Hello all. I have searched my *** off for the answer, and have found nothing. Apologies if this has been asked before.

IMO, driving in manual mode is a lot of fun, but I want to make sure I’m doing things correctly and in the best way.

So, if I’m on the hwy, in manual mode in 7th gear...inevitably someone is going 60 in the left lane and I want to pass him.

My question would be, which gear is best to shift down to for this? I don’t need to be doing 110 when I pass him, but a nice rip in whatever gear assuming I’m going 65-70 while in 7th. Is this 5th, 4th, 3rd??? Let’s hear what you think.

My biggest concern is how quick I can move down the gears without pissing off the wonky 7at and ensuring a smooth-ish transition. Can I go from say 7-4th as fast as I can shift, or should I allow some time in between? I’m having a hard time finding a balance so that I may make passes quickly.

Someone told me to in another post to “quit worrying and enjoy the car” which has been very good advice haha. But this is bothering me and I’d appreciate everyone’s help!

 

Go out and enjoy the car!

And - find some safe road to test out how the car reacts at different speeds so you know what to expect. The transmission shouldn't allow you to do anything to harm it, however there's always that chance. This is the only car that I've owned that won't automatically shift up at redline and instead will hit the rev limiter and start to buck - most cars will shift into the next gear regardless of what you're asking it to do. And, depending on your speed, won't automatically downshift to the lowest gear for greatest acceleration - you'll need to do this manually.

Be safe!

-Eric

 

Get familiar with the gearing. 1-2 are short, 3 is normal, 4 is long, 5-7 are for MPG.

 

Your car has an automatic transmission for the simple reason it will downshift automatically for you if you want to rip by a slower driver
Sames goes for upshifting

 

You could leave the car in automatic mode and let the trans shift itself. It will do a better job than you anyhow.

 

^^^ sigh

I find that two left hand bumps on the paddles in D puts me in the power and for a quick passing push.

Or just drive in DS and it does the same when I go WOT as above.

I only manual shift the DS when I’m in the twisties. The computer has a nasty habit of shifting gears at the worst time to unsettle the chassis.

 

Pay the people no mind that didn't answer the question. You can shift better than the car because the trans is programed for fuel economy, not max performance. DS mode doesn't make the car any faster, just makes the car more responsive. I find that on the highway 4th gear is best for passing . On the street then it's 3rd. You can drop down as fast as you like. If you use the paddles in d then it will shift back to d on it's own. To keep in manual mode forever you have to use the paddles in ds mode. At least it's that way on my IPL.

 

With non-IPL (no paddles) once you manually shift it stays in that mode. If I manually shift I needed to go to "D" then back to "DS" to keep it in sport mode and allow the car to determine shift points. It will never upshift but will downshift as you come to a stop which should be the same.

-Eric

 

Sport models come with paddles

 

Drop down as many gears as you feel gives you the acceleration you want. The ECU/TCU will not let you downshift so far as to end up at or above redline.

 

I like 4th for passing on the highway, keeps it up in the right revs. I hate this trans and will mostly drive in manual mode, but that's my preference

 

I drive in Manual mode almost exclusively (why didn't you get a MT then!!!) TRAFFIC!!!
I cant stand this transmisiion honestly one of the worst I have driven.
I find that 4th around cruising speed on the highway coming from 6 or 7th gives you plenty of power to shift
Do it what feels best for you and the car.
As others have said don't think the computer is going to let you screw up your engine. Think about how many warranty claim would be out there for blown motors by idiots(the general public)