OK I've been trying to get used to this "drive by wire"....so I ask if you can explain this:

1) Why would Honda switch to this method of changing gears vs previous models,

2) How do you change gears, step by step and things you had to modify in your driving to get used to this.

3) What benefit do you find in with this new clutch system.

4) What the hell is drive by wire?...lol

Personally at times I rev beyond 11k to make sure I dont stall and I notice is too much and the car lunges, at other time I just remove my foot off the clutch and there is enough RPMS to make the car start to move w/out even putting my foot on the acceletator...I don't get it....

I don't like automatics, but last night I took my wife's Ody to get some gas and sure was a pleasure not having to worry about coming to a light, I feel like I just started driving and I can say on my behalf that I used to drive tractor trailers so changing gears is nothing new.....thanks guys/ gals/ kids....

 

My car tach's out at 6400 rpm.....I sure do wish it would rev to 11k (F1 style)!!

If this is your first manual, it will take some time to get used compared to other cars, even other manual cars. Drive by wire is a new system being used in newer cars in which the accelerator pedal is not mechanically connected to the throttle, but instead is computer controlled. The drive by wire in my opinion is frustrating as there is a momentary delay between the time you press on the accelerator, and the computer receiving the command and opening the the throttle body.
While at first I found it frustrating, I am now enjoying the car. My driving habits are now mapped to the ECU which in turn makes this car a flat BEAST!! She loves to rev to VTEC range!!

All I can say is practice makes perfect.

 

LOL...I was typing from home and was very early and normally I don't turn on the light not to wake up my wife.....I missed the (.) period between the 11..

should have been 1.1K....damn.....but thanks for your response and no I'm 45 and all my cars from the day I started driving have been stick...so I guess there are not tricks....

 

1. Drive by wire has nothing to do with the clutch. It controls the throttle only.
2. Same as any other manual. The clutch engages a bit closer to the floor than I like, but I've gotten used to it.
3. See answer to question 1.
4. Drive by wire is an electronic system to actuate the throttle. The pedal is connected to a sensor that sends a signal to the car's computer. That signal is then "computed" and an output is sent to an electronic solenoid that opens and closes the throttle plate. I am way over-simplifying, but in essence that is what it does.
If you are revving to 11k, then you are performing some kind of magic trick.
As with any manual car, it takes practice to get the timing and coordination of operating the clutch. It will come with time and patience.
Hope this helps.

 

thanks..and I forgot to put the dot/ period between the 11's...........( I better get the extinguisher.... )

 

You better get a broom and and a trash can if you're revvng it that high!!
I usually rev to around 1500-2000 to start. 1500 or so if it's level, and around 2000 or so if I'm headed uphill. I typically shift around 3000 or so in normal conditions. 4000-5000 if I'm in a hurry and of course more if I just can't control myself. I have been known to hit the rev limiter a time or two as well.

 

Just a thought, but would the "drive by wire" allow for more precise modulation of the throttle by the VSA?

 

Absolutely. That is what it does. It retards the throttle based on inputs from the wheel sensors through the computer. That is why earlier versions of traction control on some cars used to apply the brakes, rather than retard the throttle. There was no easy way to retard the throttle using a mechanical cable. So what engineers would do is they would use the ABS system to apply the brakes to slow down wheel spin. Essentially using ABS in "reverse" if you will.
That is exactly why some racing series have forbidden the use of ABS. Engineers could use the system as traction control as well. Champ Car is one of them. Formula 1, I believe, allows the use of all kinds of electronic gadgetry to control braking, traction control, gearbox shifting, etc. That is why F1 has such a difficult time enforcing some of their rules. Engineers can write software with codes controlling various different parameters and so deeply embed those codes that it is difficult, if not impossible, to detect.

 

Hector, most of your qtn are answered. However, I'll recommend you read this thread and especially post#13 from SoutherBoy. Very nice writup on Manual gear changing and getting into proper habbit;

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91881

 

I thank you for your link and thank all of the people that answered all my questions, but some one above hit the nail on the head by saying that the more miles I have driving the TL the better I'll get at it.

I have to drive the TL as a "different" vehicle and maybe one day after I get used to it, I'll be doing as I was doing with my previous sport compacts, like heel toe, double clutching etc...but for now....is a matter of time...

 

Several GM products with mechanical linkage would just retard the timing and/or remove spark from certain cylinders to facilitate "traction control". Brake application was used in many cases to facilitate not having a limited slip differential. Brake would be applied to the "spinning" wheel to transfer torque to the opposite side wheel in hopes of it providing more traction....
The drive-by-wire setup definitely simplifies it from a "system" stand point though.

 

How hard can it be to shift gears smootly. Do you guys really struggle with it?

 

I hear "smootly" style shifting is quite difficult and rarely tried in the 6MT TL...... The manual strictly prohibits it and warranty could be voided....
--This was the main reason I chose the 5AT. If I couldn't perform the "smoot" shift, I wasn't shifting at all.

 

I don't struggle with it at all. But this car did take a bit longer to get the hang of it than some other cars I've driven.

 

my point exactly.......but with time I'm getting the hang of it, just yesterday alone going home I didn't have to turn the volume down so I could hear the engine when I was taking off at a stop light... ...and today no problems either...maybe because I already have reached the 600 miles....ohhahhh

 

Good point about the car being quiet. That probably contributes to it a little.
The main thing is just to enjoy the car. I love driving this thing.

 

Don't worry about it, I bitched and moaned on this forum about clutch engagement for the first 6 months, but now 1.5 year later, it's great thrill!

 

It takes longer to get used to shifting the 6MT cuz:
-clutch engages lower off the floor than is intuitive
-t/b/wire might require higher revs, just a theory, to roll out smooth
-3.93 first gear is low, it's done in an eyeblink
-i'm not used to Honda powerbands, so I tend to lug it and shift at 3k rather than 4k like some Honda peepz

 

I don't know what each gear ratio is but I would guess the lower gears, especially 1-4, are lower than what the corresponding gears would be in a typical 5-speed car. So you would typically rev a bit higher and shift more often than a 5-speed.

 

No, you don't rev any higher with a 6 spd, at least you don't need to. You just shift a little more often. This engine is so powerful though you can easily skip gears any time you want. You can even do a 1-6 shift with no problem. I've done it a couple times to show off.

Now, as for the ease of shifting smoothly, forget it. I've had mine for 5 months and just when I think I've gotten the hang of it, I'll not pay attention for a second and go bucking all over the place. I was at the Acura dealership today getting my clutch looked at ( of all things) and went next door to BMW for a test spin. Had no problem at all on their 5 spd, didn't buck, stall, jerk or fart once. So, yes, it's the car, not you.

 

OK kids so everyone here has given me his , but unless I missed it, no one has answered why did Honda switch from the clutch sytem used on these , my three previous rides:








All of which as you can see had manual transmissions and were smooth as butter and soft to the touch as medicated cotton...

 

Sorry about not answering your original question. Got a little sidetracked there for a second.
It is still a hydraulic system that uses a master cylinder and a slave cylinder. Totally manual.

 

As I posted back when I started this topic, I couldn't get the hang of using the clutch not so much in shifting but at takeoffs from complete stops and could not figure out why after driving standards all my life so today I can say that after trying many things out( VSA off, bringing the tack to 1500 RPM or better, changing different shoes when driving, shutting the radio off so I could listen to the engine rev, I figured it out....
All I needed to do is pull my seat back far enough so that I don't press the clutch as far down to the floor and in doing that I can actually extend my leg as far as I can press the pedal, therefore having less travel when releasing the clutch meaning a smooth takeoff without the worry of stalling.....
Well at least it's working for me and now that I've reached 1000 miles and having tried out my theory for the past 500 miles without a stall, a jerky takeoff or a Fast and the Furious peel.... I wanted to thank all the responses and now I'm maybe helping someone who had the same problem I did when bought my TL ..

 

4) What the hell is drive by wire?...lol


DRIVE A NEW MERCEDES AND AUDI AND PRESS ON THE GAS AND YOU WILL GET A RESPONSE LIKE 3 SECONDS. THAT`S NOT DIRVE BY WIRE! THAT`S ELECTRONIC SIGNAL! THAT`S WHY I STILL LOVE HONDAS AND ACURAS

 

Exactly, the problem is not the clutch, it is the throttle.. I am 48 and have owned dozens of manuals, my last 5 have been manual and this one is difficult to shift quickly and smoothly,, but if I drive very conservative, keeping the revs down between 1100 and 2000 like I'm trying to get good gas mileage it is much smoother. And doing this I get do around 28 miles per gallon over all..
If I want to accellerate more, and have a little fun, I turn off the VSA and starting out quickly is much eaiser and shifting smooth is much eaiser..

 

Another old man.. well I was born 3 years after you and I also like to drive the car slower than most kids do getting nice numbers as far as mpg, funny thing is that my wife has longer legs... and she never has a problem driving the vehicle, making me look like a ROOKIE...but that's because you both are Floridians.....