Hello there,

Just bought my 2010 Honda Fit Sport this weekend. So far I'm really loving it and I think I'll be happy. I'm surprised at how little I've noticed the difference in the engine between this and the '98 6-cylinder Accord I traded in. It's a pretty speedy little car. :-)

So I'm dying to try the "Sport" mode on the shifter, but coming from a guy who has never driven stick before in his life, I was hoping you guys could answer a couple of questions for me.

First: I know that to activate the manual mode, you have to shift the car from "D" into "S" mode. What I couldn't get a straight answer to was whether or not this needs to occur at a full top or if this can be done when underway. The manual does not answer this question. I ask because if I am driving down the road and get overwhelmed or busy with traffic, I don't want to have to wait until the next full stop to get the opportunity to shut it off. If I had to guess, I'd say I have to stop, but I thought I'd just check.

Second: Any general advice for shifting? I know the basic principle: when the RPMs get high, hit the + paddle to go to the next higher gear; when you slow down, hit the - paddle to go to the next lower gear. I'd like any and all advice you have on how to make this work. Do people do this mode simply because they find it fun or is there some fuel economy reason for controlling shifting yourself?

I'm a total rookie to anything but full automatic, so be nice. :-)

 

To engage "manual" mode you have to shift into S then pull a paddle. Shifting into S alone will just have the trans shift at higher, more aggressive points automatically.

There are a few detailed topics about using the Sport's paddles, just run a search on here using "Paddle Shifters" on here as the keywords and you'll find a few of those threads.

Here is one of them.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...-shifters.html

 

To move into sport mode, just move the shifter from D to S and then hit one of the paddles. In general, it is speed independent though IIRC, if you are at high speed/gear, it'll downshift into 3rd, as most cars do when you shift out of overdrive. But yeah, basically you can move from one mode to the other without trouble.

I do it for fun. Its a bit better if you want faster acceleration, IMO, because you can get it into vtec and hold it there. As a general principle, you can't do something that will be really bad, the shifter won't let it happen (ie 1st gear at 70 or 5th at a stop).

 

OK, interesting. Thanks for the reply. I feel less nervous about trying it out knowing that if it's too much for me to handle I can just put it back in "D" while in motion without a meltdown.

Also good to know that it doesn't just let anything fly. I'm pretty car ignorant and like i said I've never driven a manual so if it's not going to let me break it that is just fine by me.

It seems like it would be interesting once I get used to it. Most of my commute will be stop/go city traffic though, so I don't know that I'd get the chance to really use it.

 

The shift logic computer will keep you from stalling or over reving the engine. Just start pulling paddles and have at it. You can't wreck the car with them.

 

Another thing I personally do just to be safe is if I am in Sport "S" mode and I want to go back to normal Automatic "D" I keep my foot completely off the gas then shift it back to normal "D". Its just my personal assurance I don't have the car accelerating when I shift it just to be safe on the gearbox.

 

Also know that you can actuate the paddles while in D mode.

I use it all the time when coming up on a traffic light or stop sign, double click the (-) paddle as I am braking. The transmission will go back to normal mode after you stop, or about 10-15 seconds later if you continue accelerating.

Also can be used to force the transmission to down-shift if passing. You can then click the (+) to get back in to 5th.