Houston CL

I was looking at the broucher... i am very very disappointed with the tranny gear ratio in 4th and 5th again.... as many of you know, the current tranny pretty much have 2 overdrive... which when we hit from 3rd to 4th, like hitting a brick wall, and let "the objects in rear view mirror REALLY seems closer than they appear", plus, futher.... upfront!

1st --- 2.56
2nd --- 1.55
3rd --- 1.02
4th --- 0.66 <--- again?
5th --- 0.48 <--- 0.48???

this is 2003 CLS auto...

1st --- 2.56
2nd --- 1.55
3rd --- 1.02
4th --- 0.65
5th --- 0.47

So thats mean, the new tranny improve VERY VERY VERY TINY bit... i guess we will see the same 4th gear effect? Its pretty much the same tranny with the new 4th and 5th "IMPROVED" gears!

When can Honda be like others, have a better 4th gear ratio! i hate to beat a 330 by like 2 cars, and watch him to walk me hard in 4th gear....

EmuMessenger

Also means great MPG!

doopstr

I never had a problem with 4th gear because i don't drive it like a race car driver. 5th gear is a bit too much. I know its great for MPG but there is no power there. Atleast SS lets me get back to 4th quickly.

deandorsey

if this is true, this does suck--i remember the 3-4 shift in my 00TL it was DEAD after that. --- i guess this means ill be looking at the 6spd

Monte TLS,MAX

Yeah no improvement at all adn the little extra power is just making up fo rthe extra weight.

04AcuraTL6speed

baiscally the same engine with barely another 10 HP, don't really need to change what they tought to be a "compromisable ratio".

EmuMessenger

I am not too worried about the HP. Glad to see the good gas mileage.

willg133

if you want a fast car...woudn't you get the 6 speed anyway?

Ken1997TL

If you want a fast car why not a BMW or S2000? The TL is meant to be fast sure, but its not meant to be setting records either, its about balance and I think we lose sight of that.

acura_driver

I think the 5AT gearing is fine. During the times when you want better throttle response leave it in 4th or 3rd. 5th is good for cruising on the open road. Also, the CL-S (and I assume TL-S and 04TL) will do over 110MPH in 3rd.

-r

vandy786

Dude, I think your problem is you have a 99 TL and not a TLS. Also, by your post you seem to indicate that you push 110+MPH when you race since thats when 3rd gear ends, which is a big no no and can put people in danger.

Houston CL

Dude my CL is not a TypeS, but i have no problem taking care of TypeS, houston members all know about it... stop trippin about a TypeS or not, YOU KNOW, and I know that, our 4th gear sucks.... dont tell me that "oh i have a cocky TypeS, so i will pull in 4th..." I know 3rd can bring us to 110mph... but once you shift into 4th, even a auto bimmer can pull on you.... its a fact... my point is not about typeS or not, who cares... its about 04, that they should improve their gearing... Even Solara V6 have a 0.89 4th gear... Euro cars, their 4th gear is normally 0.9-1.0... thats like our 3rd... bottom line is, ONE overdrive gear to save gas aint enough? but need two????

EmuMessenger

Not sure if you were talking to me, but I care about 0-70ish, not 80-120.

When I am ready I will push it up to 120-130, etc, but I want to be competitive at stop lights.

You have a better chance of winning a 1/8mi race against a Mustang GT, Boxster, etc, but you will lose on the top end.

fsttyms1

i have never had many issues with the 3-4. just once push it to 105-110ish shift keep it going. i only lost ground to a car once but by 135 i had already cought and started passing him cause he had to go into 5th and i was in my full power bant the rest of the race. would better gears be nice? probably do we need them? probably not. mine is a 00 TL-p and with the new TL at 270hp i dont forsee it being a problem. just my .02

vandy786

I wasn't tripping about my Type S so take it easy. All I'm saying is it's a GOOD THING that Acura didn't change the gear ratios. Most people driving 110MPH+ are in the minority, are extremely stupid, and will probably die very soon and kill others in the process. So Acura predicted successfully that there really isn't a viable market for a non-overdrive 4th gear. I am SUPREMELY EXCITED THAT you are not able to race in 4th gear because that prevents you from racing and putting me in danger. In fact, I wish more car manufacturers would do this. Besides, I love getting 25 MPG city and 33 MPG highway while keeping up with most cars at reasonable speeds.

Ken1997TL

Houston CL, one thing you are forgetting is the final drive ratio, in Acuras/Hondas this is usually quite high compared to others.

SFzip

The 2004 TL is a luxury sports car. You can go sportier or more luxurious via the transmission and tire options.

To increase performance:
- performance tires (more road noise)
- thicker sway bars (stiffer ride)
- 6MT (high cruising revs-more noise)

To increase comfort:
- stock tires (less road noise)
- stock sway bars (softer ride)
- 5AT (lower cruising revs-less noise)

One of the selling points on the new Mercedes 7-speed automatic transmission is the reduction of engine speed to promote a quieter cabin.

Bitium

Buy the 6 spd manual transmission

1st --- 3.933
2nd --- 2.478
3rd --- 1.700
4th --- 1.250
5th --- 0.975
6th --- 0.770