Swat Dude

Do you guys with 5AT's think the TL is faster in sportshift mode or drive when accelerating at highway speeds?

The reason I asked is because I studied the speed versus RPM's in second so that I would know what speed I could go into second at 4700 rpm's where the VTEC kicks in. It wouldn't be a bad idea to school yourself in the max speed for each gear either. When I read further in the manual, it stated if you want to downshift quickly in drive, just depress the accelerator to the floor. So I tried this a couple of times on the freeway and it does a dang good job of picking the right gear without hesitation. It frickin' feels like a rocket from 50 mph!

Just so you don't get confused, I mean, STOMP the accelerator all the way to the floor. (This is for the guy that wondered why the TL wasn't holding first with the accelerator pushed 3/4 down).

One more comment, the top speed for first seems very high to me in relation to the other gears. I think this car would get to 60 alot quicker with better first gearing.

rets

I remmeber TOV website ever posted a video/thread talking about the first/second gears of 04TL 5AT. He found out the SportShift mode will upshift from 1st to 2nd at 6200-6300 RPM, but the D mode will do this at 6400-6500 RPM.

You can find the video chip there for the comparison.

Ken1997TL

Keep in mind that a "better" first gear isn't necessarily better for a FWD car. Traction issues!!

Also, the Sportshift is unfortunately not the same as what is in the RSX and TSX. Those cars WILL hold 1st gear in sportshift mode.

speedzer

i think the reason the rsx and tsx hold 1st gear is bc they're 4 cylc. i'm going out on a limb here to say that if the person ...say let go of the accelerator around 6k rpm in 1st gear, the compression of the tl is soo strong that it could cause damage?!?!?

just a theory

rets

Maybe, Acura only said this is the safety features help protect the engine and drivetrain from damage, but no specific.

Swat Dude

Hey Guys,

I have read all the threads on the sportshift 1st gear upshift issue and I think that has pretty much been hashed out. Let me rephrase my question to be a little clearer:

At highway speeds, let's say 50 mph plus, do you think the sportshift gives you better roll on acceleration over just sticking with drive and stomping the accelerator to the floor? Do you think sportshifting (someone with more skill than me) can outdo the auto transmission in drive at these speeds?

rets

IMHO, for the immediate speed-up, D mode with kicking to the bottom seems to provide me better/faster acceleration. SS mode apparently has slow/rough respondence, I'd think this mode is totally a waste. (I mean there is the gap and delay betwen each gear.)

However, SS mode, the only good benefit, could allow me to control the time/throttle as long as I want, for example, staying above 5k rpm, this is D mode unable to offer to me.


So what I'm doing is to pedal down first, then shift to SS mode in order to keep RPM up running. I believe this is best to my.

Swat Dude

Thanks Rets,

I noticed that slow response too. In fact several times, I bumped it twice to drop to third and as it hit 4th, I thought I'd missed the second bump because it wasn't hitting 3rd very quick, so I bumped a third time, but it was just too slow reacting and it went to 3rd and then flashed 2nd, meaning my rpm's were too high to go to 2nd. Thank God for the electronics here or I would have over-revved the heck out of the motor.

tonyg24

when does vtec come into play , after 6000 rpm?

DaveK

When I test drove mine, the guy with me said the same thing that Rets said. He said floor it, let the trans shift down, then switch to SS mode.

kilrb

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If it were for fear that the compression in 1st gear would cause damage if the driver were to let off at 6k, then I wonder why they produce TL's with manual transmissions. I hate it when they take away driver control to "protect" the car from driver error. I mean, I can understand rev limiters, but why do they make 1st gear shift well below redline when in sportshift mode? At the very least, they should offer a way to override the program, and hold 1st gear if you want to.