my dad has a 5AT '04TL. i take it out for a spin every now and then and damn that SS is killing me! it sucks!! :shit:

first of all, unlike my 99, you cant control 1st gear.. but you cant also downshift to slow down, you have to wait til like 2k rpm to downshift which sucks!


i mean, what's the use for a SS mode if you cant control shit?! they should really make it better for 2005... :o


@cUr@-TL

 

WTF? Completely wrong. Put it in L to hold it in 1st and you can downshift whenever you want. I don't normally use it to slow but if I do I really feel the torque.

 

you're talking about gate shifting.. im talking about Sport Shift



@cUr@-TL

 

They did it so you dont fuck up the transmission, my take on it.

 

If you're talking about moving the shifter over from D to M then we're talking about the same thing. The only way to hold it in first is L, otherwise you can upshift and downshift in SS as you please (when you're stopped, only up to gear 2).

 

 

the tranny on my 99 is fine (knock on wood)


i still think it's useless the way it is made..


@cUr@-TL

 

I still have no idea what the hell you're talking about. I can downshift all the way to gear 2 at any speed without the SS stoping me, and if I really wanted gear 1 I could put it in L.

 

This is why you get a 6mt. I shouldn't be talking. I drive a 5at also.
How I miss the 6mt.
The sport shift is very good. When your on the highway and want to pass someone, switch it over to Manual, down shift to 4 or 3 and speed up. You have to use it occassionaly to get used to the sport shift.

 

Yet again, the class of 2008 appears and misinterprets one of the best features of the TL simply because they think it's a Civic with leather seats and XM radio.

The SS is simply for your dad to have some (note, I said 'some') control over the shifting and to have some fun with an aspect of driving that he likely doesn't experience that often.

It's not a poor mans replacement for a MT. Instead, it's designed for drivers that have never touched a clutch or a MT in their lives.

If you compare the TL's SS with other comparative SS units, you'll find that the TL's has advanced computer engineering that won't allow someone who's never driven a MT in his life to fu*k up the transmission.

Like everything else about the TL, it was perfectly designed for the proper driver. Also like everything else about the TL, it is open for misperception by youngsters who view the car completely differently than those who actually are buying and driving them.

BJ

 

justin ur just mad cuz u can actually get to 5th gear in the 04, UNLIKE ur 99 what kind of car do you drive, a civic?





j/k

 

i have a 5AT and i drove manual for most of my life.SS was alittle diffrent but as i keep using it im starting to learn how to shift and gate shift so by me keeping this up i should be able to drive it hard and fast without really thinking like i do in manual but it'll take sum time but i do see potential

 

SS mode... by hzm82

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88924

 

I use the SS mode in the RSX quite a bit when need to pass someone on highway. It's no beast like the TL. I want the TL very badly but I'll have to wait. :'(

RSX and TL in the garage would be heavenly. Love to have the TL in 6 speed but wife and I need to learn to drive a stick first.

 

5AT SS is for people who think they have a MT. You have an automatic guys....live with it....put it in the big "D", step on the gas...and go......if you want to pass...floor the gas!!

Otherwise get the 6MT and "shift" the gears the way they were made to shift.

 

This is true. When I first got the TL, I came in here and got lots of pointers on using the SS specifically to drop down gears and fly past slow cars in the fast lane. Practiced and practiced going from D to S5 to S3 and wheeeeeeeeeeeeew off I go.

Well, simply stomping on the gas in that same situation while staying in D puts the car from D5 to D3 automatically and achieves the same whooooooooooosh of speed, but in a safer and smoother fashion with my full attention on the road.

SS is a fun toy when you're a bit bored. It's no way to drive a car full-time.

BJ

 

 

I only use the SS mode for engine braking. Automatic mode does everything else just fine for me.

 

I like to use it in a few situations:

1. When I'm on a tight on ramp or off ramp and I want to hold the gear I am in to be able to quickly accelerate as the ramp straightens out. I don't want the computer to upshift to 3rd or 4th gear and then have to wait for it to downshift again, so I will drop it to 2nd and then once I'm back on the gas, I'll put it back in D and let the car takeover again.

2. When I know that I am going to pass someone but am waiting for the opportunity or a break in traffic. That way the transmission has already done its down shift and like the situation 1 above I don't need to wait for the downshift. Once I am on the gas making the pass, I'll put it back in D.

3. Engine braking, but I don't do this often since brakes are cheaper than tramsmissions.

Overall, I agree with Boltjames, the SS is not made to be used all of the time. If you wanted to do that you should have bought a 3-series BMW with the SMG transmission. (true manual without a clutch).

 

If you don't use it often how would you get used to it. I came from a 6mt and using the SS for the first time was very weird.

 

I must disagree. I currently own both the 99TL and 04TL. For the past 5 years I have used the SS mode all the time in my 99 TL. Why? Because SS is actually fun when it gives you control over all gears. I can hold any gear I wanted and feels good to have control of the rpm.

I just bought the new TL two days ago and believe me SS mode sucks. I don't ever plan to use it on the 04TL. There is a delay that I noticed right away in upshifting in SS mode and downshifting wasn't that much faster. I was really disappointed with this and wished I waited for the 6MT (ok not really, I love the rest of the car). I guess if you feel that SS mode wasn't made to be used all the time........it's because you never owned a 99 TL, with 00+ TL you no longer have control over 1st gear and I been told they have the lag in shifting with SS in 00-03 5 speeds too. I don't even see the point of the SS anymore. When I test drove the new TL, the sales guy didn't even mention it.

This is my unbias option (I own both cars), so don't think I'm dissin you 04 TL owners. With 270HP, it can still blow by the 99 TL. Stock vs Stock.

 

the ss is very slow to shift the gears. i have to shift 500rpm before i want the engine to shift because under hard accelartion it takes about 500rpm before the darn thing shifts. poor progressive feature in this auto trans, should have left it out.

acura missed the mark with this new TL. they should have offered a TL-s again, with the "s" being sold as a 6mt rear wheel drive along with a-spec suspension (as standard items). any sport driver who wanted a 2004 TL would have ran off to the dealer wanting something like this.

me, 5AT no-nav, but i would have gone for the "s" if it were available.

 

I agree with you, but Acura would never put the Type-S out on a new model. It's a new model and it would sell for itself. Why did they come out with the Type-S in 2002? To boost sales. Plan to wait 2-3 years for a Type-S.

I also think the A-SPEC package is a bunch of crap. They didn't make anything limited edition and I could just buy the package from ebay or go aftermarket for that price.

I have the 5AT Navi.......voice Navi is good to have to show off lol.

 

I use the SS mode most of the time, as I did in my CL-S. It is useful because I can put the transmission in the gear that *I* want for the circumstances. E.g. when in traffic on the freeway the transmission would go to 5th in auto mode, but I'd prefer 4th or even 3rd for better throttle response for accelerating and engine braking to adjust speed based on traffic.

I don't see an automatic with SS mode being a replacement for a manual, but it is a good compromise for people that have to drive in heavy traffic often but would like more control of their transmission than a traditional automatic.

-r

 

i agree, however, i also hold it over the auto-makers head (all of them) that if they are gonna do it, it must be done right or just don't do it. the current progressive shifting available in the auto trans was not done right. a manual shift should change gears the moment the shifter clicks, there should be no lag.

 

Interesting opinions, but some of the foul language I can do without. Isn't it possible to make an emphatic point without "s..ks" and "f..ks" and so forth? Thank you.

 

I really like your white TL's.....the more I see other 04 TL's on the road, the color that I like the most (after Anthracite) is White. Really lets that front grill / intake cavity come through.

BJ

 

actually i tried "L" from a stop and floored it and to my surprise it shifed to 2nd gear at 6.5k.So i stopped and put it in neutral then back in "L" and floored it again and it shifted to 2nd at 6.5k so i stopped again and put into SS and floored it and it held first to 6.5k and shifted to second.so with my quick comparison with "L"(i was suprised it shifted)and SS thier exactly the same when flooring it from a stop. So someone try it and let me know if your does it too.

 

I drove stick for many years but my '04 has the Auto. This to accomodate the wife.

I use the SS all the time. It's a lot easier and safer, I feel, when I can shift the car into the gear I'll need in anticipation of a pass, lane change, run up to speed or whatever.

All the logic built into the SS seems pretty much dead on to me. Sure I'd like to have full control over 1st gear but the car does a pretty good job of hanging on to 1st when I've really got my foot in it. I also like how it downshifts to 1st when I floor it in second.

Overall, I'd of course have preferred the 6 speed. But in light of the wife's need/desire for auto and the slick SS I'm more than happy with what I've got. Besides, when I pick up the new 'Stang, I'll definitely be getting the manual.

 

I like my 5AT primarily because of traffic during my commute. I play with the SS now and then for fun . But I mainly plan on using the SS during snow storms for better control.

 

This weekend I used SS alot and found that using L in 1st it would redline probably 1 out of 5 or 6 times and 6500 the rest, where as just leaving it in SS1 it redlined almost every single time. I don't understand...

 

It’s always amusing to hear of someone’s disapproval of their Dad’s car. Even more so when they are complaining that it is not ‘fast enough” for them. This is not the muscle car era, nor is the TL a straight- line stop light runner like my old big block Plymouth or Buick Grand Sport. While these cars could light up the tires in at least 3 gears the TL, and most modern cars, are engineered far beyond pure tire smoking acceleration.

But the big secret in muscle cars was that autos were faster than sticks. The pro drag guys knew this and all raced with autos, especially the hemis.

Today the very top end cars all come with the equivalent to our Sport Shift, the paddle shifter. When you move up from your current TL to the new Enzo Ferrari, it will come with wheel mounted paddle shifters and no clutch pedal.

If you think this is strange, take a look at every car running in Formula 1. Each is equipped with 6 or 7 speed paddle shifted semi-autos. Those who think it is important to down shift for additional engine braking might want to watch Michael Schumacher in his F1 Ferrari on Speed TV during a race. The engine turns close to 19,000 RPM to make 900+ horsepower from 3 liters (naturally aspired). And the car generates close to 4gs during braking. Watch how he, or any other F1 driver, drives. When entering a turn they use the brakes to show down and down shift the paddles to select the exit gear. This may not be as much “fun” as heel and toe braking, but who’s to argue with the 5-time world-driving champion?

Personally, if @cUr@-TL were my kid, I’d make him get a job flipping burgers so he could buy and tear up his own car.

 

the ss does kinda suck. you have to get used to it though - you can keep it in 1st longer if the throttle is all the way down, but if you're driving normally it will upshift automatically. i've noticed that the SS seems to use up a lot of gas though.

 

 

He does have his own car to tear up, a 99TL which he is comparing to his father's 04 TL. He's talking about how the SS sucks on the 04 TL compare to the 99TL, I don't see why you went off on a tangent about muscles cars and such.

 

Everyone seems to be mentioning how the 04 TL SS mode doesn't give control of the 1-2 gear. Personally I don't care about this and this wouldn't make the SS suck (It's actually doing a good job if the trans is shifting at 6500, instead of hitting redline). The main reason the SS sucks is that when I shift in SS mode, there is a long ass dely between me shifting to the next gear and the trans actually changing gear. The 99 TL doesn't have this problem. Downshifting is the same situation.

 

Sport shift is a useless POS, Thats why there's a 6speed I never liked it in my 02. Just a useless feature. Like anything in life, partial solutions are never completely satisfying. :gaylaugh: