How do I shift my automatic ( Civic ) ?

[mechman600]

Ok. I have a 2001 Civic with an automatic, the same transmission as yours, .CD. I was playing around today on a city drive, and I came up with a method to keeps your revs down when starting from a stop:

1) Start off in D4 or D3 to allow 1st gear to engage (instead of 2 which forces the car to start off in 2nd gear) to get a bit of a jump off the start. I used D3 because it's easier for the next step.
2) As soon as the car is rolling (5 or so MPH), shift into 2 to force the transmission to prematurely shift into 2nd gear, and the revs below 2000.
3) As soon as the revs reach 2000 or so, shift back to D4. Doing so earlier will have no effect on the shifting because the car tries to keep the revs slightly higher when starting off.
4) Once in D4, modulate the throttle to keep the revs at 2000-2100 RPM. Any less than this and it will not automatically upshift. I found that at this RPM it will feel slightly sluggish until it shifts into 3rd (I didn't see what speed...maybe 25 or so MPH...I'll get back to you on that one) and then quickly locks the torque convertor in 3rd and then shifts into 4th.

Our transmission is unique (compared to my previous Toyota, anyway) in that if you cruise at say 25 mph in slow traffic, it will lock the torque convertor in third gear and maintain 1500 RPM. Very efficient for an inefficient cruising speed. And at 35 mph cruising, it will lock the torque convertor in 4th gear and maintain 1400 or so RPM instead of unlocking easily like most other automatics. In these two scenarios, even if you let off the throttle and then step back on smoothly, it will stay locked, sort of like if you were driving a manual transmission.
Anyway, I'll try again tomorrow.

James

[bhazard]

Are you guys forgetting the benefit of dropping it down a gear or two for engine braking and decel fuel cut?

[rjacob]

I have a Honda Civic too. I pretty much leave the tranny in D and just accelerate softly. I will use 1 & 2 during the winter when climbing an icy hill to help keep the tires from spinning out.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by mechman600

Not true. Gear "2" on the shifter will cause the transmission to stay in 2nd gear on a Honda no matter what. It's meant for icy conditions. It will cause the vehicle to start off in 2nd gear instead of 1st. Economical advantage? I doubt it.

Seriously? That's cool, I didn't know that at all.

My last experience with a Honda was a '78 Civic with the Hondamatic; it had only two gears.

Boy, do I miss that car. With a leak in the fuel pump diaphragm, blowing liquid gas out the vent hole (onto the exhaust manifold ) it still got 30mpg. It went like stink and parked anywhere.

[RH77]

Originally Posted by bhazard

Are you guys forgetting the benefit of dropping it down a gear or two for engine braking and decel fuel cut?

Yes, forgot to mention.

In just about anything I drive, (if equipped with a tach) when I see the bump upward in RPM during decel, I know that the DFCO is no longer active, so it's time to bump it down a gear. I try to get it down a gear before then to keep the fuel-cut active.

The problem: 1st gear is generally super-low in cars these days. I'm in a rental Camry 4-cyl right now and L just about stands it on its nose.

Speaking of which, what happened to automatics that just shift STRAIGHT BACK??? On this car I have to go through a maze of side-to-side, front-and-back just to find L. It's frustrating when you want to keep your eyes on the road. /rant

RH77

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by bhazard

Are you guys forgetting the benefit of dropping it down a gear or two for engine braking and decel fuel cut?

Nope. I always gear down to D3 when coming to a stop, especially on a downhill. However, the Honda automatic is pretty good on it's own. If you come to a stop from [let's say] 50 mph in D4, the transmission will stay in 4th gear with torque convertor locked up all the way down to about 1200 RPM. Then it will unlock, but by the time that happens, you are only going 10-15 mph or so (I forget). And the whole time, the fuel is shut off, until the TC unlocks.....I assume anyway. So in a gradual stopping situation, D4 seems to be pretty good too.

James

[azraelswrd]

Originally Posted by RH77

Yes, forgot to mention.
Speaking of which, what happened to automatics that just shift STRAIGHT BACK??? On this car I have to go through a maze of side-to-side, front-and-back just to find L. It's frustrating when you want to keep your eyes on the road. /rant

RH77

Good question. My 2006 xA it's still the up-down. In my parnet's 2009 Corolla... yeah, up-down with a side-side thrown in just to confuse my dad. Maybe it was done this way to fit the extra gear or make it "feel" like a manumatic?

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by RH77

Yes, forgot to mention.

In just about anything I drive, (if equipped with a tach) when I see the bump upward in RPM during decel, I know that the DFCO is no longer active, so it's time to bump it down a gear. I try to get it down a gear before then to keep the fuel-cut active.

The problem: 1st gear is generally super-low in cars these days. I'm in a rental Camry 4-cyl right now and L just about stands it on its nose.

Speaking of which, what happened to automatics that just shift STRAIGHT BACK??? On this car I have to go through a maze of side-to-side, front-and-back just to find L. It's frustrating when you want to keep your eyes on the road. /rant

RH77

The funky shifter path is just the "new thing". Also adds a path for manumatics. I remember some 90s Cadillacs having that, and at the time it was so much cooler to slide through that then the typical straight path.

[i_am_socket]

Dealt with that in a Mazda 3 I had to rent for a week. I tried playing with the manumatic, but I could never figure out where it needed to sit for any particular gear.