about civic paddle shift

jeetu4444 · 31st July 2007, 21:33

well i dont know the real reason but iam happy now........well i remmember reading the review on team bhp that the driver could not downshift and said he could only upshift .........i just love my civic more now fun to drive in paddle shift......just went on expressway and touched 160 with ease....and the handling is amazing....iam happy i brought civic.

highwayblaze · 31st July 2007, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by danlalan

I guess once you upshift through the gears and the come back to standstill you have to come back down the gears with the downshifter..otherwise the car stalls...tried that on my bosses car!

i don't think thats quite right? Or is it? ive driven smaller honda's like the Fit with an automatic / paddle-shift when u come to a stand-still it puts itself in 1st gear so u don't have to downshift.

amit · 31st July 2007, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwayblaze

i don't think thats quite right? Or is it? ive driven smaller honda's like the Fit with an automatic / paddle-shift when u come to a stand-still it puts itself in 1st gear so u don't have to downshift.

Yes thats how tiptronic and paddle shifts work. Even if you forget to downshift the system will do it automatically even if your in manual or paddle shift mode. Even when you slow down, the system downshifts automatically not allowing the car to stall. But yes, if your in tiptronic or paddle shift mode and you want to downshift manually from 6 to 2, then you got to go 6-5-4-3-2. Either keep slotting the gears into - or keep tapping the paddle shifters till you reach your desired gear.

GTO · 1st August 2007, 13:13

I wouldnt entirely rule out Honda pulling the plug on a downshift, with a brand new engine. They may want to restrict the chance of over-revving. And it really wouldnt be that difficult to implement or remove.

JT Nayaham · 20th January 2009, 11:27

I have had a Honda Civic A/T for the past two years. Paddle Shift has been functioning (gear up/gear down) from day one. However, my query is that if the car automatically selects the appropriate gear even when using the paddle shift...where is the question of driving it in 'manual mode'?

Guna · 20th January 2009, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT Nayaham

I have had a Honda Civic A/T for the past two years. Paddle Shift has been functioning (gear up/gear down) from day one. However, my query is that if the car automatically selects the appropriate gear even when using the paddle shift...where is the question of driving it in 'manual mode'?

I dont have experience with Civic, but this is what I experienced with City paddle shift:
You can up shift or downshift like in manuals. But if you are going in a steady speed, the auto control takes over and shifts to a rationaly correct gear. In other words, you have the flexibility of a manual in short bursts but eventually the auto will corret itself.
But there is also a 'S' mode which allows you to shift it like a fully manual without the auto intervening

csentil · 20th January 2009, 14:35

To use the paddle shift, you have to slot it in the S mode. The paddle shift will not work on the D mode.

You slot it in the S mode and then press the paddle shift. You will see the selected gear displayed on the right bottom of the display console.

No, the auto will not intervene when you are accelerating, meaning you will be held on 1st gear till you redline and will shift only when you shift. So you can redline again on the 2nd or the 3rd until you shift it yourself.

However the auto will shift down towards 3rd or 2nd automatically when you decelerate. You don't have to shift manually.

However lets say you are at 120 kmph and you want to do a quick overtake. You have to be in S mode for this to work. You can shift to 4th or 3rd and overtake, however the gear will stay put in 3rd or 4th until you shift up.

The beauty is holding onto the same gear when you accelerate which most AT's don't allow. You can happily redline the car everytime !!!

quicksilver · 20th January 2009, 15:07

Quiet possible that the downshift tolerences were very limited (RPM range that you could downshift) before the 1st service to protect the engine during running in. Or it is even possible that that user did not realise that downshifts can only be done at certain RPM earlier.

There is also the common mis-conception that you use downshift primarily for overtaking, but it should not be necessary. The 'Kickdown' feature even in the fully automatic mode should take care of this (even with the delay in response time). Manual shifting or the 'Sport' mode is mainly intended for spirited driving with agressive shifting and being able to hold the gears longer (till redline, if you may).

madhokritesh · 20th January 2009, 16:42

Can down shift on my Civic AT since day one, no big deal.

csentil · 20th January 2009, 17:29

The kickdown feature is only available if you are driving on the "D" Mode. If you are in the S mode and using the paddle shift, the kickdown will not work. You will be in the same gear. You will have to reduce your speed below 55 kmph for it to change down automatically to 4th gear and below 40 kmph to get to 3rd gear !

Also another feature is you cannot upshift at any speed when using the paddles. You cannot go to 3rd unless you are like 20 kmph. You cannot go to 4th unless you are above 40 kmph and 5th above 55 kmph. And the moment you go below these speeds the gears will downshift to the appropriate one even if you are using the Manual mode.

ImmortalZ · 20th January 2009, 17:37

Kickdown works in S mode yo.

When it doesn't work is after you've activated paddle shifting.

There is a distinct difference here. The Civic A/T has three modes of operation:

D - Drive mode. Sedate. Your average A/T box.
S - Sport. Different shift points, better throttle response. Lotsa fun in this mode.

Now, press a paddle in S mode and the box goes to Manual mode. Here, there is no kickdown and no auto upshift. Revs hold till redline. You cannot upshift at an RPM which will stall the engine. You cannot downshift at a speed which will blow up the drivetrain. Automatic downshift when you are too slow for a give gear.

The gearbox does learn your driving patterns. The accelerator pedal has a lot of subtle control built into it. Takes a bit of time to learn all the nuances.

csentil · 20th January 2009, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Kickdown works in S mode yo.

note operative word in my post "and using paddle shift"... Hey just kidding..

Quote:

When it doesn't work is after you've activated paddle shifting.

There is a distinct difference here. The Civic A/T has three modes of operation:

D - Drive mode. Sedate. Your average A/T box.
S - Sport. Different shift points, better throttle response. Lotsa fun in this mode.

Now, press a paddle in S mode and the box goes to Manual mode. Here, there is no kickdown and no auto upshift. Revs hold till redline. You cannot upshift at an RPM which will stall the engine. You cannot downshift at a speed which will blow up the drivetrain. Automatic downshift when you are too slow for a give gear.

The gearbox does learn your driving patterns. The accelerator pedal has a lot of subtle control built into it. Takes a bit of time to learn all the nuances.

Yup... fully agree on that. In Bangalore traffic that I drive in I cannot use S mode. I'll definitely hit someone !!

When I'm driving on the normal D mode but doing some spirited driving, the gearbox latches on to a particular gear (usually 3rd) for sometime, even if I've taken my foot off the accelerator. So the RPM still stays around 4-5K and gives me power when I hit the pedal again. I have to sometimes slow down a good deal for it to change gears. Tapping the pedal doesn't work at that time as the car just pounces more !!

ImmortalZ · 20th January 2009, 19:19

Oops, speedreading failed me there. Sorry.

And yeah, 4000 RPM is the beginning of sweet nirvana. Every day, I take the long way around back home so I get open roads with lots of twisties. Slot it into S and rev it to the sky! After a whole day of puttering along in city traffic, it is such a relief - I arrive home grinning like an idiot.

sanjz · 21st January 2009, 11:34

revteck

you have overlooked the fact that as a rule all paddle shifts have electronic rev limiters so what you say is not possible under whether the vehicle is in its run in period or otherwise

manim · 23rd January 2009, 17:32

Using the paddle to hold on to a gear to hit the rev-limiter, and changing up (without taking the leg off the accelerator pedal which is depressed fully), makes a loud 'thud' noise when the gears change. I don't know if it will harm the transmission, but one purpose of the paddles is to change the gears only after hitting the rev-limiter.

31st July 2007, 21:33	#16
jeetu4444 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 305 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	well i dont know the real reason but iam happy now........well i remmember reading the review on team bhp that the driver could not downshift and said he could only upshift .........i just love my civic more now fun to drive in paddle shift......just went on expressway and touched 160 with ease....and the handling is amazing....iam happy i brought civic.
	() Thanks

1st August 2007, 13:13	#19
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,493 Thanked: 300,290 Times View My Garage	I wouldnt entirely rule out Honda pulling the plug on a downshift, with a brand new engine. They may want to restrict the chance of over-revving. And it really wouldnt be that difficult to implement or remove.
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 11:27	#20
JT Nayaham Newbie Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1 Thanked: 0 Times	I have had a Honda Civic A/T for the past two years. Paddle Shift has been functioning (gear up/gear down) from day one. However, my query is that if the car automatically selects the appropriate gear even when using the paddle shift...where is the question of driving it in 'manual mode'?
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 14:35	#22
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	To use the paddle shift, you have to slot it in the S mode. The paddle shift will not work on the D mode. You slot it in the S mode and then press the paddle shift. You will see the selected gear displayed on the right bottom of the display console. No, the auto will not intervene when you are accelerating, meaning you will be held on 1st gear till you redline and will shift only when you shift. So you can redline again on the 2nd or the 3rd until you shift it yourself. However the auto will shift down towards 3rd or 2nd automatically when you decelerate. You don't have to shift manually. However lets say you are at 120 kmph and you want to do a quick overtake. You have to be in S mode for this to work. You can shift to 4th or 3rd and overtake, however the gear will stay put in 3rd or 4th until you shift up. The beauty is holding onto the same gear when you accelerate which most AT's don't allow. You can happily redline the car everytime !!!
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 15:07	#23
quicksilver BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Coimbatore Posts: 455 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Quiet possible that the downshift tolerences were very limited (RPM range that you could downshift) before the 1st service to protect the engine during running in. Or it is even possible that that user did not realise that downshifts can only be done at certain RPM earlier. There is also the common mis-conception that you use downshift primarily for overtaking, but it should not be necessary. The 'Kickdown' feature even in the fully automatic mode should take care of this (even with the delay in response time). Manual shifting or the 'Sport' mode is mainly intended for spirited driving with agressive shifting and being able to hold the gears longer (till redline, if you may).
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 16:42	#24
madhokritesh BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Thane Posts: 334 Thanked: 4 Times	Can down shift on my Civic AT since day one, no big deal.
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 17:29	#25
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	The kickdown feature is only available if you are driving on the "D" Mode. If you are in the S mode and using the paddle shift, the kickdown will not work. You will be in the same gear. You will have to reduce your speed below 55 kmph for it to change down automatically to 4th gear and below 40 kmph to get to 3rd gear ! Also another feature is you cannot upshift at any speed when using the paddles. You cannot go to 3rd unless you are like 20 kmph. You cannot go to 4th unless you are above 40 kmph and 5th above 55 kmph. And the moment you go below these speeds the gears will downshift to the appropriate one even if you are using the Manual mode.
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 17:37	#26
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,179 Thanked: 488 Times View My Garage	Kickdown works in S mode yo. When it doesn't work is after you've activated paddle shifting. There is a distinct difference here. The Civic A/T has three modes of operation: D - Drive mode. Sedate. Your average A/T box. S - Sport. Different shift points, better throttle response. Lotsa fun in this mode. Now, press a paddle in S mode and the box goes to Manual mode. Here, there is no kickdown and no auto upshift. Revs hold till redline. You cannot upshift at an RPM which will stall the engine. You cannot downshift at a speed which will blow up the drivetrain. Automatic downshift when you are too slow for a give gear. The gearbox does learn your driving patterns. The accelerator pedal has a lot of subtle control built into it. Takes a bit of time to learn all the nuances.
	() Thanks

20th January 2009, 19:19	#28
ImmortalZ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,179 Thanked: 488 Times View My Garage	Oops, speedreading failed me there. Sorry. And yeah, 4000 RPM is the beginning of sweet nirvana. Every day, I take the long way around back home so I get open roads with lots of twisties. Slot it into S and rev it to the sky! After a whole day of puttering along in city traffic, it is such a relief - I arrive home grinning like an idiot.
	() Thanks

21st January 2009, 11:34	#29
sanjz BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ahmedabad Posts: 130 Thanked: 52 Times View My Garage	revteck you have overlooked the fact that as a rule all paddle shifts have electronic rev limiters so what you say is not possible under whether the vehicle is in its run in period or otherwise
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 17:32	#30
manim BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: TN69 Posts: 820 Thanked: 916 Times	paddle change makes a thud noise Using the paddle to hold on to a gear to hit the rev-limiter, and changing up (without taking the leg off the accelerator pedal which is depressed fully), makes a loud 'thud' noise when the gears change. I don't know if it will harm the transmission, but one purpose of the paddles is to change the gears only after hitting the rev-limiter.
	() Thanks