Pro Stock John

How is the clutch in heavy traffic where you spend most time in 2nd gear?

Is it tiresome? I have commuted in the past with a variety of manual transmission cars and it was not a probem for me.

JoganJani

I do in the Bay area. Some patch on 84 while reverse commute and some on 680 in the morning. Clutch is good and soft. If in bumper-to-bumper I tend to spend most time in 2nd. However, I try my best not to ride the clutch. So when stopped I get into neutral and apply brakes. Then 1st for a while with clutch fully engaged and then 2nd if passage permits with clutch fully engaged. I found it to be not tiresome, I love to shift on this tranny. If you have not had any problems with previous manuals you would definitely not have with this one.

6MT is way too much fun.

hootie

i commute 75 mi a day and without the 6mt it would be boring. I love this car but unforutunetly because of the fun I don't get the greatest gas milage, but I don't care. Life is too short for an automatic transmission.

Stewie

You must be getting old ;-)

coop1018

Hootie, I agree, I do kill my gas milelage because the 6MT is fun! I actually dont mind traffic with the 6 speed. Makes it a little more interesting. Very easy!

Pro Stock John

LOL @ Stewie...

Yeah I had a 92 Mustang GT 5MT that I drove from 92 thru 97. I also drove a Camaro SS 6MT from 98 Thru 00.

I commute on I90 and it's not bad at all.

caball88

6MT here and i hit traffic every morning and i don't mind at all. if just managing the clutch most the time when its stop and go. most the time its second gear, but when i come to complete stops that's when i use first gear. in an auto traffic is just as annoying and i really don't see the big deal. i just couldn't stand another slush box. my last car i bought reluctantly which was an auto and i regretted for 3 years.

ARX-01b

iTrader: (1)

The 6 mt is the easiest manual I've ever driven. Very little few rps are required to put the car in motion and stalling it is very hard to do.

SouthernBoy

It's RPMs.

I agree with all the positive comments about the manual transmission. I wouldn't have an automatic for my personal driving machine. Too many reasons to go with the manual and I fail to see one, unless you're handicapped, to go automatic (VERY subjective, I know).

Enjoy it and IF the time ever comes when you're stuck in traffic and wishing you had an automatic, take the long way home.

1blkowl

What he said.

Curvebal33

I dunno man, I grew up in NOVA and that gave me plenty enough reason to finally get an automatic. Not to mention I went home a couple weeks ago and traffic SUCKED!

chusteveb

I know in traffic my brakes are happy that the 6MT is helping them out.

PuffyY

Get the 6MT! You won't regret it. I live in Boston, w/ the Big Dig the traffic can really blow! But the 6MT is quite nice, shocking but I'd say it's even better than my previous 3000GT VR-4's Getrag 6 speed.

caball88

yeah the brembos are really nice, only downside is the brake dust.

Fredo0709

I agree... my front rims are always covered with brake dust... but gotta love the way they perform. pros and cons... everything has their drawbacks.

pettydw

The 6MT will feel heavy in shift action and clutch compared to a Civic, but the weight of my foot and leg are enough to keep the clutch pedal compressed in traffic (no real effort).

willz822

I drive to and from work in NYC traffic. No complaints here. The 6MT is a joy.

tommyt37

I commute I-90 as well... where in begins!(or ends depending on how you look at it).. the first portion of I-90 starting in the west is actually a large floating bridge.

SouthernBoy

To Curvebal33;

I, too, am indigenous to this area and have lived here all my life (can't wait to move to South Carolina, though). Traffic is bad and does suck more often than not, though I avoid it quite a bit because I do not wish to put my car in peril. And the bad traffic has never given me reason to wish for an automatic transmission. The tranny in the TL is such a sweet unit, I'd really be kicking my butt if I had opted for a slush box.

Nodoze2004

The 6MT is the reason I bought this car. It is hella fun to drive, and has one of the smoothest shift gates around.

In fact the hardest part about driving the 6mt is keeping the tach needle from blipping on the redline and from hitting the rev limiter (this car is pretty damn quiet)!

Get the 6MT you will NOT regret it. When you do, take comfort in the fact that Acura will step up your brakes (Brembos), the suspension (the 6mt has thicker front and rear sway bars) and it is an absolute blast to drive.

silverTL6

iTrader: (2)

On the same note, would anyone keep their cars in 2nd when driving in a big parking lot? A friend of mine tells me I'm doing "unnecessary shifting" when I shift from 1st to 2nd in a parking lot ... specifically when I'm leaving, or know I won't be stopping to park anytime soon. I totally disagree, because the TL has WAAAY too much power in 1st - it's either I leave it in 1st and cause the car to lurch back and forth, or constantly clutch in and out, putting extra wear on the tranny. He drives an S2K himself, so I can imagine why HE wouldn't go into 2nd in a parking lot (too little power in 2nd, let alone 1st), but that doesn't mean you're supposed to drive every car the same way.

Are my assumptions correct?

SouthernBoy

To silverTL6;

No, your assumptions are wrong. The TL's ECU contains software that deliberately reduces throttle response in heavy traffic and slow conditions. It does this precisely for the reasons about which you are concerned. That is why the TL will not buck and lurch in first gear at just off idle speeds.

1995hoo

I commute 15 miles each way to downtown DC with a 6MT. Doesn't bother me at all, but then, every car I've ever owned (this is my fifth) has had a manual transmission. In August after my Accord got totaled I borrowed a Volvo for a week prior to buying the TL; it had an automatic and I actually had a very difficult time managing the acceleration in heavy traffic. The TL's clutch was a little tricky for the first two or three days, but no problem since then.

JoganJani

silver, if you think 2nd is appropriate, put it in 2nd. I do all the time to get into appropriate gear with right RPM. In parking lot if you are not going to stop and the path is clear it's absolutely right to drive in 2nd. I do.

Pro Stock John

My fears were unfounded, our TL's clutch is lite and is easy to drive in heavy traffic. I found myself in 2nd gear in traffic and that's an easy gear for the TL to be in...