Base or Sport? Manual or Sport Auto?

[piyoimut]

Hello... this is my 1st Post here after reading so many posts and after all the research, there are still some questions to decide which Fit will "Fit" me better.

Base vs Sport:
I was gonna take the Base, but then I read that the Base have no holes on the sides for the sideskirt..(and I plan to add aftermarket sideskirt, so OEM holes are needed, no?)
I could careless about the Cruise control, Music, Wheels, IPOD connector, etc..
What I want is the ease to replace the bodykit with something else to make the car "cute". Hey! at least I'm honest..

ps: I also read it's easier to just get the sport, take off the stuff I don't want and sell them. so Sport it is. (tell me if I'm wrong.. LOL)

Manual vs AT(paddle):
Ok, I'm leaning toward manual but I test drove the FIT AT sport paddle once (I didn't really do some spirited driving with it). I think it was Okay..
it was much better than the regular Auto for sure..
what I want to ask those with AT in Sport mode is:
Can you keep the Fit in a 'Sweet Spot' when spirited driving?
well.. the easiest to explain this is when you take it to a road-course, can the car downshift from 5th to 4th.. to 3rd (rev-match for you).. like the manual car do? or is the balance of the car will be disturbed? (like a little choked)..

Maybe I'm barking up a wrong tree but coming from an ITR, NA1, and EH2, the routine was to drive it as close to redline, hairpin is coming, brake a little.. rev-match, downshift, turn, punch again.. etc..
sure.. the Fit is way underpowered.. but I'd still want to be able to rev-match and keep it up there..

I don't care about it's acceleration from 0-60 or quarter-mile..
what I want is to keep the car in balance during tight turns and able to have it in the sweet-spot.

SSM is the color of my choice.. Taffy white next..

[pjones]

My advise is get the manual if you are an enthusiast, which it sounds like you are. I got manual and Im glad I didnt compromise on it.I hear the auto tranny looses more power due to the nature of auto transmissions and with only 109hp I want as much as I can get to the ground. Lots of people like the paddles and thats great but for me it was an easy descision. Im sure you know by now the manuals are much harder to come by so be prepared to wait a bit.

I also got the base model Fit. Im not really into bodykits for myself but I am willing to bet you can drill whatever holes you need for aftermarket kits with a bit of research and a little effort and you can save the 2k from the sport model.

patj

[manxman]

I agree with "order the MT". With the AT and paddle shifting, the trans is always in gear, never in neutral, so there is no "rev matching"- just instant shift to a higher or lower gear with the paddles. I enjoy the AT with constant mountain road driving, and get 32-33 mpg with mine, but you sound like you will be happiest with the MT (and unfortunately a long wait). I also agree that any needed holes can always be drilled, so no need to spend extra for Sport model that you will change anyway.

[koolkevin1107]

actually i rev-match my sport AT w/ my paddles every single time. I've been doing it for over a year and havn't gotten any problems whatsoever.

I agree w/ you go w/ a base MT and upgrade whatever u want on it. Don't worry about the side skirts if ur gonna install em your self, its just minor work. If ur gonna get a body shop to do it, they know what 2 do.

[manxman]

Kevin-
If you can't disengage the trans (as in depress the clutch) to increase engine revs in downshifting, "rev matching" is not applicable with an auto trans. If you are turning 4000 rpm in 3rd and intend to downshift, hitting the gas pedal just increases your revs and speed in 3rd gear. It makes no difference what you do with rpm during a downshift, because you are always in gear.

[piyoimut]

Thanks for the reply..
just what I thought, AT sport can't rev-match..
AT sport will take the Fun of driving(for me).
Manual then..


heh.. I wonder how the F1 cars run then.. no need to hold "sweet spot".
I suppose those F1 have enough power in all RPMs unlike our Hondas..

[doctordoom]

to my knowledge, F1 cars have a different transmission altogether. it's not manual or auto, it's a sequential gearbox. i don't know how many cars with autos actually rev match when you paddle to downshift. but the lexus IS-F concept car has a transmission that does rev match/blip the throttle

[koolkevin1107]

Originally Posted by manxman

Kevin-
If you can't disengage the trans (as in depress the clutch) to increase engine revs in downshifting, "rev matching" is not applicable with an auto trans. If you are turning 4000 rpm in 3rd and intend to downshift, hitting the gas pedal just increases your revs and speed in 3rd gear. It makes no difference what you do with rpm during a downshift, because you are always in gear.

your right on the tranny always in gear im not sayin ur wrong at all i'm jus saying i do rev-match the car. It's the point where the gears change is when i rev-match it. It's exactly the same as a manual car (i do it on my mom's camry all the time) and i see no difference other then i don't have to depress a clutch to do it.

[piyoimut]

Originally Posted by koolkevin1107

It's the point where the gears change is when i rev-match it. It's exactly the same as a manual car

can you ellaborate? I mean.. how do you rev-match when the gear is always engaged?
from what I see.. is that you downshifted, the engine revved-up(while the car also jerks, throwing balance off).. and yes, you're at the lower gear and ready to go.. I can see this from 4th gear to 3rd..
but what if the turn is so sharp, you brake hard, want to go from 4th to 2nd while rev-matching so on the exit you're close to the limit of 6-7K RPM?

or maybe on a road course.. you have to just brake hard.. then when it's slow enough, press the "-" twice to go down from 4th gear to 2nd gear.. and press on from there..

that could work.. but.. it'll take some habits to do..
I'd rather put the gear to neutral, heel-toe to rev-match while braking.. and exit.

[manxman]

Originally Posted by piyoimut

can you ellaborate? I mean.. how do you rev-match when the gear is always engaged?
from what I see.. is that you downshifted, the engine revved-up(while the car also jerks, throwing balance off).. and yes, you're at the lower gear and ready to go.. I can see this from 4th gear to 3rd..
but what if the turn is so sharp, you brake hard, want to go from 4th to 2nd while rev-matching so on the exit you're close to the limit of 6-7K RPM?

or maybe on a road course.. you have to just brake hard.. then when it's slow enough, press the "-" twice to go down from 4th gear to 2nd gear.. and press on from there..

that could work.. but.. it'll take some habits to do..
I'd rather put the gear to neutral, heel-toe to rev-match while braking.. and exit.

I am guessing that Kevin is saying that while the trans is in the process of downshifting from one gear to another, he hits the gas and tries to duplicate the sound and feel of a downshift in a manual trans.

The auto trans duplicates the gear changes of a manual through the use of the torque converter instead of clutch, hydraulic valves and clutch plates to engage whatever gear is selected by the gear shift.

By pretending to match revs in an auto trans downshift, you accomplish nothing except to accelerate wear on the auto trans parts.

The only reason that anyone revs the engine between gears in downshifting a manual trans is to save wear on the clutch, by matching flywheel rpm to the approximate rpm that the next lower gear will demand from the engine. Less clutch slipping = less clutch wear.

None of this matters or is possible with OUR auto transmissions, and pretending that that's what you are doing is like imitating the sound of a Hemi V-8. Your imitation might be good, but you don't have one.

[Halcyon]

I have a sport A/T and i'm bored with it. Paddles are cool but i dont know what to do with my hand anymore and so in this case, i have rather wished i got M/T. Oh well, maybe ill trade it in for a M/T and be quiet forever.