Hi fellow fit people. I am new to this forum and am a new 2009 fit sport automatic owner. I just bought a new 2009 fit sport in metallic silver 2 weeks ago and I think I made a good choice. However, as I am just learning the features of my new car something unusual seems to occur.

Here is the scenario-- I am driving along at about 20 - 25m/h.
I come to a very big hill -so I take my foot off the gas.
As I travel down hill my car seems to downshift I think to 1st gear??? Thus my car does not pick up any speed as my other car would do which is what I want it to do because it goes down hill too slow..

I always drive with the transmission in normal (d) drive mode..

Is this normal and do I have to step on the gas to go faster or is there a tranmission/computer problem. Other than this the tranny seems to shift normally..

Any comments and/or similar experiences appreciated



unfit69

 

My understanding is that the auto is a "grade logic" transmission. Here in Florida we don't have any hills or mountains, but I still find that the transmission still pulls the car down as soon as you step off the gas. I don't like that, my peference would be for it to "free wheel" unless I want it to downshift. You might try using "S" mode and see if it stays in 5th or 4th. Be aware that in S mode you need to use the paddle shifters or it will still function as a full automatic. hope that helps

 

your car is fine.

first of all, you're not suppose to gas it on a downhill...and the reason the car downshifts is because it uses the engine to brake...engine braking...i drive a stick,and i downshift to slow down the car rather than applying the brakes since that will kill the brakes/ make it fade more quickly.

so essentially, the auto is doing the same as driving a stick...it is using the gears to engine brake.

correct me if im wrong guys.

 

Just throwing in my 2 cents that this is normal behavior. In cases where I don't want it to do that, I either lightly touch the gas pedal or, if it actually downshifted, just give a tap on the paddle shifter to upshift.

 

drive with the paddle shifters whenever possible. it's way more fun that way, anyhow.

 

Pretty much spot-on.
Yes the GE's auto gearbox has grade logic built into it - Honda used it as a selling point over here. Think of it as an idiot-proofing measure that will automatically perform engine braking for you and hold lower gears when necessary - in this case, going up and down hills.

 

It will also avoid up-shifting when going up a hill and you release the gas some, anticipating that you'll want the same or lower gear soon.

It's pretty clever.

 

Well, I'm not so sure. I would think that a smart "grade-logic" transmission would understand the difference between zero degree and incline/decline. Thus during zero degree driving (i.e not going up or down a hill) the transmission would not result in engine braking during periods of no throtle. Of the four cars that I have, only my Honda will "pull the car down" when I release the gas. I would think that this vehicle would achieve higher MPG if this didn't happen during zero grade. In fact, my 2002 Chrysler Town and Country minivan has a "free-wheeling" feature that allows the vehicle to coast significant distances when approaching stop signs and traffic lights. I'm sometimes amazed as to how far I can travel with very little loss of speed, and perhaps this has me somewhat spoiled. Nonetheless, my Honda seems to be the only car that won't allow me to coast. Going down or up a hill would be a different story.

 

Can't you just throw it in N??

 

Ha Ha - living life on the edge!

Cat :x

 

It does tell the difference; the behavior of the transmission is different on level roads.

I don't notice any difference between the Honda transmission and other autos I've driven (Ford, Toyota, Nissan) as far as engine braking on level roads. It's been a while since I drove a Chrysler product. They aren't known for good MPG are they?

Researching US transmission technology I'm not aware of any that "free wheel." All automatic transmissions disengage the torque-converter lock-up at some point, allowing some difference in engine speed. I suspect your other cars have torque converters with higher stall speeds. This allows higher RPMs/torque giving better performance (and less engine braking) but means a hit on fuel economy due to increased slipping.

I really don't notice engine braking when on level roads and the accelerator is released in the Fit.

If you're driving a Sport, are you shifting it yourself? This may result in the behavior you are seeing, where it would have shifted to a higher gear on its own.

 

Steve, I notice a significant difference compared with my other vehicles. Especially at a slow speed..say traveling on a 35mph speed zone and approaching a stop sign. With my other vehicles I can just take my foot off the gas, but with the Fit I need to stay on it longer. I doubt if there is a "hit on fuel economy" with other vehicles since I can detect converter lock up and thus no slippage when using the gas. I've tried using the S mode and using the shifters, but when it comes to coasting I really see no difference.

Yes, Chrysler's are usually poor MPG vehicles, but my van gets an overall average of 20, and usually 26 on highway. Not too bad for a 3.8L. And yes, that trans was designed to unlock when you release the gas and on a level road. Designed to "up" the EPA fuel estimates I was told by a service tech. For example, driving at 45mph I can get off the gas and coast a considerable distance and loose very little speed. You really have to adjust your driving habit to take advantage, and maybe thats why I feel such a difference.

 

Most cars including Honda don't lock-up the torque converter until over 50MPH.

The Fit seems to lock-up at lower speeds but I have nothing to base this on other than a feeling and watching the tach. It seems to unlock readily when releasing the gas and not on a down-slope.

I paid attention this morning. Releasing the gas at 35-40MPH, the RPM's drop to about 1,000 and there isn't noticeable engine braking, except one time when I was accelerating moderately and abruptly released the gas; there was momentary engine braking before the lock-up released (or shifting to a higher gear?) but I was also on a slight downward slope when that happened.

Maybe your TCM (PCM?) is failing to unlock the torque converter when it should. I'd expect it to throw a code (P0740 on Hondas) if this were happening but that code is usually failing to lock the converter. If it weren't unlocking you'd be stalling the engine.

Might be a faulty grade sensor (PCM again) and putting you in a lower gear when you could be in a higher gear?

Either way it's worthy of having checked at Honda.

Nobody thought my US Transmission Technology link was funny? ahhhhh I slay me...