Whats up fellas, I gotta couple of questions actually for ya. I ve noticed that I tend to drive my car much more in MM than in Auto. Its more fun, controlled and all that. And I know somebody is gonna come on and say "ya shoulda got a 6mt", well I didnt lol and I m glad cuz in traffic I just shift it over to D and its wrap. Anyhow here are a couple questions I got about the "proper" usage of MM

1. Whats the top speed you can reach per gear?
2. Is it okay to Rev it all the way up to 5.5 RPM or closest to redline but not actually redlining?
3. Is it okay for the tranny to drive in MM more than auto? That question sounds dumb I know
4. If your driving in auto can you switch over to MM or do you have to come to a complete stop and switch? The same goes for MM, do you have to stop and switch to D or can you do it in motion
5. Does it hurt when you downshift alot? I dont downshift from 3-2 or 2-1 but I do downshift from 5-3.

Thanks for your help fellas, just wanna be sure of a couple of things as I enjoy the MM much much more than just the auto. Plus you get a big kick of power out of it as opposed to the auto.


-Vin

 

I have an '03 1/2 sedan and I know that manumatic mode changes from Sedan to Coupe and from year to year. For my car however, you can shift back and forth from D to MM mode at any speed. It always shifts into D4. As far as shifting up and down at speed (as far as I know) you can go all the way to redline any time you wish. Anything more than that and you'll hit the rev-limiter. Top speed for any gear would equate to that gear's speed at redline. I downshift from 3 to 2 all the time when making turns. It's great to have control when cornering and being able to accelerate like hell when coming out of a turn.

I am also interested in what drivers of the other versions of the MM do.

 

In my coupe, top speed in 1st is about 30mph. 2nd is about 60 mph.
The more you rev it to redline or there abouts, the more gas will be consumed and the more ware and tear on the engine. The engine is built for speed, but I wouldn't continually redline it.
It's ok to drive in MM anytime you please. Be preparard for a slight penalty in gas mileage, but other than that, I'd say it's fine.
No you don't need to stop to switch to MM or back. You can engage it any time, but don't forget in the Sedan, it will stay in 4th gear until you change it.
I don't think it hurts to use MM. It has some failsafe modes in it to prevent engagement of lower gears that would not be compatible with corresponding road speed, so it should be fool proof.

Enjoy. It really is fun. And when you get lazy, you can just leave it in Automatic mode and go along for the ride.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, they've been helpful soo far.

-Vin

 

In response to question 5:

This was covered before (Sedan General: Nov 03 "Engine breaking w/ 5 AT").

Basically it came down to no worries for the transmission-it is a fluid coupling device with no parts to wear but possible increased stress to the camshaft. I would recommend using it for mild breaking, but not 5-3 downshifts if you plan on keeping the car longterm (200,000+ miles)

g4ian

 

I drive in MM mode like its my job. I barely ever use auto unless im on the phone or something. To tell u the truth, I run my car to like 6k rpms everyday (on mm). As for switching to MM mode while in driving, just make sure your in the gear your supposed to be when u switch over, so you can avoid the clunk. for example, say if you shift from 1st to 2nd and just hold second and cruise and switch to MM while in 2nd, the car will make a big clunk noice which im sure is not too great for the engine. I used to donshift with MM but I remember someone telling me its not good for the car. I have heard mixed reviews on it actually.

by the way, the loaner car MM sucks. It doesn't reset back to first gear when you stop...how gay.

 

Hey how do you guys drive in mm mode all the time? I always feel uncomfortable when im braking while driving in mm mode. Do you guys downshift while braking to put your car in a lower gear, or do u guys just keep it in gear and let the car automatically shift to a lower gear? Because i realize when i downshift in mm while braking i get a sudden uncomfortable jerk. Like all of a sudden im stopping alot harder. So usually when i drive in mm mode and say theres a redlight, i just shift to D and then slow down. Is that what you guys do?

 

My car's a lease so it goes back in 2006.

-Vin

 

If your downshifting from 3-2 or 2-1 chances are you gonna feel a clunk. You should let the car downshift itself from 3-1. I think downshifting from 5-3 is safe. I never just shift to D and stop. i like the downshifting sound from the muffler and the sound of when your slowin down in gears 1 & 2.

-Vin

 

Your loaner must have been a pre-04 sedan (like mine).

Sucks? Not really It's just a different design and is quite useful in daily driving (once you learn how to use it).

Gay? That depends. Are you hoMMophobic?

 

Wow me and you drive EXACTLY the same, except i take it a little past redline quite often for the perfect crisp shift, i found the best shift point haha I NEVER drive in D, EVER!

 

Still breaking mine in, 287 miles on the odo.
Done MM a couple times a for a couple minutes, never near the redline, but can't wait for the day to approach.

 

When you are in the MM mode, does it let you go past redline or does it automatically max out at 6600 rpm or does it automatically shift for you? I'm still in the break in period so i havent had a chance to test that.

 

I have no idea.

I'm around 1450 miles now. I rev higher and more often in MM now since im broken in, though I've still never took it past around 6100 RPM.
And I still have not pushed the car all the way, but come close to it.