310Guy

I have just passed 500 miles on my 8. I have been very "nice" to the engine during the break in period. However, just yesterday I was on the freeway and I needed to get around another car quickly. I stomped on the gas pretty good. All of a sudden it seemed like the car was "confused" as to which gear to be in. I went though three gear changes (car did this, not me) in a matter of a few seconds. All I thought was, "WTF?"

This didn’t seem normal to me. Anyone else with a similar experience?

This is my first rotary engine so I’m getting familiar with its temperament. My previous automatics (V6s) never had done something like this.

Thanks for any feedback/info.

zoom44

so at highway speeds top gear and low rpm you stomped on it?

you should have had 3 things happen- downshift,port openings and vfaid opening. haven't stomped on my freinds auto that much but this could conceivable feel like a coupl of shifts. push in the back, push in theback.

anyone else?

310Guy

The thing that "concerned" me was there was major hesitation; again, it was like the engine was confused on what gear to be in.

Thanks for your input.

mikeb

this happened to me once months ago while I was going uphill

I thought the engine was gonna fall out

Hasn't happened to me since though

MyLadyDeb

I have this happen with my automatic too....if I stomp it shoots out like a bullet or almost feels like it's going to stall. The service guy told me that the computer will learn to recognize the way the driver drives and will program itself. It happened alot during the first 1500 miles - I've noticed lately tho that it doesn't happen quite that often. There are times when I start to accelerate up a hill and fill like I'm in a volkswagen - no power at all. If I floor it it shifts into a higher gear and shoots forward. I also don't have any experience with a rotary engine and just assume it's a learning period for both of us.

mikeb

that would be cool
but I'm not buying it

no way does the car program itself to my driving

Positron

When I first got my car I noticed that if I went down on the accelerator too hard the car would downshift "dramatically", the engine would roar, and I would then accelerate like a little bat out of hell. After the first month or so of driving I found that I could get the car to downshift and accelerate less dramatically. I don't think the ECU learned anything, I think it was my right foot!

I much prefer to slip the gear shift into the manual mode and do the shifting myself in those situations. In fact, I was wondering the other day if I get better gas mileage when I shift or when I let the car do it in full auto. I will just have to drive more to test it out. (I know its a hard job, but I will make the sacrifice :-)

mm

zoom44

the ecu is adaptive. so , yes it does learn the way it is driven and adjusts to it.

therm8

I have never experienced this, but I don't think I have ever just "stomped" on the gas in full auto mode. I rarely drive the car in full auto, but when I do and I need more go, I just slap it over to manual and downshift once or twice.

310Guy

Well, I'm being VERY conservative with my auto. I haven't even tried the paddle shifters yet. I'm waiting until after the break in period. I know as soon as I start using them, I'm going to be always near redline.

MyLadyDeb

ah - the paddle shifters - I haven't touched them since I got the car - they're so intimadating. I haven't done much with the manual either - so you can shift it from D to M without coming to a full stop? That might changes things. I also have found my right foot has been reprogrammed and I feel proud when I accelerate to where I want to be without the bullet shot....although it really does give you a great surge or power, doesn't it? Pity the poor gas mileage - but if we were going to be conservative with the gas - we wouldn't have gotten the RX-8 now would we?

DrComputer

Welcome to the world of drive-by-wire. My other car, a Lexus LS430, was one of the first drive-by-wire cars. It takes a bit of getting use to. The ECU tries to figure out what you are doing and then react accordingly. Sometimes it makes poor choices. If you are driving at a constant speed in 4th gear and then stomp on the pedal, it will pause to make sure this is what you really wanted to do. The worst thing you can do at that point is let up off the pedal before it makes a complete downshift. It then has to decide what to do next... continue with the downshift or go back to 4th. If you do stay on the pedal and go to 3rd, for example, and then let off the pedal completely after the downshift, the ECU will keep you in third for a while just in case you are about to stomp down again. Drive-by-wire just takes learning how the pedal will react to different situations. Once you learn how it reacts you can make the car respond how you want it to. I've also noticed that the gear indicator on the dash will show the gear that the ECU plans on going in to... not necessarily the gear you are in at that exact moment. I find that rather annoying.

310Guy

Hey, another So Cal owner!

Thanks for the input DrComputer. That is what may have happened to me. I pressed on the pedal, felt some hesitation, eased up on the pedal and the pressed it again.

Rotary Nut

Actually that is correct. It is sometimes refered to as "Fuzzy Logic" or "Adaptive computer control"

The transmission contol module monitors things like RPM, Speed, throttle position and gear selection. It then over the course of say 100 miles memorizes the way you apply the gas pedal. It then calculates how you drive by monitoring your inputs and compares it to the driving environment. If it knows you like to floor it in certain situations or go easy on the gas, it will change the timing, and duration of the shift points when in full auto mode.

mikeb

I guess I should take my foot out of my mouth.

Rotary Nut

I wouldn't go as far as putting your foot in your mouth!

Just takes a bit of research!

My last four VW/Audi products had the that kind of transmission and it took some getting use to the way it would program the shifts untill it reprogrammed itself for my driving style.

Check out this PDF file. and this then try this one (this one is by far the best one).

310Guy

Thanks for the links.

Trx8

I drive my car in two modes:

- 6 miles to and from work, 8 stops along the way, 2k-3k RPM
- Fun driving, full RPM range

After reading this post, I started watching the tach more closely. If I accelerate quickly it downshifts and then stays in the lower gear for a while even my speed has stabilized. Then it "decides" I don't need the power and shifts back to the higher gear.

I finally tried the paddles yesterday, but not aggressively, and they seem to work pretty well. The downside is that requires me to think about which gear I am in.