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Do you ACTUALLY use the sportshift mode?

48K views 62 replies 46 participants last post by  Curlswrld 
#1 ·
Fellow 5spd at tsx owners, do you all actually use the sport mode? Honestly its something new to me, being this is the first car I owned equipped with it... feel free to discuss!
 
#5 ·
I used to hate it at first because Im used to driving a MT. I thought it was retarded but got used to it. :) Its like 2nd nature to use the SS mode when on a downgrade (I still hate the automated engine brake it goes into) so I can shift it manually back into the higher gears.
 
#7 ·
Interesting opinions.
I feel mixed about it. Not exciting as a MT but not boring as an AT...
Help me understand somethings with sportshift... can it be shifted into while the car is moving and in regular drive? Also, is running the gears through the rpm band bad for this type of tranny or can I relax and pretend its a MT? Lol
 
#44 ·
i second that but i am started to feel guilty but its just too boring otherwise....

most of the time when I'm by myself, but when i have people or my GF is in the car I just use AT.
i second this..... the only times i dont use it is when i have my mother or gf in the car but even her is coming around to it.

there is no way you'll mess up with the transmission, the computer just wont let you. if you noticed it wont even let you downshift when you're at higher speeds, its a safety feature. unless you are really hard with the SS then over the years there's no doubt problems will occur.

if the SS is really that bad then Acura wouldn't suggest "use" in their manual or even have it in the first place.
very true... tranny goes all the time whether in a real manual or an auto so i do not believe driving in SS will directly cause problems plus like you said acura made it good where u cannot downshift or upshift when out of rpm range.... my hands accidentally moved the stick down when i was driving the other day and the gear didnt change.... ever since then i have become more confident abt it
 
#15 ·
most of the time when I'm by myself, but when i have people or my GF is in the car I just use AT.
 
#19 ·
SS most of the time. Its second nature to go into SS directly from park. Normal on the highway unless I need/want to get on the throttle.

:fro:
 
#20 ·
This car was a compromise. Wife can't drive a standard, so I had to get something with at auto. Oh well.

About 5% of the time it's in SS, usually when I'm cornering and I want the transmission in a lower gear instead of the auto kicking up halfway through the turn. Or when I need some passing power without putting the pedal to the floor.
 
#21 ·
I used sport shift for a grand total of 2 weeks on my car and never again after that. My transmission began making vibrating sounds like mad when stopped and the shifts in drive became rougher too. I just knew something wasn't right.

I'm now free of sport shift for the last 3 months and the sounds have disappeared. Bottom line: sport shift is not good for the transmission and should only be used if you have the money for a new transmission down the road:laugh:.
 
#22 ·
i keep hearing horror stories about SS, but can it really be that bad?? i used it for a few weeks, but not much since. don't know how to feel about it lol. but with gas prices having jumped 4c/litre last week i'm not inclined to waste any :p
 
#23 ·
there is no way you'll mess up with the transmission, the computer just wont let you. if you noticed it wont even let you downshift when you're at higher speeds, its a safety feature. unless you are really hard with the SS then over the years there's no doubt problems will occur.

if the SS is really that bad then Acura wouldn't suggest "use" in their manual or even have it in the first place.
 
#49 ·
+1

I use it quite often for booting around town here and there. I don't drive it hard (the odd time ill red-line) and it's quite easy to make a smooth shift. Overall I'd prob say I use it 70% of the time. Don't get me wrong though, Reflash+SS is fun. The main reason I bought the 5at is so I can be lazy and still have the option of a Mt.
 
#24 ·
^ I totally agree with you. I've always been confident that it's old wives tales that you can mess up your tranny by using the SS mode, and obviously you always run a higher risk when you drive it hard... but it's always for some reason made me feel uncomfortable doing it. But yeah, it's there and has been tested so they obviously stand behind the technology.
 
#26 ·
Yeah the computer won't let you downshift while doing 6,000 rpms in 3rd for example. But thats not what I meant by transmission damage.

Using sportshift even modestly will have an impact on your transmission through my own experiences and others that I've read/heard about. I, too, don't see how sport shift damages your transmission but it somehow does, even though all you're doing is telling your transmission when to shift.

I'm also scared to use it anymore because I'm well aware that Honda is not good at building automatic transmissions, especially 5 speed ones. I'd love to see mine hit 130,000 miles but I'm not sure if it can, especially after reading about lcrazyaznl having to replace his at that mileage.:(
 
#27 ·
completely understandable, but he did mention he pushes the car a lot, so that also contributes to the damage.
 
#29 ·
It's simple physics...if you use sport shift and hold the gear til redline, the transmission has to do more work to make the shift smooth. Over time, it will prematurely wear the parts.

That's like saying taking a car to redline doesn't create more wear than driving it to 3k RPM. A famous engine builder once said "Every trip to redline is one trip closer to a rebuild."
 
#35 ·
That's like saying taking a car to redline doesn't create more wear than driving it to 3k RPM. A famous engine builder once said "Every trip to redline is one trip closer to a rebuild."
Wow lol, I get uncomfortable when the Tach hits 4000RPM. And I always used to think I drove my car too hard!

I use sportshift on the highways during quick passes or to get back at someone who cuts me off. Otherwise it stays in D. I bought an A/T to relieve me of shifting, so let it do what it's made to do!
 
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