Why does first gear seem so weird??

[scottdk]

That is weird! That is not something I have seen with my 6 speed

+1

6 speed ZF always starts in 1st gear.

 

[Rich_R-SPEC]

I cant compare my 8 speed to your 6 speed. I would have to get other guys with 8 speed rspecs to chim in to see if this is consistent to what they are experiencing! From what I read each car has a different trans tune to it and even the R-spec has a different "trans tune" than a non R-spec 5.0. I would like to hear from others to see if this is normal.

05king, I have a 14 R SPEC 8spd trans. If I use ECO mode trans is sluggish on take off with light throttle and I know I'm in first gear but shifts to second almost immediately 1000rpm then you can feel it pull. If I hammer the throttle she will break loose the rear tires and can scratch in second. If I take it out of ECO she is much better in first at light throttle but my mileage drops slightly. If I manually shift I can spin the tires till Trac control kicks in and she just pulls till I let off. But I have that dead spot till the Trans catches up. Don't like it either but don't want the dealer changing my setup as I hear others can't spin the tires and I can in first and break loose in second and I'm all stock with the exception of removing the magnit in the air box bur still using factory air filter. Rich

 

[scottdk]

05king, I have a 14 R SPEC 8spd trans. If I use ECO mode trans is sluggish on take off with light throttle and I know I'm in first gear but shifts to second almost immediately 1000rpm then you can feel it pull. If I hammer the throttle she will break loose the rear tires and can scratch in second. If I take it out of ECO she is much better in first at light throttle but my mileage drops slightly. If I manually shift I can spin the tires till Trac control kicks in and she just pulls till I let off. But I have that dead spot till the Trans catches up. Don't like it either but don't want the dealer changing my setup as I hear others can't spin the tires and I can in first and break loose in second and I'm all stock with the exception of removing the magnit in the air box bur still using factory air filter. Rich

IIRC, Eco mode isn't an actual setting, it's just to advise you if you're driving in an eco manner. It's not something that can be enabled or disabled.

 

[daviderle]

So after more seat time in the car I figured out what it is. The car will start in 3rd gear from a dead stop sometimes. That is what I am feeling. When it has the sensation of a slipping convertor I slide the shifter over in the gate to the manual position so I can see what gear its in and it is always 3rd. Now it will start in first sometimes if I am on a hill or harder on the throttle but it seems to start in 3rd a lot!!!! At least I know whats going on now!

I believe something is very wrong with transmission as this not normal operation! I would suggest to get the dealer to look at it.

I have both 6sp and 8sp, but did not want to say anything until I had a chance to test the 8sp in the R-Spec.

From dead stop only 1st and 2nd gear can be engaged, I was unable to engage the the 3d gear until I passed 5mph!
I tried few things, slow roll, idle cruise, slow down، speed up, manual/sport mode and full auto without any joy!

Hopefully it is something simple that does not require a complete replacement.

 

[FastDEW1]

I will check this on mine and let you know. I know they have skip shift for fuel economy reasons.

 

[05king]

Thank you I appreciate it

 

[FastDEW1]

05king -

I drove my R-Spec for the past two days and must have checked this at least 25 times. Mine always starts in 1st gear. What I notice is that if I am very gently stepping on the throttle, so easing away from a start, I can see it in 2nd or even 3rd gear before I get to 15mph. This "might" be what happens with yours... But I do not know for sure. When I drive normal or very soft, I never see it start in anything but 1st gear. And when driving normal, it will not be in 2nd until about 15mpg and 3rd gear someplace north of 20mph. But I cannot actually feel these shifts. None of them. They are all too smooth to notice.

If I am harder on the throttle from the start, then it holds the gears longer. This early up shift is fuel economy I am sure.

Not sure if it is helpful to you. But mine definitely starts in 1st every time. Even though it can be up to 3rd very fast at light loads.

 

[CLASSYRSPEC]

Ever since (2 weeks ago) when I went for my second oil change, and they found some nest covering 50% of my air filter, which was replaced for $22.00CDN, the car has been running a lot better. I know what you guys are talking about with the first gear, but maybe this may help:
I told the service writer that me car has 429HP going forward, and 150 HP pulling me backwards, hence the nest. But as the mechanic was checking things out, he found 2 performance upgrades, but didn't mark the codes down. He thinks one was about the throttle body.

Long story short, I have a new 2013 RSPEC purchased June 2014. Had one oil change in December, and the second in June. Do the math, I am only at 12700KMS., almost 8000 miles. If you haven't had them run their computer on your computer, then there may be some upgrades for the positive. Just sayin'. Told my brother-in-law that my car now flies...my wife must have lost a 1000 pounds .lol. Only kidding, she is not heavy at all, but we all had a good laugh

Seriously, I remember taking out a couple of 2012 RSPECs at first a couple of years ago, and they were rockets. I never felt the same acceleration until the nest was removed, and the performance upgrades were installed.

Check it out, it may improve things for you.

 

[05king]

No mine definitely starts in 3rd gear most of the time. I'm positive of that.

 

[FastDEW1]

No mine definitely starts in 3rd gear most of the time. I'm positive of that.

If that is the case. Something is wrong. I could not get mine to start in any gear but 1st and I checked probably 25 times over two days of driving.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[05king]

ok thanks. I will take it in then. I have a couple other little issues that need to be addressed as well.

 

[FastDEW1]

Curious as to what they say....

The following are the problems I have had with my 2014 R-Spec in the first 16,000 miles:

1) The inside review mirror kept slowly going down overnight. The dealer tightened it. No problems since.

2) The check engine light came on about 1,000 miles. It went off on its own and never had any drivability problems. The dealer checked it at 8,000 miles (first time I took it in) and they said no codes. It never came on again. So I forgot about it.

3) There is a squeak in the rear. It sounds like suspension in right rear to me. The dealer says it is the rear seat and they need the car for a few days to fix it. Since it is not very noticeable, I decided to just wait and deal with it when I can.

4) There was a bolt obviously missing on the engine under hood. The dealer put a new bolt in. Defect from the factory. It holds a wiring loom. Probably could have driven it to death and never had a problem. But still......

 

[FastDEW1]

Hi 05King,

Did you get it to the dealer yet? Curious if there was a problem and what it was. Hope all is well.

 

[05king]

Not yet, I will update when I do