How to use the "sport function" of automatic transmission in Installs/How To?/FAQ's Forum

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How to use the "sport function" of automatic transmission

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Merlot02	How to use the "sport function" of automatic transmission	Lead	[-]
Posts: 28 (05/10/09 07:07:49) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : sport function, transmission, shifting Remove this ad Ya'll are probably going to think this is a stupid question, but I am a lifelong (33+ years) stick-shift driver. I briefly drove a Cutlass in the 80s (ugh!) in Chicago, so just stuck it in drive. How are you using the "manual" shift side of the Santa Fe's transmission? Of course I understand the principle of the thing, but all the OM says is basically push up (+) for higher gear and down (-) for lower gear and that this can be done from stationary or while moving. From stationary makes sense to me - just like starting from a stop in a stick-shift car, but I can't see popping it over to the manual side when moving at, say, 45 mph. My sister, who has a 2001, said she used the lower gears driving down the long mountain grades out west while driving the car from OR to MI. When I drive to MI on vacation there are several steep inclines that I used to start out in 5th gear and down shift, sequentially, to 2nd by the time I got to the top (in 5pd manual). How would that be handled with this transmission? Mine is an '02 in case you can't figure that out from my user name. Thanks
DSHornet	Manually shifting	#1	[-]
Posts: 82 (05/10/09 13:33:03) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	You can start in 1st or 2nd, but not a higher gear. This can help starting on ice. The minimum upshift speeds for 3rd and 4th still apply - for example, you can't force a 3-4 upshift until at least 30 MPH, which also is the slowest speed for an automatic 3-4 upshift. You can delay an upshift if you want, like allowing it to shift 1-2-3 automatically, but then move the stick over to the manual slot to hold it in 3rd, manually upshift to 4th, or manually downshift to 2nd. I haven't tried it but I've been told if you leave it in the manual slot and let the engine rev to near the red line, the transaxle will still upshift to avoid overrevving the engine. I use mine to hold it back on hills and if approaching a red light. If the light turns green, I put it in auto and go on my merry way. Also, it seems to be a little slow to upshift automatically that first time in the morning, so I often make it upshift to 1, then 2, then 3. After the first stop sign, it does okay. (I'm no different. My hips and knees don't want to work the first minute out of bed, either. ) BTW, does "ya'll" mean you're Southern? Paw-paw Don, y'all --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Favorite saying: "There's never an apology needed for exercising the Golden Rule" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Military Veteran (US Air Force, Alabama Air National Guard, 24 years total) Son of Milton (US Army, World War II, North Africa, Sicily, and Italy) Son-in-law of Otis (US Navy, World War II, Atlantic and Pacific Theaters) Father of Matthew (US Army, Tennessee National Guard, Iraq War Veteran) Father-in-law of Mark (US Marines) Nephew of Joseph Donald (US Army, World War II, Burma Campaign)
Merlot02		#2	[-]
Posts: 29 (05/10/09 18:25:53) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks, I experimented a little while I was out today, but on dry flat roads I don't think I got any advantage out of manual shifting. I did try the 3-4 upshift at 30 and it wouldn't do it. I think 32-333 is where my car shifts into 4th. Makes sense as on a 5 spd that 3 to 4 at 30 is a tad early - and driving at a flat 30 always seemed to be just on the edge of 3rd, but not quite 4th. I just don't want to screw up the transmission by doing something it doesn't like, but it sounds like maybe it won't "let" me do something really stupid. LOL, not actually from the south - born in Chicago and lived here most of my life - only time I didn't was between the ages of 18 mos and 4 y.o., when my family lived in Raleigh, NC and I learned to talk down there. I was the only one in the family with a southern accent when we moved back up here and it drove my parents nuts. They tried to correct every word I said, but I just like to slip a few in every now and then - ya' know?
lovemysantafe		#3	[-]
Posts: 3474 (05/10/09 20:40:08) Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It won't let you do something insanely stupid although it gives you the freest (damn that word looks weird) range of control of any manual shift mode I've encountered. My dad's Acura RL won't even let you start in 2nd which has saved my bacon in the Santy in snow more than a few times. That and when I'm on cruise control, I'll throw it in '4' to keep it from downshifting. Personally, I use mine ALL the time at home where we have long steep hills and riding the brakes is the quick way to get new brake pads every 15,000-20,000 miles. But since I've been in other, flatter parts of the country I haven't touched it once. Santa Fe -- It doesn't get any better than this! "Like people, every car possesses a unique character, with its own DNA, talents, and idiosyncrasies. Push it too hard and it'll turn on you, as a person would. If it's worth anything, it gets more interesting the more you get to know it."

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