timmahh

Well.. I sit in traffic alot, this morning is was worse than normal..and I started getting irritated having to shift / clutch / etc.. (not because of the car, but because the idiots infront of me go gung-ho for two feet and then slam on their brakes and make their car want to do a front flip)

Normally what I try and do when we're barely moving is stay in 1st gear and just go very slow, on most cars it's hard to get the right amount of gas in 1st gear without stalling and without jerking the car around, but today I noticed that the TL doesn't appear to let itself stall when you're in 1st gear and "idling"

On most vehicles.. unless i'm wrong, but my Accord did this, letting off the gas completely in 1st gear the would stall the car - the TL runs around 900rpm and keeps the car moving forward at a very slow pace, which is nice because you don't have to keep putting the clutch in, you can just move forward as if you were in an automatic, even on a slight incline it did ok


Does anyone think this is a feature? - Or do you think that the car just happens to be able to keep itself running in 1st gear with no gas applied (my foot was completely off the gas and clutch pedals.. it moved forward nice and smooth with no jarring)

Black_05_TL_6SP

I do this on a regular basis. The car produces enough tq to start the car moving forward without it stalling out. It is nice, as I do it waiting to make a left turn at a 4 way stop in the mornings.

Anansi

I don't know if it is a feature or not, but I too will try it today. I may hit a parking lot or something at lunch and see if it will work. I never would have thought to try this because I wouldn't have wanted to lug the engine and have the car jerking around as it was trying to accelerate or slow down. hmmmm

ChicagoBurbs

I also do this regularly, and am even able to keep it idling in second gear without stalling or even feeling the dreaded 'lug'. Perhaps that's because of the 3.5...but my car idles great when doing the traffic crawl. Just a matter of letting the clutch out slowly enough to allow the revs to match.

timmahh

I'm wondering if it's because the throttle is controlled by the ECU, the ECU might be programmed to adjust throttle/intake in order to keep the vehicle from stalling - in a drive-by-cable setup I think the car would just stall..

Maddizm

iTrader: (5)

once you get the car moving a bit with some clutch play... it'll just keep going... it won't stall out like other sticks. I think it's b/c it's drive-by-wire? I could be wrong... but yeah you don't have to do much clutch play if you're stuck in semi "stop and go" meaning if the traffic is idle speed. You can actually feel the car 'pull' you to idle speed and then you can just cover the brake to control speed. However, if come to the full stop with the clutch disengaged... well then you know what happens.

geekybiker

You can get the TL off the line and rolling without touching the gas. I find this the case with any larger displacement car. It was super easy on my vette.

ChicagoBurbs

^ X2

boofyboof

ive noticed the same thing in my car, definately helps out waiting to make a turn

VmtSquad

iTrader: (1)

Ya I think its kinda "limiter" but a low thrutle limiter. You can also unclutch slowly without pushing the thrutle pedal and the first will go in easily and the car will stay at ~900rpm.

Really practical in traffic jams !!! lol I also discovered this in traffic situation

Love my car

b827

x2 do it all the time in traffic on the LOVELY 91 fwy

1995hoo

Yes, this thing is very nice in the mornings when I'm getting onto I-395. We have those annoying "ramp metering" systems where there's a traffic signal and it allows one car per lane per green light, so it's very much stop-and-roll on the ramp. I try to slow down to a speed such that I can roll slowly forwards using this feature you describe, let the dope in the other lane come to a stop and trigger the light, and then be off the line ahead of him because I'm already rolling.

topckret

I too do this everyday on the 91 FWY as well as the last part of Toll Rd 241 down the hill when coming in from Irvine.

rksokol

I could do that on my 1984 Camry. The car would be in first gear with the clutch depressed. I could let out the clutch without touching the gas and accelerate (very slowly) without stalling.

3rdGenHybrid

you could do that on any standard trans car....you just need a steady foot on the clutch...i do it in my 97 civic....you can even do it in reverse....like when i move my tl out teh garage....i just ease off the clutch and dont touch the gas...

ron_c1

Getting the car to move without applying throttle - Isn't this the first lesson in learning to drive MT??

Desert_TL

Uhhh I thought that most cars do this. My '99 Saturn SL did the same thing. No manual car should stall out in first. The car's computer should be smart enough to goose the engine a little bit to keep it from stalling. That is, the computer will try to maintain at least idle RPMs (~700). If you put the car in 1st and just let it coast, the computer will add the slightest amount of gas to keep the car from stalling. It's all supposed to be closed loop. Even my '99 had that.

Johndoyle

Most of my cars would do that, unless they were really severely underpowered or poorly geared. Some of them would lope a little, but generally would move along in first at idle. I never tried it, but I'll bet you could shift the TL to second and keep going. I don't think it's a feature, but rather a characteristic of a car with enough low end torque.

SouthernBoy

The 3G manual TL's ECU contains software that reduces throttle response at very low speeds in low gears (as in crawling traffic) deliberately in order to control surging or bucking under such conditions. This is, indeed, a feature and is described in the '04 sales brochure for the TL

timmahh

I have yet to see a car that can give itself "throttle" that is using the standard metal cable connected to the gas pedal.. sure the ECU can throw more gas in there but if the t/b plate is closed you won't be getting anymore air.. I never tried it on my Accord but i'm pretty sure it would have stalled; same with my 240.. I always had to use the pedal to keep it going, otherwise it would start surging/jerking and stall..

TCM 01 CL-S

I was able to do that in my half brothers 98 eclipse GS 5spd.

Desert_TL

Well I don't know what to tell you... both manual cars I've previously owned did this. (1985 Nissan Sentra and 1999 Saturn SL)

sixsixfour

did that in my 3000GT 5MT, Evo 8 5MT and Evo MR 6MT. got tired of doing it with a stickshift so I got a 5AT.

Burgman

Cars with cable operated throttles use a Idle Air Control valve(IAC) to regulate the amount of air bypassing the throttle plate to control idle speed. As long as you apply the load to the engine slow enough to allow the IAC to open up and keep the idle going then it should pull the car fine in idle.

Our electronic throttle just needs to open enough to keep the idle going under load.

A small carburated engine might have a hard time moving a car in first with no throttle application.

TLin05

Yes, I do this in awful DC-area rush hour traffic all the time and it's a "feature" in my book! As you said, it even works on modest inclines. I think the computer acts to maintain idle RPM despite the load.

A-TLvic882

That's why all my cars is MT, I like to drive my car, not just stir.

darksom1

What the hell?? I'm going outside to do this right now...be right back...

darksom1

YYYEEESSSSS!!!!!


Works like a charm! Damn I love this forum!!!

blakura

I'm trying it tomorrow. Now that it's been mentioned, I do recall going extremely slow without the clutch being engaged from time to time, but I always apply the clutch quickly, expecting to stall out.

gauravp123

uhhhhhhhhhhhh god has spoken

listen to him!!!!!!!!!!!

6MTUA5

iTrader: (2)

you learn something new every day

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

I used to do that in my 6mt 350z it would roll at a constant 12mph without ever hitting the gas... and also I could shift from first to second without hitting the clutch

gauravp123

I need to start writing in larger fonts.

SouthernBoy

While I'm going to assume you've offered a nice compliment, I don't want to raise the ire of the All Mighty... never know where that could lead.

darksom1

DEEEZZZZ!!

Anansi

I tried it the other day when I first read about it in this thread. Then today I found something else out.

It works in reverse too! My driveway has a moderate incline and it worked like a charm. Engaged reverse at the bottom of the hill and smoothly glided into the garage.

Good catch to the o/p.