TL Crystal Lake

Is anyone else annoyed at how the sportshift automatically shifts from 1st to 2nd gear without any user intervention? Not only does it shift from 1st gear to 2nd it decides when it will do so depending on how hard you get on the accelerator. This becomes a problem when you are in a situation where you want to slowly move around another car then accelerate hard. It will already place you in 2nd gear and you can not downshift back to 1st gear even if you are going 10mph. Arrugh!!! It also will not allow you to downshift into 1st gear unless you are going 4mph or less.

Does anyone know how to get around this? Fix it so you truly control the gear shifting including 1st and 2nd gear.

NFLblitze1

there is no fix for this...this is an ECU thing....u would have to reflash the ECU Chip with a modified program for this to work...i too am annoyed i wish we had the G35 sportshifting

CBRTLS47

I would love a fix for this!!! that is the only thing about this car that I dont like, I want my manual back! damn tl-s no manual tranny!

SaNJoSeTLRydEr

yeah same here...i sometime hate it...but its ok though i rarely use my SS...but yeah there is no cure for it..only cure is getting another car or getting a 99-01 model...

mr_superlove

It's a bit of a bastardized work-around and requires a bit of coordination to do it smoothly, but start in Low rather than SS, then over to SS to autoshift to 2nd.

neuronbob

what mr_superlove said.

This has been an issue since the 2G TL and has been discussed many times. The only 2G TL to shift manually from 1->2nd was the 1999 TL. Unfortunately, the tradeoff there was that the 1999 TL had only a four-speed tranny.

DocTL

Your first problem is assuming that the sportshift is similar to something along the lines of the BMW SMG. The tranny in the TL is an automatic, period. The only thing that the sportshift is good for is giving your right hand something to do while driving. Besides, there is no substitute for rowing through the gears on a manual transmission and that is why I'd never by a car that I wanted as manual with anything other than that.

-Cheers

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

It's an automatic with a simple override control to hold a gear. SMG is a totally different mechanism in the sense that it is actually a manual transmission with a computer-controlled clutch. But like our SportShift, you can control it manually or leave it in full automatic.

SMG > SportShift > non-manumatic auto transmission....

where a conventional manual transmission slides into the hierarchy is personal preference. Some people prefer to row their gears, whereas others like the SMG. For me, I would have to choose SMG over a stick.

Lazy_E

The SS on the TL is way better than the one on the IS300. I am always annoyed to drive my mom's IS cause their SS engages in 5th gear not 1st.

tzakiel

Here is the problem I have with my sportshift... I do not use it, ever... becuase having driven manuals all my life I got used to knowing what gear I was in by the location of the shifter. Without that feeling of being "up" or "down and left" or whatever in a certain gear, I find it impossible to choose gears. It's hard to explain, but it's just a thing where the left hand DID know what the right hand was doing, but not with sportshift becuase the shifter stays stationary and all you really have is the number on your dash which you shouldn't be bothered with staring at anyway. It's a neat bell and whistle type thing, but it's not as intuitive as something you can feel at all.

djskyy

it's a safety feature.....so your transmission would last longer....

1sweetTL

I agree with those who said if you wanted to shift through the gears, you should of bought a MT model.

I myself rarely use the SS, but it does come in handy for downshifting if your going to fast and you need to slow down quickly.

Other than that it's really pretty useless.

I can tell you this 4 sure, when I get my Vette some day. I surely won't buy it in a AT model.

KenUA6

well...if u want to downshift to 1st on a AT is easy to broke the tanny,and they change to 2nd gear when is about 5-10mph just floor it, and it will jump back to 1st gear

KenUA6

The G35AT sportshift is suck ok!!(sorry for anybody here drive a G35AT)TL's sportshift is a lot faster than the G35's sportshift, my sis had a 04G35c the car is fast but the tanny need like around 1sec. to shift.

Grimnebulin

I 100% agree - I stopped using the sportshift as I don't have a clear idea as to what gear I'm in and how to get to the gear I want to be in...like I used to be able to do in my manual cars.

If only the wife could drive a manual.....

Grimnebulin

1 second seems about how long it takes the TL auto to shift sometimes too. I think the TL is a pretty slow auto just like the G35 auto. Test drove both and the G35 had about the same time lag. Basically, auto trannies own my base.

KenUA6

Really u feel the same? i felt like TL is little bit faster than the G35(tranny)

invincible569

annoying to me too and stopped using it

SuperSteel

You're on crack.

Having used both TIME AND TIME AGAIN, the TL's is by FAR the worst I have every experiences. I take that back, the Chrysler Sebring had a worse one.

TL SS is a joke, and for you to say that the G35's is slower is a crock of shit.

jmbnova

Were all insane.. I actually traded my 05 TL 5AT for a 6MT... definetly worth it... the ss was bothering me worse than I ever thought possible...

1sweetTL

Do you happen to own the G35 AT... cuz u sure are gettin defensive?

It is just his opinion... That is all most of these posts are.

It is just funny to me that some of you actually expect to drive the AT like a 6MT.

crazymjb

Their must be a reason they set it up like that, if it had no ill effects on the tranny or engine I am sure they wouldnt have bothered.

ndx2

Yeah, it's so crazy kids like you don't fuck up daddy's TL.

zing!



JFWY, crazymjb. Really.

crazymjb

Don't worry, I will find another way

NFLblitze1

i drove my neighbors G35 coupe...auto...and the sportshifting is MUCH better than the TLs! especailly because u can shift into 1st gear...its much better....

EZZ

Not to mention the G35's auto tranny rev-matches on the downshift! Thats a cool feature

BTW, its pretty much indestructable...developed for a 340hp v8 and there are plenty of FI G35s that are running around 350hp without adverse effects on their auto tranny. RWD auto trannies are always stronger just because you don't have to miniaturize anything to fit it into the front of the car.

slavka

[QUOTE=TL Crystal Lake]...It will already place you in 2nd gear and you can not downshift back to 1st gear even if you are going 10mph. Arrugh!!! It also will not allow you to downshift into 1st gear unless you are going 4mph or less.
[QUOTE]

I was brought up in a "school" where it is believed that if a car is moving it should not be in a first gear.. and u never shift into first unless the vehicle is stationary. First gear's only purpose is to get the car moving.

I drive a manual, and am not too surprised that Acura made this design. I'm sure if tranny didn't make that shift automatically (from 1st to 2nd) many drivers may forget to do so themselves, and thus start causing engine damage. At least on 2nd gear u can still accelerate to 40mph(maybe even to 50 .. although on high RPMs)

Personally.. i'm somewhat confused.. SportShift isn't a manual tranny.. so why do people try to drive it like it is?

Glenn Davis

Lot's of excuses here in this thread....

The fact is: SportShift would be nicer if it allowed you to hold each gear until the rev limiter.
Having the tranny upshift automatically to 2nd is disappointing. Other manumatic vehicles
allow you to hold every gear... I do understand that there is a reason for the auto 1-2 upshift (most likely longevity), but Honda should have addressed the underlying problem. Not just slap an electronic band-aid on it (automatic 1-2upshift). If holding 1st hurts the tranny, then design a better tranny.

On a similar note, if Torque Steer is so bad on 6MT cars, don't have VSA dial back the power (band-aid).... Get those chassis engineers to design a suspension more resistant to torque steer (true solution)...

True fixes cost time, development and money, so Honda handled the fixes *economically*. Understandable. But when the next generation platform/chassis arrive, we shouldn't have to deal with the Band-aids of the previous gen. Problems like those should be *engineered* out.

Kudos to **Mr_Superlove** for actually offering an acceptable answer to the original post.

massr1

when it shifts into 2nd, and you floor it hard enough it will downshift in to 1st automatically. i am also able to get it near redline using ss

massr1

its not that holding 1st hurts the tranny, its the engine that get affected. Torque steer cannot be addressed by designing a better chassis or suspension system, its the nature of all front wheel drive cars.

crazymjb

In second I believe you can hit 65, not 40 or even 50! Although sportshift is fun, it is still no competition for a good ol' fashion manual, now the DSG is a whole other story...

In SS 1st is held longer though, right?

Glenn Davis

My dealer advised that the upshift is to protect the tranny.
Still, that info could be wrong. THey have been known to screw
up the details before...

Yet the point remains, fix the problem. It doesn't matter if it's
the engine, tranny, tires, or whatever. No Band-Aids to cover
flawed or vulnerable designs.

And I disagree... Torque steer *can* be *addressed* through suspension
and chassis design. "x" amount of torque does not = "x" amount of torque *steer*.
This is why two cars with similar torque output can display different levels of torque steer. I do agree that it is the nature of FWD - but how much torque steer you get can be reduced or increased with changes in suspension/chassis design.

mikey4226

possibly a stupid question...but figure i'd ask anyways, even if i do sound stupid =P

does SS help with fuel economy? cus you can shift to higher gears sooner (at lower rpm's) than when in regular Auto mode. When i do use SS, i usually shift up around 2000 rpm's. dunno if this is actually helping save gas or not, but in my mind i feel like it "helps" since i'm not bringing the engine to high rpm's. however, I'm also wondering whether shifting at such low rpms...am i putting the tranny under strain? my logic is probably wrong, so any answers will help.

Dumont

Most likely you will use more gas in SS mode. Besides the fact that most people will use SS to keep the car in lower gears longer for more acceleration I have noticed that in regular Auto mode the car shifts to 4th and 5th even when crusing at relatively slow speeds (35-45). Mind you I find the tranny so smooth that I can't tell what gear it went to without shifting into SS. It is slightly more fun to drive in SS but nothing beats a regular manual with a clutch. I can switch gears in a manual with my eyes closed but I can't really get the feel of when the car needs to be shifted up (or down for that matter) in SS. Maybe it's just me.

I am waiting for a car that has a regular manual with a clutch and that also has a stuck in traffic mode with clutchless 1st to 2nd gear for stop and go traffic.

Dumont

z06girl

Hi....I think not being able to manually downshift to 1st gear from 2nd is a good thing. Perhaps it could prevent an amature driver from messing up the transmission? Although, I don't personally own a 5AT, but I think it's made to protect the tranny?
Not trying to be rude, but you cannot expect the SS mode to feel exactly like the 6MT.

Actuary

I think I can hit 70MPH(almost at 6800RPM) pulling out of my school merging onto freeway everyday in 2nd SS.

1st is held depends on how hard you are pushing the gas.

crazymjb

The AT has some interesting gearing, I believe it even reaches top speed in 4th.

So if you slam it when will it drop into second?

hcekc

You summed it up pretty well.

HEK

Please someone edumacate me about the SS, isn't it the same as having D, D3, D2, D1 on an regular automatic car?....years ago on my only car right out of HS, I bought this '76 Torino with a 4sp automatic and when I use to race guys ..lol..I would put it D1, then D2, D3 and so on...what's the difference??..and all those notches on the shifter...wow...

mp3car

No, I think a 2000 TL does the same thing, only worse. It will do the 1-2 shift for you, and to make it worse, if you try to do it yourself, it will go from 2 to 3. Example... starting out you floor it... it gets almost to redline in 1st, you push to make it go to 2nd... well, it wants to do 2nd on its own, so it goes in to 2nd and then almost immediately drops to 3rd. At least the 04/05s don't do that!!!