Automatic shifting yay or nay?

[Roopert]

Is it damaging to an automatic FRS to be consistently in "manual mode" ? I use it for my commute every day because it's a lot of fun but recently thought about potential damage. Anyone have insight? I spend about 10-15 minutes of my commute on really fun winding roads.

Purchased 12/2019
2015 FRS-Automatic
13,500 odometer
Stock
25 mile commute round trip


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[HKz]

why would manual mode change anything? it is still a computer shifting..the only potential damage I could see would be going into manual mode straight away and banging the limiter before your engine has a chance to warm up but keep in mind it is no different than keeping it in automatic mode and going full throttle, the computer will keep it in lower gear and go to redline.. so in short, after it is up to operating temp, the mode should not make a single difference when you have an automatic trans and you ain't doing any damage to the engine..more wear perhaps, but if you aren't putting extra wear then you're doin it wrong.

[mrg666]

There is absolutely no problem with manual shifting. I always drive in manual mode.

[86TOYO2k17]

Potentially more damaging not using it

[Tcoat]

What HKz said.

[86TOYO2k17]

Auto mode likes to lug the engine in certain scenarios, manually downshifting in anticipation when you know it’s going to lug will be better for your engine, if its a scenario that lasts long enough to where it will auto up shift again after manually downshifting and lug the engine putting it into manual mode for the duration of the scenario to hold the gear will be better for the engine.

[Spuds]

The car will be fine, you will be better.

With practice, you might be able to get a real transmission if your own one day!

(That was a joke, the classic AT vs MT arguments entertain me).

[mrg666]

Originally Posted by 86TOYO2k17

Auto mode likes to lug the engine in certain scenarios, manually downshifting in anticipation when you know it’s going to lug will be better for your engine, if its a scenario that lasts long enough to where it will auto up shift again after manually downshifting and lug the engine putting it into manual mode for the duration of the scenario to hold the gear will be better for the engine.

Exactly! Automatic transmission reacts after the effect. When I am shifting manually, I manually downshift before the effect which reduces engine wear and also saves gas ... much more efficient. That is the way to avoid torque dip, I don't have it but still that is the way to drive our twins.

[Sasquachulator]

yeahhh........no

Its designed to shift gears....its not gonna break.

And even still the computer will prevent you from doing something stupid like downshift to the wrong gear and overrev the engine

[guitarman]

Originally Posted by Sasquachulator

And even still the computer will prevent you from doing something stupid like downshift to the wrong gear and overrev the engine

Yup....I've ah-hem...."tested" this failsafe myself. The dashboard lights up like a xmas tree and blinks "you idiot" but the computer does not let this happen.

The other problem I sometimes seem to have is when I switch back and forth and "forget" that I am in manual mode-until I'm redlining in 1st and looking like an idiot. Maybe I should just keep it Manual-mode all the time. Maybe I'm just going senile....hard to say

[Roopert]

Thank you all for the responses. My mind is put at ease. Time to go have some fun.

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[Ultramaroon]

I disagree with most of the above comments because, in fact, we don't have enough information to determine whether or not there are any relevant functional differences between the two modes.

But it doesn't really matter because, by now, we would likely have seen failures that could be attributed to using one mode over the other. That was how the design flaw in the first gen five-speed hondamatic transmission was discovered. The manual mode was more aggressive in its timing and didn't wait sufficiently for rev match. The root cause was actually insufficient cooling of the - iirc - third gear brake band but they went with a firmware patch at first.

[Roopert]

And just like that... paranoia

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[Spuds]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I disagree with most of the above comments because, in fact, we don't have enough information to determine whether or not there are any relevant functional differences between the two modes.

But it doesn't really matter because, by now, we would likely have seen failures that could be attributed to using one mode over the other. That was how the design flaw in the first gen five-speed hondamatic transmission was discovered. The manual mode was more aggressive in its timing and didn't wait sufficiently for rev match. The root cause was actually insufficient cooling of the - iirc - third gear brake band but they went with a firmware patch at first.

I wish I could say you were full of it, but everything you said is technically true...

But also bullshit.