I am still confused what the paddles are for in general, what they are for with the automatic trans in "D" and in :"S". The paddles (yes I have read the manual) are there for what reason? Since they are there, I would like to know how to use them correctly. I have used them with the stick in "D" and "S" and I am not sure what is the "correct" way to use them.

Anybody like to teach, has some patience and knows about the paddles, feel free to help me out.

Thanks

 

They are the to control the transmission.

Put it in "S".
Click any paddle.
Then you are in Manual shift mode, and you can shift up on the right, and down on the left when you feel necassary.

You can also, drop the trans. into S mode, not touch a paddle, and that will put the car in AT Sport shift mode, meaning keeping you in the sweet spot of the rev range.
Go out there and play with paddles, get a feel and you will be shifting like a pro in no time.

 

I have the MT but I'm giving my 2 cents. The Fit sport AT in sport mode allows greater control by downshifting or, I guess, upshifting at points that the owner chooses. MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR DRIVETRAIN. Precisely the reason most enthusiasts drive manual transmissions. I pondered an AT but no way.

 

Having just bought my Fit yesterday afternoon, today I went for a drive through the mountainous hills of West Marin (California) (rural, 2-lane, sharp inclines, declines, lots of switchbacks).

Considering I am coming from a Toyota Sienna minivan, a great vehicle but not so fun in this environment, I had a great time.

First of all, some background... a decade and a half ago, I learned to drive on an automatic transmission. Once I turned 16 and got my license, my dad tried to teach me his manual 5-speed. In the parking lot outside the Super-K, he gave me 3 strikes-- stall the car 3 times-- and I was out. I think the whole experience lasted about 10 minutes, and by the end I was glad it was my mother who taught me how to drive.

Without knowing how to drive a manual transmission, but understanding at least a little how they work (and how automatic transmissions don't always work), I had a lot of fun with the paddle-shifters today.

Basically, I told my car what gear I thought it should be in, but when I didn't care or wasn't paying attention-- I was still driving an automatic transmission. I am sure, however, that it wouldn't have been as much fun to me if I actually knew how to drive a manual.

Much of the time I stayed in "D."

If I felt I needed more power, or I wanted to engine brake (slow down the car with the engine), I would downshift ( - ). When the situation passed, the car took over again with no further action needed from me.

A couple times, the car cycled back and forth between gears during an incline. I'd shift into "S," downshift, and that would lock the transmission into the desired gear.

Other times, I would shift into "S" and coast down the hill, switching between 2nd and 3rd gear for engine braking, only really using the actual brakes for the sharpest turns or when I got stuck behind a slow-moving Prius for about 15 minutes.

Tomorrow, on my normal commute, I don't expect to use the paddles at all.

Also, I agree with the people who wish the paddles weren't actually attached to wheel, because coming around a switchback, you have to remember which side the + is on and which side the - is on... it might not be what you think.

Lastly, I picked the Fit over the Mazda3, but one thing I liked about the Mazda was that the current gear was on display on the dashboard, even in fully automatic mode. Today, I guessed that I was in 3rd and wanted to shift into 2nd. But I was actually in 2nd.

My Fit, which is still is an automatic transmission at heart (and a sensible one at that), refused to downshift into first. Good thing too, because we were traveling too fast for 1st gear.

I am sure anyone who actually drives a manual transmission will have something else to add, or perhaps mock my shifting philosophies

 

Okay, heres how it goes.

In D, while driving the trans will function like a normal auto.

Okay, now say you are driving in D, and you need to pass a semi, hit the - (left side) and the car will downshift, giving you more power to pass. Once you pass, the car will automatically go back into the proper gear. Or you could hit + (right side) and it will upshift.


In D, that is the only point of the paddle shifters, imo.

Now, in S, if you haven't touched the paddles, the trans still operates like a auto. It allows the engine to rev higher before it shift, which gives the car quicker acceleration. Also, in this mode, the car will not shift into 5th gear.

Lastly is S manual mode. To get to this mode, put car into S and press either of the paddles. In this mode the car will operate ALMOST like a true manual trans. In this mode the little screen in the gauge cluster will show what gear you are in will come on. Example in this mode: (I like to drive fast so you want to shift earlier that I say)

Say you are at a red light and you are in S manual mode. Light turns green, you begin to accelerate, car gets to about 3500-4000 rpm, press +, car will upshift into 2nd. Repeat till you are in 5th, or until you have to stop. Once you get down to about 5 mph in this mode the car will automatically go back down to 1st gear.

It is kinda complicated, but just play around with them. You will not hurt the car, it will not let you shift if it could damage the drivetrain, and if you forget to shift, it will shift for you, but don't let it get to that point. Just make sure you don't hit - in traffic and rear end somebody.

Maybe I can post a youtube vid. It makes a lot more sense when you see it.

 

The short course is S mode allows quicker acceleration by holding a gear longer before upshifting, and maintaining a higher gear before downshifting to save fuel, or selecting a lower gear beforehand to be ready to go.