seezur

I have always wanted to use the manual mode on my automatic 2007 Accord Coupe EX-L, but I don't really know much about it. I have heard that in standard cars if you down shift at too high of a speed you can strip your gears (I have only had automatic, so correct me if I am wrong). For this reason, I have been very hesitant to use my car like a standard.
I read what Honda left in the owner's manual and this is what I came out with: There is an engine speed limiter (to prevent people like me from destroying their transmissions) and the car can be used like a manual, just without a clutch.

The owner's manual left me with some questions:

How exactly does the engine speed limiter work?

What speeds should I be shifting at (e.g. 1 to 2 at 15 mph)? The owner's manual only specifies this information for manuals.

What benefits are there in using manual mode?

What can happen if I mess up? By messing up I mean what if I shift at the wrong time from 1 to 2 at low speeds, or I down shift to 1 at too high of speeds. Are there any other bad things that can happen?


Word for word from the manual this is what the engine speed limiter is for:
"If you exceed the maximum speed for the gear you are in, the engine speed will enter into the tachometer's red zone. If this occurs you may feel the engine cut in and out. This is caused by a limiter in the engine's computer controls. The engine will run normally when you reduce the rpm below the red zone."

Does this mean that if I down shift at a high speed the car's chip will lower fuel sent to the engine until the rpm are lowered without destroying the gears? It seems that if I was in D (fourth) going fast and I down shifted to 1 my transmission would be destroyed. Does it just prevent you from down shifting if it is dangerous?

If I am in the red zone waiting for the rpm to drop after improperly down shifting will my car sustain damage?

If I am in too high of a gear for the speed I am going (D3 at 20 mph) does the Accord automatically down shift (while in gears other than D)? If not, can this cause problems for the car or does it just strain to turn the gear (but not cause actual damage)?

Finally, what is the most important thing to understand about manual mode?

I know it is a ton of questions, but as you can see I am pretty cautious when it comes to something like this. I am unaware if the warranty covers bad decisions, so I want to be sure that there is a relatively low amount of risk to operating in manual mode before I do so.

Thanks a ton for the help, and if anything I said/asked doesn't make sense just ask and I can clarify it for you.

sony224422

well to start you off, you can't strip gears by downshifting. the worse thing you can do is blow youre engine from over revving haha.

But with an auto, you could drop it into 1 at highway speeds and all it will do is downshift into 3rd. It will not engage into a gear unless it is safe for it to do. I engine brake all the time getting off the highway, just knock it down from d4 into d3 and let it slow itself down.

seezur

So basically, there should be no way to mess up my engine as long as I am shifting between the 1, 2, D3, D gears (and not going from D to R or something idiotic like that)?

seezur

I tried it last night, everything seemed to work fine. What speeds are ideal for shifting though? I was going to 2 at 15 mph, D3 at 25 mph, and D at 35-40 mph. Seemed to work fine, but there was little to no jolt from shifting (was I shifting too early?).

The-Kid

You can shift whenever you want to. I just shift whenever it reaches around 3 or 4k. Like the regular shifting in D4. You can even redline.

1-2=20mph
2-3=40mph
3-4=50mph and higher.....

Your car has 5 speeds so those can be closer apart.