will be grinning too.