I do this daily. It is the fastest way to get your RPM's up and make the engine sing. Drop out of Auto to SS, snap the shifter back two time quickly, stomp it and HOLD ON.

Switching to "L" at any speed will cause the tranny to select the safest gear. If you do not give it gas it will continue to rapidly decellerate dropping from 3rd to 2nd and then to 1st as the car slows. Just like downshifting a standard transmission.

I also use it when I need to quicky accellerate to cross oncoming traffic like when making a left into a parking lot. Since it holds 1st gear you can quicky accellerate and then decellerate after you let off the gas. Much smoother than punching it and then stomping on the brakes to slow the car down.

Try it, you'll like it!

If you are in L, it will not upshift when you hit the redline. The rev limiter will kick in and the engine will act like it going on and off, but it will not upshift until you do it manually with the lever.

SS acts the same as L and will also not upshift, and as speed decreases it will not hold a gear but will downshift.

The rev limiter is an awesome thing to behold. Try not to experience it too often.

wow ss and L sounds pretty damn cool. Maybe I'll drive in ss mode for a while until I ween off my manual car -=)

Just snuck out to give the cupholders another Dunkin' Donuts coffee workout and timidly approached the shifter.....

That SS mode is fun! Didn't dare go into "L" yet, but downshifting in SS definitely jolts the car, and sticking in a gear longer than usual does let the car hunker down a bit more.....feels more planted on the road. For a minute there, I felt like a MT driver; actually, I was a MT driver just without the clutch which doesn't suck.

Thanks for the tips.

BJ

Just think of SS and L this way. Acura didn't put SS and L there just for fun. Wait, maybe they did, and they are fun to use. SS and L are virtually the same, but there are subtle differences, and therein lies the fun, so check each one out. The computer will not let you hurt the car or the tranny, so have at it.

The first time I downshifted from 4-3 in SS, I was amazed how smooth it was compared to my 96TL.

SS and L are not something you might use all the time, but for those times when you want a little more out of the car, and want to enjoy the wonderful sound of the engine going into vtech, turn it loose.

Ron / Bud, can you help me clarify the above quote.....

Would I do this at 70 mph at (I'm assuming 4th or 5th gear) and would I 'stomp it' with my foot still on the gas?

In this scenario, what's the difference if it's the SS or the L? Is one less nasty to the tranny?

TIA

Both treat the tranny the same. The difference between SS and L is that when you move the lever from M to SS (1 push) then down to 4 (2nd push) then down to 3 (3d push), that is 3 moves of the lever, but if you want to get the engine to the lowest safe gear quickly (which is the same for SS because it also will only go to the lowest safe gear), then pulling the lever backwards from M to L is only 1 pull of the lever, so you can use the two strokes you saved for something else.

And yes, you can stomp it whenever you want to.

At that, what's so hard about flooring the car and letting the *auto* tranny do its job?
Isn't that what it's for to choose the appropriate gear?

Where's the fun in that? Some people just use a car to get to their destination, and others drive there.

If you've never downshifted to slow down in a car before you won't get it. If you've never had to keep high revs before you won't get it.
If you've never driven a manual tranny car before you won't get it.

The SS mode in Mercedes-Benz automatic trannies works in a similar way -- you push the gear selector left for - and right for +, and if you hold the gear selector to the left and do not let go for 1 second, it will automatically select the lowest gear for you .. just like the "L" on our TL's.

Plus, L will continue to lower the gear as it becomes safe. So it will go from 3 to 2 to 1 until u come very close to a stop. You can also use it to stay in 1 longer and then shift to 2. A good way to get around the SS auto shift to 2.

I gave L a try on a downshift to slow down and it wasn't very pleasant. No, it didn't damage anything but it downshifts abruptly at the highest possible rev it can. Unless you really need to slow down in a hurry, I'd stick to SS for downshifts and most needs for acceleration power. I'll leave L for fast take-offs (not very often), emergency accelerations and emergency stops.

Get out there and STOMP
 

I have not played with L at all. You can be 70, sure. When you shift out of D and into SS, the numer of the gear would appear. It's you just driving normal, you're probably in 5. You can drop a gear, into 4 and stomp or drop another gear to 3 and stomp. I tend to drop to when on the highway when I want to pass quickly.

That is the way it should be used. You do not drop into L while going 80, unelss you want a new tranny sometime very soon, thats your perogative. If you shift into SS and drop to 4th gear fine, but there is no need to even drop a gear when your going 80 already, that is the reason we have VTECH.....to accelerate at higher rpms!! DUH!

It's VTEC, and it only activates when you are in high rpms + load. Dropping a gear puts it in a higher rpm than what you were at.. :doh:

DopeTL04,

Understand. Have you tried it? Can't tell from your sig if you have AT or not. If you have AT, try it. Drop a gear or two in SS while at 70, then try it while leaving it in D. I think there is pretty big difference in initial acceleration, IMO.

I'm inclined to agree. Years and years of manual driving are what have given me the instinct to rev high, downshift, and use other techniques nicely described by people in this thread. That's not to say a person who's always had auto trannies can't get a feel for SS over time, but the experience of manual driving is definitely key.

And these techniques definitely ARE for more than just fast acceleration and quick braking. Cornering, bad weather, harsh unexpected maneuvers - these are all situations where using the engine power at a higher rev - sometimes a much higher rev - can be beneficial.

Thanks again budman.....I need to understand the accellerator in this equation.

At 70 mph on the highway do I take my foot off the accellerator as I downshift from D5 to SS4 or do I keep it on the accellerator at the same level or do I just stomp and shift without taking my foot off the accellerator at all?

I'm in a brave mood and am ready to do the D5 to SS4 downshift move, but the gas pedal is a factor I don't understand.

TIA

Thank you for reminding me about these excellent points. When people bitch about the SS not holding first gear, we should remind them that they should be using Low for those driving situations.

To clarity a point I'm sure ryder understands, but just to clarify for others: whether you're in Low or SS, as you decelerate the computer will automatically downshift, all the way to first gear if necessary. You cannot hold a gear with the 5AT as you slow down. (Nor can you do so with the manual - the engine will lug and eventually stall. :D)

OK, this is the thing - if you're going more than about 40 miles an hour and drop to Low, you're most likely going to drop two gears at once - 5 to 3 or 4 to 2. At around 40 you might actually drop three gears - 5 to 2. Yes, for some people that much drop is jarring and unpleasant. For those of us who've driven manual trannies over the years, well, we're used to it and know how to use it.

The SS will do the job better for people uncomfortable with multi-gear drops. As described already, you switch over to SS and drop down one gear. That's enough extra revs for most situations, anyway.

But don't discard Low completely - as pointed out above, it will hold first gear, SS will not.

Yes but there is a difference between down shifting with SS and L. SS is made to downshift and up shift, L is not made to do that. If you do it with L you have a great change of F'in up your tranny!!

I personally lay off the accelerator as I notch down. Only takes a second and you'll feel it go into gear, then you're ready to go. Just make sure you watch the redline once the rocket booster kicks in!

While the rest of us in this thread listen and try to learn from each other, you continue to post inaccurate hyperbole based solely on your own irrational fears and flat-out wrong assumptions.

If you don't want to use Low, fine - don't. But stop saying it can damage the tranny or is unsafe. Those are fundamentally untrue statements.

To everyone else who has contributed to this thread positively, thanks for all the comments. I've learned quite a bit more, and am enjoying this great discussion, which, by the way:

(1) Is actually about the TL.

(2) Is not a joke thread. (BJ made a good funny remark, but the rest has been real.)

(3) So far at least, has been pleasantly absent of trolls.

You aint learn shit! Good luck with the new tranny...dont wanna learn how to drive than thats ur problem. Hey might as well put the car in Rev while going 80, that should be ok way to slow down...Common sense sure doest flow in this thread!!! :chainsaw:

You can keep your foot on the gas or not, it doesn't really matter.

Someone else with more engineering expertise can probably give a more detailed answer, but the tranny will automatically "disengage" the engine just as a clutch does. I don't want to misspeak, it's NOT a clutch per se. (I have to admit I don't understand this in detail.) But the bottom line is that whether you continue to give it gas or not won't affect how it shifts.

It WILL affect how quickly the change in gear translates into acceleration, because if you take your foot off the gas then you have to give it gas again, and that delay in human action translates to a delay in acceleration. It's no big deal, though. No big deal either way. Do what's comfortable for you.

Oh by the way, I have 2 very close relatives that own garages and all mechanic work A-Z. They also said that is not used for that purpose and could mess up your tranny. So unless your a mechanic, keep your useless opionons to yourself......Some people like to take care of there car... :thefinger

Well I sure aint learn shit about how to wrighte or spel or tawlk good.

You sure have proved me wrong about one thing, though, and quickly too! Obviously I misjudged the lack of trolls and the quality of the conversation in this thread.

:confused: Makes no sense...oh well neither does anything else you said in this thread, so makes sense I guess.

Oh, yeah? Well I have FOUR VERY VERY close relatives that MANUFACTURE garages using only their MINDS, and they ALL SAY that Low gear is safe!

Top that, you bullshitter.

Yea its safe alright, starting from 0mph maybe....but you keep downshifting from 80mph.....POOR TL! Hurts to see how people can treat such a great car in this way....This is torture I say... :doh:

oh and I sure as heck aint bullshitting!! Your comeback seemed like bullshit to me... but I'm really serious, I have checked with mechanics, so once again, if your not a mechanic, we dont need your useless opinion and lack of knowledge in this subject...

Neither does spelling or complete sentences.

Your tranny will be fine using all of the above driving techniques (except putting it into REV doing 80).

I know you were joking about reverse, but actually that's a question I'm wondering about. What if, at any forward speed, somehow the shifter accidentally got knocked into reverse? Anyone know if the TL's computer has the capacity to prevent a transmission disaster in that setting?

Its called a shorter way of writing, either way you understood what I wrote and that's all that matters. Didnt know everyone in here were suck dorks!! But if your a little slow and need complete sentences and cant understand abbreviations than I will make it more clear for you. Im sorry about that. I mean I AM sorry about that.

I wasn't going to say anything more in this thread because of you-know-who and his stupid comments, but I have to point out once more and for the last time that even if you are going 80 and drop it into L it will only go into 3RD GEAR , which while I don't know for sure but estimate the revs to be around 4,000 or maybe a little less, and 4,000rpm CANNOT hurt the tranny or the engine or the 2004TL.

Any chance that the TL's SS will do this if you push and HOLD DOWN the shifter? Probably not. But I'm going to try it for grins later today.

I'm not sure about the TL but I know other cars that would auto turn off the car if you somehow got the shifter in reverse. At least that is what I heard from friends that have done this, i have yet to experience this for myself which is a good thing -=)

Downshifting won't hurt your car. I haven't driven the TL yet (picking it up tommorow), but I'm 99% positive it won't. How else do you think your car accelerates when you go from cruise to pedal-to-the-metal? You didn't think that was just VTECH kicking in right? :D

I forgot to answer this question. In the owner's manual, page 182 (there I go again), it says the tranny has a reverse lockout which prevents shifting into reverse when the vehicle speed exceeds 5-6 mph (8-10 km/h).

Going 80 in 3rd gear! Hmmmm what da hell (I mean "the hell") is the point of that. If it isnt necessary to do that, why the hell do it. It only causing extra strain on your tranny for no reason. All I'm sayin is that (I mean "saying") you have a greater chance of messing up your tranny, not saying that you will right away, but its def something (I mean definetly - for the slow ones in here) that should be avoided!

Thanks! That's very interesting and I guess not surprising. Does this mean the shifter will physically not move to the "R" setting or just that, when it gets there, nothing bad will happen? Ron, if the manual doesn't answer this, we need to recruit someone to try it on their TL. :D

prophet's comment is interesting, too. Auto shut-off sounds a little unsafe though - no engine power, no power steering. Would still be better than seeing your tranny in your rear view mirror, though. :D