My Lx 5 speed doesn't like to shift a high revs

[08LX]

I've had my car for 2 months now and I have owned only manuel transmission cars for the past 13 years. I have an 08 Civic Lx and when I got through my break in and started to get more agressive with the car I discovered the car does some wierd things. Just at cruising speeds (50km/30mph) in third or any speed really at low rpms, sometimes if I need to speed up quickly and hit the gas the car lags like the computer has to smack it to wake it up and tell it to go. It's like there is a dead spot for a brief second right after I hit the gas. Then at 4500rpms+ if I try to shift the car fast, when I let out the clutch if my right foot is not planted right to the floor board it stumbles like I am learning to drive for the first time or something, again feeling sorta like a dead spot. Almost like a feeling that there are missing teeth in the tranny so there is some free spin then it hits and can be quite violent but I know the tranny is fine that is just what I am using as an example. Also on occasion I have noticed that going from 3rd to 4th the revs actually increase for a second rather than drop at high revs when I push in the clutch. I have been hesitating to contact the dealer thinking this car must just be really fussy in how it wants to be driven but I have been a dedicated honda owner for the past 8 years and I've never found this to be true. Any ideas? I know the first thing thats going to come up maybe is that its me but I don't think thats the case. I've adjusted my driving style in everyway I can think of.

[dextor]

There's DBW for ya, sucks doesn't it.

[deltatechx]

Ya, they were cheap and decided to give the DBW a slow processor (my opinion). I've just learned to deal with it, you'll eventually learn how it acts and be able to adjust your driving to it so you can take off and shift smoother, takes a while tho

[Yodums]

Welcome to the beautiful world of drive-by-wire (DBW).

[jackolee]

yea, must be the first time driving a DBW.

but thats waht happens with a DBW car

[WHITEcoat]

Yeah I have a similar shifting problem. Even if Im going cruising speeds and shift, the car jerks around a bit. I have no idea why this happens but its pretty embarrassing when freinds are in the car lol.

[galaxygrey13]

I have mastered dbw and dont jerk my car

[volvo9]

The DBW system in the Si sucks, badly.

What the f*ck was wrong with throttle cables in the first place? They rarely broke and the instant you moved your foot the engine reacted. Instead we get a more expensive, more complicated system that reactls slowly, has stupid hickups after you shift and floor it again, and introduces rev hang which is a whole new pain in the ass....

RSX with throttle cable = heaven to drive
Si with DBW = I hated driving it

[sc37]

Throttle control on the car does kinda suck...I've gotten used to it though so it's all good now. But the first couple weeks it was bad...the lag plus a no feel clutch equaled lots of stalling.

And shifting at high revs is poopy too. I had the thing refuse to go into 2nd a few times at 3K revs and above. I wound up having to let the revs drop down low which ruined my fun.

[Slowroll90]

serious question here
why does honda use DBW
its not as good as cables
whats the benifit

[pd0019]

DBW increase mpg's i believe and frees up engine bay

[GSG-9 Fett]

Drive By Wire... Yeah, you just have to adjust your thinking to the computers LAG. Make each move a second faster.

[dragonzsoul]

DBW is for emissions apparently.. it sucks though.. people thought i could drive stick back when i first got it. my car bunny hopped all the time, so embarrassing

[volvo9]

Originally Posted by Slowroll90

serious question here
why does honda use DBW
its not as good as cables
whats the benifit

I wish I had an answer, it's gotta be for emissions though because most manufactures are using it now and I don't see what was wrong with a cable throttle.

Volvo started using it in 99 and it was fine, except for a SLIGHT lag when you slammed on the throttle from a stop, other than that you could not notice it. I think BMW started using it a year or two earlier and it was also fine, no complaints.

Around 99 VW and Audi started using it and that was my first negative experience with DBW, the lag was just too much. The Si's lag isn't bad but it's noticeable, the only DBW car I have ever heard of with rev hang is the Si though.

One thing that almost got me hit a few times in the Si was that every once in a while when driving very slowly I'd go to hammer the gas and either change lanes or pull out from a stop and the throttle would barely react, almost as if I had only pushed the pedal down like 1/8 of the way. So instead of pulling right out into a busy street, the car would lag out for 3 seconds or so and then finally go WOT. Only happened a few times when I had the car but it was annoying.

[TitoRay]

any tips on how to drive it smoother the most annoying thing is shifting from first to second its so hard to get it right

[jpv027]

[Si 07]

i asked my service manager, he mentioned that the DBW lag is actually a safety feature, its meant to restrict power as to not lunge forward excessively and prevent collisions.

but i think its total b.s.


i have researched dbw, and my dad in his 5 series is getting something called a "sprint booster" it basically disables the "lag". im waiting to see if there is an application like that for our cars. he gets his "sprint booster" sometime this week when it ships, ill let you all know if it works well.

[BigT]

I have driven several GM vehicles that have DBW and there was no noticable lag whatsoever. Wouldn't have even known that it was DBW without looking. No lag. Even the Corvette is DBW (has been for a while).

I have a feeling it is more in what Honda is trying to do with it in terms of fuel economy and emissions. I know that the R18 uses it in conjuction with the I-Vtec to open the throttle further and open the valves less under light throttle. The computer has control. This could be where your "dead spot" is coming from. The computer has to switch from the economy cam to the normal cam and switch to the normal throttle mode.

DBW can be lag free. Honda just seems to have a lot of programmed controls over it which cause a disconnected feeling. I agree that the engine's response to my foot was much more direct and consistant in my RSX (Base) than in my EX.

[Slowroll90]

Originally Posted by volvo9

I wish I had an answer, it's gotta be for emissions though because most manufactures are using it now and I don't see what was wrong with a cable throttle.

Volvo started using it in 99 and it was fine, except for a SLIGHT lag when you slammed on the throttle from a stop, other than that you could not notice it. I think BMW started using it a year or two earlier and it was also fine, no complaints.

Around 99 VW and Audi started using it and that was my first negative experience with DBW, the lag was just too much. The Si's lag isn't bad but it's noticeable, the only DBW car I have ever heard of with rev hang is the Si though.

One thing that almost got me hit a few times in the Si was that every once in a while when driving very slowly I'd go to hammer the gas and either change lanes or pull out from a stop and the throttle would barely react, almost as if I had only pushed the pedal down like 1/8 of the way. So instead of pulling right out into a busy street, the car would lag out for 3 seconds or so and then finally go WOT. Only happened a few times when I had the car but it was annoying.

ive had this happen
its annoying and embarrasing

Originally Posted by Si 07

i asked my service manager, he mentioned that the DBW lag is actually a safety feature, its meant to restrict power as to not lunge forward excessively and prevent collisions.

but i think its total b.s.

agreed
safety huh
say you are at an intersection, you are about to get t-boned, you floor it
and in the .5-1.5 second lag, you get hit
where as if you didnt have that lag, you didnt get hit
now is it a safety feature, and a death feature?

[TitoRay]

is there anyway we can take full control of this bs