just bought the fit the other day, what a great car! i wanted to know if anybody uses the gear shifter in an auto like a manual . i don't want to break anything. but it seems like the car wants to be driven that way .does anybody else drive like this? i have no paddles. thanks in advance.

 

sounds like a bad idea!

 

just read some other post about it.wouldn't it be like driving in the s mode on the sports model.just with out the paddles?

 

Are you talking about moving the automatic shifter up and down the D1-3?(or w/e it may be) Sorry, but it's not exactly what you think you're doing or rather think what it is.

What you are doing is shifting through different gear modes, not actual gears

 

There's nothing wrong with what you're doing, they wouldn't have allowed the feature otherwise.

 

yes i am talking about the automatic shifter 1 thru d .i uderstand that you can change the gears in s mode but woundnt that be the same thing as shifting up and down on a a automatic base?and i also was worried about wearing out the auto shifter .thanks for your opinion secondspassed i didnt think of it like that

 

Wow... Are you serious?

 

Doh! be careful there... The feature was designed to aid in specific conditions like dead stop starts on ice, or going downhill.
The feature was not designed to allow the user to manually shift their automatic, obviously, or else they would have added 4th and 5th.

honda added rpm fuel cutoff, but that doesn't mean it's ok to redline the engine everytime.

 

am i serious about what. ijust thought the s mode lets you drive manual without a clutch. had to go outside and read the manual.it said that it would hold the gear longer in s mode than d mode.sorry if this sounded stupid i never owned a stick!

 

He's not gonna do any more damage than he would shifting on his own in sport mode with paddles. There is no difference in the shifting mechanism or the actual transmission. If he wants to drive that way (1-2-D3-D) off the line or downshift to slow down it carries the same risks and responsibilities as the AT sport model does - any number of decisions putting extra wear and tear on the transmission and fluid.

 

I agree with secondspassed i think if Honda didn't want you shifting they would have made you stop the car to change gears. as i see it the base can be run just like the sport where as the sport has hands on control rather than reaching for the shifter.one other question while i have you guys.does engine breaking waste gas?

 

On the contrary, engine braking saves gas. The Fit stops injecting fuel at anything above like 1100rpm as soon as you take your foot off the gas. However, doing it too much will definitely put extra wear on the transmission. Brakes are cheaper to maintain.

 

gotcha thanks for the info didnt no that. happy driving everyone

 

IIRC, the manually basically says you can do this if you have a base auto or for some reason don't want to use the paddles in your sport auto.

 

online download of the 2008 manual:

"By upshifting and downshifting

through 1, 2, D , and D, you can
operate the transmission much like a
manual transmission without a

clutch pedal."

Also, it doesn't appear that position 1 or 2 will allow the trans to up or down shift... but that makes sense.

 

so basicly you have control of 4 th and 5th with the paddles where as you have no control in d mode on the base model .

 

On my 2008 Base AT, I've noticed the AT will downshift enough to engine brake during hard stops to assist in stopping the vehicle. No hard downshift during gentle braking.

In other words, Honda designed our ATs to engine brake.

 

i was just talking to a friend of mine who works for the honda service department for 20 years .he told me by all means drive it like that! made me feel a lot better.then he added you got 60000 on the tranny warranty and laughed