I have a 5AT Fit, and when I accelerate, I feel every shift point. It's not bad, but it definitely gives a little jerk. It will also sometimes jerk in lower gears (1 and 2) when decelerating, (especially if I'm going up a hill) but not in the higher ones. My fiancee's Camry with 180K miles on it shifts much smoother. Is this normal for the Fit, or maybe even Hondas in general?

 

The only time mine is jerky is when im in S mode and down shifting while coming to a stop, and that still not bad. Other then that it seems normal to me.

 

Mine is quite smooth but sometimes the downshifts are less so (as in slowing to exit the highway).

 

Having come from a Camry myself, Yes it's a little jerky by comparison. It will be less jerky and probably less wear on the transmission if you will try and modulate the throttle slightly when you're around the shift points.

Plus, the Fit is a lot smaller, lighter, less insulated from noise, etc; than the Camry, so even if it was shifting exactly the same, it would feel different.

That's my take, at least, as a longtime Camry owner.

 

I feel the shifting most pronounced either coming from or going into 1st, especially if I am using the paddle shifters. I've found that if I shift into 2nd at around 3000 RPMs, it's smoother, but shifting from 2nd to 1st always jerks me, even if I'm hardly moving. Is that the torque converter locking?

 

I am not positive on this whatsoever, but I have been told that Honda Auto's are notoriously unreliable. I know that in older American cars if you put a shift kit in them to raise the line pressure and crispen up the shifts, they are supposed to increase reliability. Is it possible that Honda simply increased the line pressure to try and help keep the trans from grenading? I have also noticed that the car will change its crispness by the way you have been driving lately, if I have been in the city lately, it will try to send me to the back seat, but if I have been cruising, the car will be alot more gentle. I am not used to an automatic other than this one, so nothing to compare to . I hope that somewhere in all of this is something useful.
Andrew
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I have a 5AT Sport and I have shift shock. It shifts smoothly at high rpm's and gears when the engine is warm. if i am light on the peddle, it usually shifts smoothly.

24,000 miles on her with a lead foot, no problems so far.

 

I never drove an AT fit, but I have drove an AT RDX. I think the jerkiness comes from the fact newer honda automatic models "lock" at each gear. The reason older Auto transmissions were smooth was because energy was wasted. This smoothens the ride but performance is inefficient. When the gears lock, the engine has a better clasp at the transmission, but this also means the shifts (if the AI's timing is not perfect) are more uncomfortable.
Downshifting will always feel jerky. The reason is like the poster below says, it's rev matching. Let's say 2000rpm is 20mph in 2nd gear, but only 10mph in first gear. The engine is stronger than the wheels. So if you're at 20mph and you downshift, your rpm is still 2000rpm, but as you enter 1st gear, this RPM no longer corresponds to 20mph but maybe 10mph, and taht's why you feel the shift shock and instant urge to slow down. There is "disagreement" between the car speed and the engine's RPM is what makes shifting uncomfortable.

You can't really rid shift shock in non-luxury ATs b/c rev matching is expensive. I think this thread is about upshifts. Upshifts are smooth(er) because 2000rpm might be 20mph at second gear. at third gear, 20mph is maybe 1500rpm. So if u're driving 20mph in 2nd gear, as it upshifts, the engine disconnects from the transmission, the rpms drop and to 1500--the appropriate RPM for 20mph at this gear--and then the engine re-engages, and the ride is smooth.

But that is only if the timing is perfect. If the timing isn't right when gears engage, then the ride wont' be smooth. This is what people are complaining about on this thread.

 

If your not shifting at 3k normally when are you shifting? The roughness of gear shifting can be due to how much throttle you are giving it. And during a down shifts it will almost always be rough due to the inability of the AT to properly rev match.