My 99 prelude feels like its trying to gear down when driving it at low speeds (say 5-15 mph). For example, i'll start the car,put it in drive and drive slow over the speed bumps, and if I let my foot off the gas the car abruptly slows down, like i was breaking or something. Does that sound normal? Sorry, I know its not the best explination. Thanks.

 

Is this when it's in SS mode, or straight auto mode. And when ur at like 5-15 mph, what gear are you in? The SS mode will gear down for you if you are a low enough speed. This just happened to me like 15 min. ago. I was in 4th gear after going up a hill, and there was a slow *** car in front of me, so i had to be goin like 30, and the SS shifted into 3rd gear automatically. This could be what ur experiencing.

 

i've test drove a couple cars with SS, preludes, jettas, audis...they all had that same issue - as soon as letting off the gas in lower gears it tried to -or- seemed to tried downshift itself. and the jetta & audi automatically upshifted when they hit their 'safe' rpm point. They also automatically downshift when not at an rpm to warrent the gear i was in, i.e. if rolling towards a redlight in 3rd gear, once stopped at the redlight it would automatically downshift into first. Even though SS gives the illusion of being manually in control of the gears, you're not, the car is. i do know exactly what you're talking about with "gear down" issue though, from my experience with it, you dont have the control over first gear in the SS the way you do in an manual, so in a manual you have the ability to stay in that gear for a long time, rpm's move quickly in first gear, so in an SS the first gear is shifted through a lot more quickly because it automatically shifts at a certain rpm...in an SS to stay in first gear you have to be going really really slow...and often when i thought i would be going slow enough to be in first gear, i wasn't, i was in second, and when i let off the gas, and rpm fell off, the car seemed to brake on its own -or- 'gear down'.

i got a manual.

 

That upshift thing has never happened with my SS. I accidentally bounced off the rev limiter once while I was in first gear.

 

yeah i've seen that happen to. it does not automatically upshift in SS mode.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by preludeez &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> and the jetta & audi automatically upshifted when they hit their 'safe' rpm point. </TD></TR></TABLE>

....i was referring to jetta & audi upshifting, as stated. (i can see now re-reading my post that i did blur the Vdub's and lude experiences together) since i do not own an SS prelude i can not comment on it upshifting or not when it hits the rev limiter....normally i try to shift before then.

but it is good to know that the prelude SS doesnt upshift for you, allowing you remain in a gear as long as you wish, even if it is until you slam the rev limiter.

 

You can red line it and blow it just like a manual, I've red lined it a couple times by mistake before too.