Tansmission: Using Manual Mode

usnj01 · 11-22-2005, 02:02 PM

Hi Guys,

First of congratulations to all the TSX owners, its a great car!

I've an 04 TSX with Auto transmission. However i always use it in a manual mode. I control all the up and downshifts as I like. Especially the downshifts, I control the car with gears as much as i can and use brakes only when its absolutely necessary. I do make sure i am no where near the redline and i dont typically exceed 5000RPM. Now with this, am I putting an extra load on transmission / engine? Could I be burning the transmission oil faster than it would otherwise? Would this cause extra wear and tear on gears? Excuse me if my questions really sound stupid but for me its important to know the fact as i purchased this car mainly for this fun-transmission. I'd have liked to buy manual transmission however my wife wouldnt have been too happy about it.

I would appreciate if one of you experts can answer my question at your earliest convenience.

Happy Holidays.

jcg878 · 11-22-2005, 02:06 PM

I wouldn't worry about it. The auto-stick only asks the transmission for permission to shift, and it grants it to you if shifting gears will keep the pistons at an acceptable speed. I'm sure you're working the system more if you're humming around constantly at 7000 rpm in 2nd gear on the highway, but other than that I'll bet you're fine.

Duke · 11-22-2005, 04:39 PM

Yes, the transmission is electronically controlled, and so it won't really let you hurt it. I did this for a few days after we first got my wife's ATX car, but in fact the TSX has a 'performance algorithm' similar to Cadillac's, and it does a great job anticipating the gears you'll want even in full-auto mode. After those first few days, I rarely bother to poke the shifter myself.

During spirited driving it measures throttle position, braking force, and lateral acceleration and decides when you're pushing the car. I'm frequently pleased to feel it downshifting aggressively under braking on the twisty bits, because it knows I'm going to want the acceleration at the apex.

Benz · 11-23-2005, 03:16 AM

^ I feel that too!!.... the AT TSX is awesome! Like i've driven other AT cars and have been in other ones, but none of them downshifts like the TSX. Like at turns or when you going downhill, sometimes it automatically downshifts, i was very impressed!

usnj01 · 11-23-2005, 10:28 AM

I agree with you guys and there is no dispute full AT works like a charm compared with other cars. However it doesnt have a visibility to the traffic ahead and therefore on the only way it can downshift is after you apply breaks (unless it’s a downhill or something). Buy you as a driver can anticipate that you need to slow down or stop and control the speed accordingly. Also on highways when i do quick lane changes and i see the car ahead of me is not moving as fast, rather than breaking hard i shift to lower gear(s) and when the speed matches with pace of traffic i shift it back to the higher without having to accelerate. Also with this you improve the life of your breaks and I have seen noticeable difference in MPG.

I guess it’s a personal preference and I love using the manual shift. I just wanted to make sure I’m hurting the car in shape or form.

Bassem · 11-24-2005, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usnj01

Also with this you improve the life of your breaks and I have seen noticeable difference in MPG.

Just remember brakes are waaaayyy cheaper than transmissions, and you can always replace them yourself with a handful of tools. Back to your original question, the only ill-effect I can think of is that when you put it in manual mode, the system may engage and disengage the overdrive function more frequently or not at all (I really don't know the algortihm). This feature locks the torque converter to maximize economy, but unlocks it when you need to accelerate hard because the auto tranny just physically can't keep up with the engine.

I think if you can find out how the transmission chooses to lock the torque converter in both modes, and how that locking wears the internals then you will have your answer.

Bassem

larchmont · 11-26-2005, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassem

Just remember brakes are waaaayyy cheaper than transmissions, and you can always replace them yourself with a handful of tools......

Interesting point -- and even though it's true, I wonder if most people's instincts would be the OPPOSITE.
Mine are.
And I wonder if in this case, that "wrong" instinct is sort of right.

When I'm in the SS, I feel like I'm "saving" the brakes by using the downshifts. Which makes no sense, as per what Bassem is saying.

But OTOH......if the downshifts don't wear down the transmission at all (which maybe they don't), then it really does "save" the brakes -- at no sacrifice of anything else.

Benz · 11-26-2005, 03:54 AM

I always had a question in mind...... hope some of you expert can help me here, instead of starting a new thread....

if i use the SS mode.... do i use more gas then the D mode?? even if shifted @ same rpm?? Like.. if i use the SS mode but still shifts at 2500rpm... will i be using the same amount of gas while it's in D and auto shifting.....or use more??

jcg878 · 11-26-2005, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benz_05TSX

I always had a question in mind...... hope some of you expert can help me here, instead of starting a new thread....

if i use the SS mode.... do i use more gas then the D mode?? even if shifted @ same rpm?? Like.. if i use the SS mode but still shifts at 2500rpm... will i be using the same amount of gas while it's in D and auto shifting.....or use more??

Why would you think you'd be using the slightest bit more??

Benz · 11-26-2005, 04:42 PM

i have no idea.......i tried it (experiment) and try driving in SS mode for a while....still shifting below 2500rpm.... and i see the gas meter go down faster.... i just don't know if it's true or my eyes are playing tricks on me~

larchmont · 11-27-2005, 01:34 AM

I think Benz is right.
Unless I just suck at the SS.

I often follow the MPG pretty closely on the "Trip Computer" (which comes with the Nav). It shows you how much MPG you're getting at each instant (rounded off to the nearest 5).
And it sure seems like the readings tend to be lower with the SS.

Benz · 11-27-2005, 05:10 AM

HAha... yes!!.. my expreriment was correct....hahaa....thx Larchmont!!

but...do you know how much worse MPG we get by using the SS mode?

larchmont · 11-27-2005, 01:42 PM

I'm not 100% sure it really is worse.
But my impression is maybe 5% to 10% worse -- just a couple of MPG.

Larchmont, who almost said "a couple of MPG per gallon."

usnj01 · 11-27-2005, 07:27 PM

I'm not sure about your driving habits but I get better MPG with SS.... not sure how much.

Just back home in NJ after being in VA for last 3 days. Once again driving this car on highways was real fun... espcially using SS in the traffic (although NJTP sux between exit 6 & 8).

sjlee · 11-28-2005, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larchmont

Interesting point -- and even though it's true, I wonder if most people's instinct would be the OPPOSITE.
Mine are.
And I wonder if in this case, that "wrong" instinct is sort of right.

When I'm in the SS, I feel like I'm "saving" the brakes by using the downshifts. Which makes no sense, as per what Bassem is saying.

But OTOH......if the downshifts don't wear down the transmission at all (which maybe they don't), then it really does "save" the brakes -- at no sacrifice of anything else.

You'll most likely hurt your engine before you hurt your transmission when downshifting improperly. The biggest risk with downshifting is downshifting when your RPMs are too high. This will lead to bent valves rather than damage to your transmission. This only applies to those with MT. If you have an AT, you will not be able to downshift if your RPMs are too high.

If you downshift properly, you won't hurt your transmission any more than when downshifting when accelerating. You will definitely save your brakes, however.

Neutral drops will definitely hurt a transmission.