Originally Posted by clocks

Just broke 300miles today, so I've stayed away from Sport/+ so far. Split time between Econ and Normal. While my 2014 Accord was very drivable in Econ, the TLX is a dog in ECON mode. It really saps any life out of the car. It's fine when its snowy/wet, or the engine is still warming up.

By the time Spring comes, I suspect I with be 50/50 Normal/Sport.

Originally Posted by vgr926

I have tried all modes, and here are some suggestions.

First, you won't see any difference in the mpg when cruising on a highway at a constant speed, as the transmission is going to be in the highest gear no matter what. If you are riding on an even surface at 65 mph, you will get about 43-46 mpg in any mode.

Now my opinion on individual IDS modes:

"Economy": I would strongly advise against driving in this mode. Even if it provides some fuel economy gain compared to say "Normal"/"Sport", it is minute. On the downside, I feel that this mode is plain dangerous because the lack of acceleration makes your lane changes quite precarious. This is especially true for stop and go traffic (which many here suggest this mode is designed for) when you try to pull out of a slow lane into the faster lane in front of approaching traffic. Plus, driving in this mode makes you feel like you are in a Prius.

"Normal": Overall ok but after a while it get boring. Again, if there is any fuel economy gain compared to "Sport", it is not significant.

"Sport": I feel that overall this is the most versatile and enjoyable. It gives you good mpg on a freeway (at least the way I drive) and at the same time nice power that makes the car fun to drive. In the city, you can make it behave like "Normal"/"Economy" (if that's what you gravitate towards) if you are gentle with the gas pedal. So I set it as my default mode. Some people commented here that "Sport" mode is not great in heavy traffic. I see no problem here either. Again, be gentle with the gas pedal, that's all.

"Sport+": Well, this is actually becoming my #2 driving mode. At first, I stayed away from it because I did't really understand what it was. But now that I do, I find more and more uses for it. So, there are two important things to keep in mind about the IDS mode: (a) it will not change gears on its own until the tachometer either hits the redline or drops <1000 rpm; and (b) once you set a particular gear with the steering wheel levers, it will persist indefinitely until the first condition is violated. So, given this insight, I found the following uses for "Sport+" so far:
1) Learning how to drive the car in a "manual" mode (useful for me because I only drove automatics up to now).
2) Driving in stop-and-go traffic if you want to eliminate potential transmission jerkiness and make your ride very smooth. What you do is you set the gear manually in "2", and it will stay in it even through stops (unless you brake hard).
3) Getting the highest fuel economy on the freeway. You set the gear in "8" and keep going. This prevents occasional downshifts on small hills.
4) Just for the fun of it... If you are at a stop sign in front of a steep hill, just switch to "Sport+" and floor the gas pedal. Enjoy the ride, but don't forget to eventually switch to the manual gear control when you get to the top...

Enjoy driving, everybody!

Originally Posted by Acura2010

Thanks for the responses guys,

As i'm driving more and more, i must say that the default for me is Sport. Now i'm just wondering if i'm loosing alot in the way of fuel economy by always having it in sport?

Originally Posted by Acura2010

As we are on the IDS Topic.....is it just me, but i feel that in Sport mode, along with the quicker throttle response and steering feel and weight, i also feel that the suspension gets stiffer. I thought i read somewhere that the different sport modes do not change the suspension settings, but i am certain i feel a more planted, stiffer, feeling in sport.