Hi, all--

Hope to soon pull the trigger on a '12 TL SH-AWD. Currently driving a manual and prefer to get the 6MT. Curious to hear what those TL owners who "row their own" have to say...

I did a search and read about some synchro complaints. Wondering if that's a prevalent, worrisome issue out there. Auto mag and internet reviews all seem to uniformly praise the form and function of Acura's MT. Nice to get first hand impressions from the forum enthusiasts, though.

For reference, manuals I've driven in past include models from BMW, Honda, Infiniti and Audi. How would the Acura rate for those that have cross-shopped/owned any of these?

 

I did have a 3rd gear issues - my dealership was able to replicate and fixed it in a week. Other than that (which was just an inconvenience), the shifter is quite amazing - I've had a few friends drive my car and they have all commented how smooth shifting the car is.

I have no complaints at all - and after over 2 years of ownership - I still love rowing my way thru those 6 Gears.

You won't ever regret the 6MT

 

I'm envious of you SH-AWD 6MT guys.

 

One tip. Try before you buy. No matter what the situation, don't buy without actually having driving a 6MT TL.

I've owned one for three weeks now that I purchased before driving, since there are just none of these on the west coast and when one came up under unusual circumstances there was heavy interest to be first to commit. I absolutely would not have got it if I had waited until delivery to sign up.
And yes, I had driven the auto a few times before.

I regret it badly. Amongst other issues, he absurdly high (non adjustable) clutch engagement makes me feel like I'm learning to drive stick from square on, and so far I'm just not getting used to it. My last car I could, when I wished, drive without the clutch, with the smoothness of an automatic, since it was so easy to get the revs right; by now I can guess that, for me, that level of precision won't even happen, nor anything close. I have not driven any passenger in my car since I have purchase it (I fall back to my old car) since I am frankly embarrassed at how bad I am at shifting. And while maybe I can one day shift smoothly enough to make a passenger happy, it's yet another step again to row the gears remotely as I would like. I doubt I'll get there.

Everyone is different but: if manual is important to you, do NOT buy this car until you have driven it. And when you drive it, if it's too far different from what you are used to, don't just
assume you will "get used to it".

N.b. the online praise of the gearshift is right. You could not reasonably ask for a more precise, shorter-throw, happier, shifter in a quasi-luxury car than the TL's. But the clutch action is a whole other story ... for me, a bitter story.

N.b.2. I'm in northern California. I'd take a significant loss to get out of this thing. Less than a month old, careful break-in miles only.

 

Have mine for year and a half now and no regrets. If you are a bad shifter this car is not for you. The gear box is like no others on the market and can take some getting use to but once you have a feel of the short throw you'll love it.

 

Can you be more specific?

 

I've had mine for about 6 months and absolutely love it. It did take some getting used to due to the high clutch engagement but it took me no time at all.

I went through quite an ordeal to get this car due to the low number of MT's on the market, but I haven't regretted it one bit.

 

I have a 2010 6mt shawd Everyone is right about the high clutch engagment. Ive had manual cars and I felt like a total retard. But as time goes bye you learn to get smoother and everyones head eventualy stop bobbling around. As for performance the 6mt awd is amazing. I used to have a 2005 supercharged NSX and I can tell you in a turn the TL with SHAWD is as good as if not better in a turn . The stick shifts like butter, and the car grows more and more on you as you drive it. When I first had the car I wondered why the heck did I go back to a manual, but I dont regret it now.

 

I'll keep this short and sweet.....among the best of the best sport sedan in that power range and size and the best "row your own" gearbox in the business....amazing value for the money....nuff said....

 

Love it, no issues, just wish the front wheels could hook up better, they tend to break loose before the rear wheels can catch up...but once they do, your gone

 

Absolutely no issues with my 6MT, have approx 14k on the clock as of now... shifts like butter and clutch has a high engagement point, but I've not found it to be a huge issue. Would definitely recommend it.

 

Had mine for about three months now and no regrets. Gear box is amazing and clutch is just fine for me.

 

I would compare the 6MT to the S2K, very smooth and crisp. You can literally just use your wrist to shift gears. A lot of magazines ranked the TL's 6MT as one of the best in the market and I believe them. I have owned and modified cars from Nissan drift cars to Honda Autocross cars and the TLs shifts better than the ones I have modified, minus having to change out the whole transmission to aftermarket.

But like what a few has said, I always have had some problems with the 3rd gear not sitting in the first try and its a common honda issue. Also, the high clutch engagment does take sometime to get use to, but hey, its a sport 'luxury' car. Good Luck.

-DeL

 

ONLY 14K ON THE ODO?! I have like 38K on mine!!

-DeL

 

Im on my 3rd TL 6MT and i simply love it!!! You wont regret it

 

lol... go to this thread -> https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...6#post13656166

Check post #55... 94k on a 2009 ... we've got both ends of the spectrum here on AZ..

 

I love my 6MT, but it does take some getting used to for everyday driving... Here's what I've found:
* Move your seat up, it makes engaging the clutch much easier, given it seems to like to be fully engaged.
* Around town, shift before 3,000 rpms, it's easier to drive smoothly.
* When doing some "spirited" driving, don't completely lift off the throttle when shifting up

The biggest thing I've found for daily driving is not revving the engine too high; it's way too torquey, and combined with the short gears, makes smooth shifting very difficult.

 

You should do a test drive. I've had mine for 15K - no issues whatsoever. Great shifting action. The clutch is a little different in it's engagement point and linear action, but once you put a few weeks in it, you won't remember it was even an issue. Those coming from Euro cars seem to have the hardest adjustment period.

The combination of the SH-AWD, the smooth motor and the slick transmission makes driving this car a delight. Get it into the right rev band on a twisty back-road and it's magic. And it will rev smoothly and pull all the way to redline. Sweet music!

 

I sold my '05 6mt on Monday and picked up a '10 6mt yesterday and LOVE it. much smoother than the '05

 

So for all the people that said this car has a 'high clutch engagement', what exactly does that mean? I haven't driven a stick in over ten years, but when I bought my TL last weekend, I had some difficulty. My question is what is the best way of driving this car (for the car's health)?

For example, should I be pressing the clutch all the way to the ground with every gear change? Can i smoothly 'ride the clutch' as my left foot lifts and my right foot accelerates?

Sorry for sounding like such a noob =). I have to say, I love it though...just love it!
thanks!

 

low clutch engagement means the friction zone is near the floor, high clutch engagement means it is away from the floor and early in the clutch's travel.

FWIW, the aftermarket clutch in our Vibe GT has a high engagement and it gave me a little difficulty for a week or two after installation, now I don't even notice it.

you only need to press the clutch in far enough to completely disengage it, but generally the process will be to press the clutch all the way to the floor, and then as you become accustomed your leg will automatically rapidly pop the clutch pedal back out to the start of the friction zone without you thinking about it, then you modulate from there.

initial roughness will be from modulating the pedal from the floor, as you become accustomed to the clutch you will develop the automatic pop-up I'm referring to.

 

High clutch engagement means that when you lift off the clutch there is a lot of room between the floor and when the clutxh engages. Yes you should be pressing the clutch all the way to the floor when you change gears. When you let off the clutch just give enough gas to take off depending on how fast you let of the clutch, the faster you let offthe faster you can take off and vise versa. Always give smooth gas dont keep revving it like a lot of people do, steady has is all you need.

^Didnt realize you just posted lol.

 

2600 miles so slightly premature. No issues with 3rd gear. Clutch engagement is a bit high, but I got over that within the first two weeks. Overall, super happy. I was between an S4 or 335xi...boy am I happy I didn't spend the extra 15K. My last German car '05 330x had 5K of repairs at 60K miles. This car is an excellent balance between sport and luxury. I went with silver and tinted windows and it looks very attractive.

 

^Same as mine

 

The slave cylinder check valve kills clutch feel. The subject is not new on this board. Great car, ditto gearbox (dead clutch friction point). ez

 

> The slave cylinder check valve kills clutch feel. The subject is not new on this board

I guess I'm not using "search" very well because aside from a thread exploring - but not going through with - a clutch masters kit I didn't find much.
Is there any fix or improvement? Let's say cost, within reason, is not a problem (I'm likely going to sell my brand new car because of this issue, and obviously take a huge hit, so I'd pay quite a bit to avoid having to do this.)

 

[QUOTE=axg;13666858]> The slave cylinder check valve kills clutch feel. The subject is not new on this board

I guess I'm not using "search" very well because aside from a thread exploring - but not going through with - a clutch masters kit I didn't find much.


If you type in A-113 - Removal of slave cylinder check valve...........

(you should get enough to write another Masters thesis..............)

best, ez....

 

Just test drove a 2012 6MT, should have purchased that instead of the auto

 

I love mine. Best car i've owned. The clutch only took me a week to get used to. I actually find it's alot easier to drive than my previous manual cars.....both were Nissans...

This car is so much fun, and so smooth to drive.

 

Ok. So I'm getting the hang of driving my 6MT. However something that is consistently annoying is that when I am accelerating hard, and going from 2nd to 3rd or from 3rd to 4th, I always feel like the the car is revving for longer than it should be (after I let go of the gas, and when I depress the clutch). I *feel* as if I should not be pressing clutch down after letting go of the gas, or I should wait to shift gears, which somewhat defeats the purpose of accelerating fast. This does not seem normal or natural at all.

My previous manual transmission cars never did this. Is there something wrong with my transmission? Again this only occurs when I am accelerating hard - not crazy fast but more than cruising.

 

The 3.7 motor is a rev happy engine and I didn't realize it since I have an auto. This led to the same issue you are having on my test drive. I was hard on the gas and the rpms flew up when I pressed the clutch in.

So I guess you can press in the clutch faster, this should match rpm with the transmissions syncros better.

6mt guys chime in?

 

Not quite sure what phyzfer is getting at? doesn't quite jibe with any known or common MT phenomena. A better description is needed.

 

The clutch has a very short "take up" band, meaning you can shift very quickly once you get the hang of it, but also meaning you can disengage the clutch faster than you expect, leading to the hanging RPM you describe. I've had it a few times too. Just need more time on the car.

Overall, this is one of the nicest clutch/tranny combos I've driven, but it does take a little practice to execute shifts smoothly. Acura did their homework on this trans.

 

Coming off an STI I will say that I find the transmission weak, and very spongy, but I think that has more to do with the cable vs lever actuation.

The ratios I feel are spot on for the most part, and other then the odd syncro issue I don't have many complaints. Any complaints I do have about the whole setup are usually put to rest by turning off the traction control.

 

thanks. I'm trying to think of it there's something I can do to avoid the 'hanging RPM' issue. In previous cars, once I let go of the gas the tachometer would drop...in the TL it does not drop. I feel like regardless of how fast I shift gears and press/depress the clutch, I will always be butting up against a revving engine. If that's just the way I have to drive, so be it. I just find it bizzarre.

When I'm simply driving around, the ratios are perfect and driving is smooth for both me and any passengers. When I'm accelerating faster than usual, 2-3 and 3-4 I run into this issue. I've read posts about the transmission's synchro issues -- and I *think* this is what I'm feeling.

I'll take it to the dealership on Saturday to see what they tell me.

 

Sounds like just a timing issue - of when you let off the gas and when you clutch in for shifting. Takes a bit to figure out - but when you do it works nicely.

 

So I'm waiting too long to 'clutch in'?

 

I do have this feel also. My guess, Acura design this behavior ( hold throttle little bit after you release acc. pedel ), this will help smooth and reduce to hit engine brake ( head down ). But for faster shifter we have to wait the engine rpm drop before release clutch when up shift.

I came from BMW 2002 540i(174K miles), 2009 BMW 535xi (50K miles ) ... now I am in my 2012 TL 6MT (20K miles ) No regret, and I have to say, I save 20K instead BMW. My 2009 535xi visit dealer for 5+ times at 20K with engine problem. This 2012 TL at 20K, I had never visit dealer since delivery. ( I do oil change myself. )

BTW, for those feel "clutch engage" high. Keep practice, you will get used to it. TL's clutch is much better then BMW's with CDV. Both 540i, 535i come with CDV (clutch delay valve), I took then away at first week. I wish I can make the ECU in TL don't hold RPM for that little period.

 

It's normal, maybe even part of the design for smoother egagement for less wear and tear and possibly for emissions purposes, etc. There are even times when you are completely removed from the gas and pressing the clutch will cause the rpm's to spike a bit. My guess is it's a combo of sticky throttle, engine character, and high clutch point plus minor engineering advantages.

As for the topic, overall this setup has got to be one of the best engineered manuals ever. Personally, among the best I have ever driven.

 

I agree with winstrolvtec... I do see the rpm's spike occasionally when changing gears and do believe that it's got something to do with emissions requirements...