Since Ii'm now driving "the rental" (Altima sedan while I wait to see about getting the wee blue beastie fixed) I am finding out just how much I do use the paddles- I'm constantly reaching for them to down shift to pass, or for engine braking etc. Goes to show you don't know what you miss until its gone (at least temporarily)

 

Haha! I find myself doing the same whenever I drive our Odyssey. Yeah, I use my Paddles all the time. So often in fact, I find myself shifting by reflex. I don't even think about shifting, I just do it. I just get into the Fit and drive!
I guess, having driven the same car for nearly 6 years, and 200K miles, "muscle memory" does a lot of things for me, that I don't think about doing. Kinda like when I want to walk somewhere, I don't think about moving my feet. I just walk!
PS-The same goes for when I drove a stick for 20 years prior to the 5AT Fit. I never really thought about shifting, I just drove!

 

I hardly ever use them, only times ive catch myself using them is to slow down slighly without using my brakes cause im lazy like that. On occasion i use that S mode to lock out of upper gears in heavy traffic because i hate how this auto hunts up n down for gears in stop n go traffic. Example in 25mph stop n go traffic i lock it into 2nd or 3rd and if traffic slows down a bit the gear is short enough to slow the car down if i let off the gas without using my brake. If i had left it in "D" it would of shifted up a gear or 2 and then when i go to gas it again i find it hunting down 1-2 gears to go, i find that annoying as hell.

 

there are times i forget that im on S mode. i think i need exhaust.

 

I used to think thay way too, until the left knee started telling me my MT days were over- I have to prepare to shift, and my thought was "Oh no, I have to shift ; how much is this going to (ouch) hurt" So I went with a car with paddle shifts. Sucks getting old.

 

Almost never use them. I bought an AT because I wanted a computer to do my shifting for me. About the only time I use them is under the same circumstances I'd downshift a regular (lever-shift) AT, which is going down a steep hill when I don't want to ride the brake.

 

is it safe to shift the stick from S to D or D to S while moving? or you need a full stop?

 

must be. I must have done it 10 thousand times by now.

 

I've posted in other threads on this issue...

I personally hardly ever use the paddle shifters.

Hey? If you like them, and use them? More power to ya.

They just aren't what I had hoped. I just can't get into using them, and I've tried.

I call the "S" mode, the "Stupid" mode. When suddenly your automatic transmission doesn't know when or how to shift.

For me? There just isn't a middle ground. You want to shift? Buy a manual. You want an automatic...buy an automatic. But the paddle shifters experience for me leaves a lot lacking.

I would say, if my Honda Fit was my secondary vehicle and/or I was purchasing again? I'd probably get a manual transmission.

 

All the time. The tiny little brakes make me worry about premature pad/shoe wearout, so I use the paddle shifters to downshift when I'm coming to a stop. Also helps keep the engine above the 1500rpm point, where the fuel injection is cut off, so MPG is improved by using engine braking.

Given my preferences, I'd have a manual trans, but the car came to us from an estate: no real choice, and it has few miles on it and a transferrable very long warranty, so we're keeping it.

 

I'm not impressed by this auto anyway. The paddles are only suggestions - the trans does what it wants anyway. Even in manual mode, they're still just "suggesters", the trans still makes its own choices and it's not very quick about it, either.

In fully auto mode, I get tired of it constantly upshifting and downshifting on gentle hills, sometimes very abruptly, so I'll switch into S and force it to stay into 4th...which it does 2/3 of the time when I ask it to.

 

Hardely ever. Ive only used them a handful of times bc the gf wanted to know how to use the paddle shift.

 

Rarely, I've had paddle shifters on many cars in the past and I think the only time I've ever used them was when the auto would keep searching for a gear in a hilly area. Other then that not much.

 

Really, get a Fit with AT (especially considering that high-revving, whiny 5th gear in the early model GE. I tried one on the highway and it's what pushed me to AT, that and not wanting to shift all of the time)...

... AT gives you the best of both world's, sorta'!

Paddles give me more power when needed, yet I don't have to fuss with a clutch. I also get better gas mileage when trying to using the paddles, and it's extremely fun on curvy back roads where I can open it up, and turn the Fit into the go-kart it wants to be.



Do newer model GE's have a 6th gear yet? (post 2010)

 

I am a new Fit Sport owner and up till now I have always had manual transmission cars. I figured I'd give myself a break in my advanced years and get an AT. I especially liked the idea of getting the paddle shifters because one of my big complaints over the years when I have rented cars was that an AT didn't seem to give you as much control, especially with engine braking.

So, as others have said, I use the paddles frequently when approaching a stop to get more engine braking. The point is that you know better than the car when a stop is coming up, so you downshift with the paddle well before the car would do it, hence more engine braking. Seems like it would save wear on the brakes to me.

Occasionally I have tried using full-time S mode, where you have to do all the shifting. I'm mostly just doing it for fun, but I can see how it might be a good use for winding and hilly secondary roads. I do have a question about this however.

With a real manual transmission, when you shift you push the clutch down and you also let up on the gas at the same time. When I am using the UPSHIFT paddle on the Fit, I am not sure whether I have to let up on the gas while I hit the paddle. With a downshift it's not much of a question because you usually want to be slowing down anyway (although sometimes you may be wanting some punchy acceleration, I suppose).

So my question is should I let up on the gas while engaging the UPSHIFT paddle? Any thoughts?

 

Got no paddles here on my Auto. When I feel like a bit more spirited run I will downshift from D to 3. I may also turn the throttle control to S5 from the usual E4.

 

This is a question that has been debated by engineers, racers, and street drivers for decades. Probably there isn't much difference on up shifts. Only drag racers and sportscar racers maintain full throttle when upshifting. On downshifts however letting up on the throttle means reducing engine rpm and when the shift occurs the engine rpm will be abruptly forced up as the engine speed matches the road speed via the transmission gearing. So letting up on the throttle puts more strain on the transmission and gearbox. Typically, most racers 'blip' the throttle to increase the engine speed (RPM) so the change is not as abrupt. In long distance racing that has shown an advantage when drivers do that. The really good ones do that so well the clutch isn't used. (really).
But on the street few of us drive hard enough for blipping the throttle on downshifts to matter. Motor on.
Try one of the new Nissan 350's with rpm shift matching and see how good it can be.

 

Once, for about 5 minutes.

 

The really cool MT drivers practice no-lift shifts. Literally they do not release the gas when shifting to a higher gear. Modern cars with electronic fuel injection don't like this; most of their ECUs will interrupt the fuel when the clutch is depressed. Aftermarket (and some factory) ECU updates (tunes) will enable no-lift-shifts which keep the engine producing power through the shift.

As the default on an automatic transmission is to control the power output with just the gas pedal, no-lift shifts are the default as well. The torque converter takes care of any issue matching engine speed.

So there's no rule. But if you're accelerating there's no reason to release the gas pedal through shifts (up or down) on an automatic transmission. Even without paddles the transmission will downshift 1, 2 or 3 gears on its own, then up-shift as RPMs reach max all while the pedal is floored.

If you're decelerating then it makes sense to release the gas and use engine braking however you see fit.

As a side note, the Fit has logic (grade logic) built in to its power-train control module (PCM) that does this for you. When descending a slope and applying the brakes, it will shift to a lower gear to invoke engine braking all on its own. Similarly when ascending, it will hold a lower gear longer in anticipation of needing more power, and avoid frequent shifting.

It also senses frequent braking (i.e. when in the twisties) and holds a lower gear to aid in control.

I think paddles are about as useful as teats on a bull, but it keeps a lot of the video-game crowd entertained.

 

Very interesting, indeed, as well as the rest of the replies. My Fit is a race car!

Speaking of power-train control modules and the like, the last time I tried S mode, I was in 4th gear going up a very steep incline at about 30mph and it seemed that the engine accelerated on its own - it SEEMED that I did NOT press down any harder on the gas, and the gear indicator still said M4, but it surged (and felt like a downshift). Was this just my imagination, or can this actually happen? (I mean the car giving it more gas automatically, not a real downshift)