Ok, so... here I am after my first week of Fit ownership (yay!) and I'm busy getting used to having such a nice car, and finding excuses to drive around more than I really have to. I'm still within the break-in period so I'm not going to do anything crazy with the car right now or anything, but I was wondering....

... I've got shifter paddles. What are they good for? I never drove a manual and the only thing I know about shifting is that lower gear is good for engine braking on icy roads or going down hills so you don't overheat your brakes. What is a good situation for wanting to shift when you're driving around in other conditions? I know they work in both D and S gears, which also confuses me. Isn't D supposed to be the automatic transmission shifting when it's supposed to? How do you know when to override it (if that's what it's doing)?

Any advice or explanation would be appreciated. Sorry if it's obvious to other people. It's not obvious to me yet!

 

IMO a manual transmission for a lot of people means a fun drive, the paddle shifters are to make the ride seem like youre more in control of the cars function than just driving an automatic. as far as using them in regular drive mode... couldnt tell you..

 

Paddle shifters can be used for the following:

1. Downshifting to pass slow cars. This allows engine to rev higher and produce more power thanks to different gearing and the rev happy nature of honda engines.
2. Forcing a certain gear going up a hill so the transmission does not bounce in between gears - "gear hunt"
3. Shift earlier to prevent revving too high, this can help fuel economy as long as you do not bog the engine - meaning get into too high a gear for your speed.
4. Allow a sportier feel while driving, similar to manual
5. Engine braking when going down hill, keep in mind though shifting gears is not the same as braking. I would only use it ahead of time to keep speed down, not when you are already going 70.
6. Etc. I probably missed something??




As far as I know in D mode the shifters can be used, but it is not fully "manual" like in S mode. I believe if you rev too high in D it will upshift for you, and as you slow down it will downshift for you. You may want to verify this with your manual or dealer.

As for D vs. S mode I guess it depends if you are committed to shifting manually (S) or just want to pop a few gears manually (D).


Hopefully that helped, I do not own a fit but I am hoping to get one at some point I reckon.


Oh and you really are not gonna over heat your brakes. Trucks can do that because they are hauling tons of stuff, but unless you have like 1000 pounds of cargo you should not be at risk of over heating your brakes. Or would be hard pressed to do that.... (race track conditions)

 

i believe i can help since i have them too..

In (D): u can drive normally but lets say theres sum 1 goin a little too slow or u want to get on to a on-ramp for a highway .. jst give it a - click to downshift and accelerate a little quicker and make it easier to merge in.. then the gear will change back up automatically or u can just click + whenever u want.. u can downshift 2 gears by clicking it twice to bring the rpms up higher.. but make sure u dnt bring them up too high... and u can use the downshift for engine braking

In (S):
u can slap ur car into S at anytime but it will only activate the paddle shifters when u click upshift (+) or downshift (-).. then ur car will shift through gears when u tell it to.. ur car will NOT upshift into the next gear by itslelf u must change the gears..
Now u can drive in S without the paddle shifters but it will only take u through 4 gears from a stop and it will shift by it self at higher Rpms until u activate the paddles then ur on ur own for shifting .. Ex. if ur in D on a highway and u put it in S it will downshift from 5th to 4th and then wait for u to click + to go into 5th..

i hope i was a help ..
if its still confusing i could show u in person at an upcoming fit meet.. or anytime just let me kno id be glad to help

 

I just want to add that when in S mode the car will not let you over rev the engine. If you are going 70 mph in 5th gear and click the downshift paddle four times it won't let you shift into 1st because it would seriously damage your engine, all that happens is the display that shows the gear will flash. Just play around with it in Sport mode you can't do much damage as long as you remember to up shift before you get to the red line.

 

^^^ dang posted while i was typing lol .. well now u have 2 little instruction guides

 

since your breaking the motor in dnt speed with it yet
i forgot after how many miles it breaks in properly lol sorry
but the d is to drive it automatic
wen u drop it to s u press the lowering gear paddle to put the car in first
itll show u wat gear ur in
if u want to drive around normally i suggest u leave it in d .
i drive mines in s because i have more control of the car
i can rev n shift wen id like.
its like a manual with the paddles n without cluth
n wen im slowin down i gear it down not to much though so it wnt rev hi
jus mess aorund with it n get comfortable with it

 

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

^ Give that thread a look. There is plenty of info there to answer any questions or concerns about using the paddles.

 

Thanks for all the info! I thought I was going to get flamed for this question for sure lol.

FitDEEZ - I might just need to have this all shown to me at one of the meets, mostly because I learn a lot better by seeing, especially if it's something I don't really get at first. But we'll see! Maybe by then I'll have a breakthrough! Already all the info here is making it make a lot more sense.

I love this forum! <3

 

no problem.. im cool with it