CVT. Is S sports mode or second gear?

[noelbnetz]

2017 ex-t coupe here! Was going through the owners manual reading the refueling procedures to see what octane gas to use and it said that 91 octane is meant specifically for cars with sports mode. As I read further through the manual, it showed a picture where the sports mode was a button like the econ button, rather a gear to pop the stick into which I use. So this got me thinking and somewhat worried, if my car is a sports model and if S was sports mode or just to simulate "2nd gear" since after all its a cvt. Would like to know cause I wanna try saving a buck if I should be using 87 octane or 91 lol.

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[gtman]

All you need is 87.

91 is recommended for the Si and Sport hatchback.

S on your CVT is just a mode that keeps the revs higher and simulates gear shifts.

 

[THUND3R]

2017 ex-t coupe here! Was going through the owners manual reading the refueling procedures to see what octane gas to use and it said that 91 octane is meant specifically for cars with sports mode. As I read further through the manual, it showed a picture where the sports mode was a button like the econ button, rather a gear to pop the stick into which I use. So this got me thinking and somewhat worried, if my car is a sports model and if S was sports mode or just to simulate "2nd gear" since after all its a cvt. Would like to know cause I wanna try saving a buck if I should be using 87 octane or 91 lol.

Lol, when I bought the car the salesman said it was sport mode...but it's not, in the manuel on page 133 it will tell you this


The S is second and the L is low. Selecting Second shifts the transmission into a lower range of ratios for better acceleration and increased engine braking. Use Second when you are going down a steep hill, or in stop- and-go driving.

 

[dc2turbo]

S is just Drive S its not sport or second

 

[Myx]

S is just Drive S its not sport or second

Ahhh....I've been looking for this info right here for a while now.
So..what's the difference between Drive S's (Used for better acceleration) and Low L's (Used for stronger engine power)? It's not obvious by me reading it as they both seem to say the same thing just in a different way.

 

[dc2turbo]

Ahhh....I've been looking for this info right here for a while now.
So..what's the difference between Drive S's (Used for better acceleration) and Low L's (Used for stronger engine power)? It's not obvious by me reading it as they both seem to say the same thing just in a different way.

S will simulate gear shifts so it will change gears from 4000-6000rpm
L will just rev out to 6400pm and stay there

 

[Legato]

Hatch sport here. My “S” mode allows me to use the paddle shifters to change gears. Lady at the dealership also called it “Sport mode.” I don’t have a L option on my CVT gear box.

 

[Myx]

Hatch sport here. My “S” mode allows me to use the paddle shifters to change gears. Lady at the dealership also called it “Sport mode.” I don’t have a L option on my CVT gear box.

So which models and trim have the L mode? Sedan/Hatch/Coupe .................. LX/Sport/EX/EX-L/Sport Touring. Hatch Sport does not I see now.

I downloaded manuals for the Sedan, Hatch and Coupe and they all are showing the same manual as above. So it seems generic for them all. I'm asking because, yes this is a selling point for me. I want L.

 

[kalvin126]

I wouldn't say it is the sport mode rather is the sport-y drive mode. The Same as D, just makes driving dynamics a sportier.

 

[kalvin126]

L equivalent in the Sport CVTs is going into S and then using the left paddle shifter to go into the simulated first gear.

 

[kalvin126]

91 is recommended but not required. You'll get the extra 7 HP with 91 on any trim with turbo, but is that really enough to feel a difference?

 

[BarracksSi]

So which models and trim have the L mode? Sedan/Hatch/Coupe .................. LX/Sport/EX/EX-L/Sport Touring. Hatch Sport does not I see now.

Sport Touring does not have L.

Like kalvin126 said, on a Sport/Sport Touring, you can shift into S and click down a couple gears to use engine braking -- or a lower gear ratio -- the same way L works on the other trims.

A quick rundown:
D mode: Automatically varies the ratio, primarily for fuel economy (more so with the Eco button turned On). On S/ST models, it responds to paddle shifts (like for passing or engine braking downhill), then when it senses that the lower ratio isn't needed anymore, it'll resume automatic variable shifting.

S mode:
- Always varies the ratios like D, but at higher RPMs. Same for all trim levels. Tighter engagement, more engine braking off-throttle. The engine will cruise at 3000-ish RPM instead of 1500-ish like it does in D.
- On the S/ST models, it will hold a gear that you've selected via the paddles until it either hits redline (under acceleration) or the revs drop too low (under deceleration). Really good for freeway ramps -- no automatic "hunting" for the right ratio, as it obediently stays wherever you tell it to.

L mode:
- Like "low range" in a pickup truck. More engine braking off-throttle (again, good for long downhills) and higher revs under acceleration.
- NOT available on S/ST models, at least in the U.S. Click down a couple gears in S mode as a substitute (or, really, doing it in D works well, too).

 

[kuroi]

Sport Touring does not have L.

Like kalvin126 said, on a Sport/Sport Touring, you can shift into S and click down a couple gears to use engine braking -- or a lower gear ratio -- the same way L works on the other trims.

A quick rundown:
D mode: Automatically varies the ratio, primarily for fuel economy (more so with the Eco button turned On). On S/ST models, it responds to paddle shifts (like for passing or engine braking downhill), then when it senses that the lower ratio isn't needed anymore, it'll resume automatic variable shifting.

S mode:
- Always varies the ratios like D, but at higher RPMs. Same for all trim levels. Tighter engagement, more engine braking off-throttle. The engine will cruise at 3000-ish RPM instead of 1500-ish like it does in D.
- On the S/ST models, it will hold a gear that you've selected via the paddles until it either hits redline (under acceleration) or the revs drop too low (under deceleration). Really good for freeway ramps -- no automatic "hunting" for the right ratio, as it obediently stays wherever you tell it to.

L mode:
- Like "low range" in a pickup truck. More engine braking off-throttle (again, good for long downhills) and higher revs under acceleration.
- NOT available on S/ST models, at least in the U.S. Click down a couple gears in S mode as a substitute (or, really, doing it in D works well, too).

Thanks. I have been wondering about 'S' mode a bit. One question I still have is that many of the responses talk about 'shifts' and I actually feel my car 'shift' but I was of the understanding that CVT means Continuously Variable Transmission and there would be no shifts, just a continuously variable 'gear'

 

[BarracksSi]

Thanks. I have been wondering about 'S' mode a bit. One question I still have is that many of the responses talk about 'shifts' and I actually feel my car 'shift' but I was of the understanding that CVT means Continuously Variable Transmission and there would be no shifts, just a continuously variable 'gear'

It simulates different "gears" by choosing specific ratios and moving between them stepwise.

Say the total range of ratios go from 10 to 70 (keeping the math SUPER simple), and regular CVT modes will choose anything to match the power requirement with the road speed. They'll pick 10, or 34, or 62, or whatever.

The sport shift modes pick only specific ratios -- 10, then 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70. It won't choose 24 or 56 or anything in between those specific ratios.

What's wild about the regular CVT modes -- and the more I see this, the more interesting it is -- is when the road speed increases while the RPMs decrease. Under light load, but gradually accelerating (think Grandma in a Corolla), the CVT will pick a taller ratio whenever it doesn't need as much power from the engine.

 

[Myx]

The only problem I have is that I prefer the CVT to stay at max rpm when I go full throttle. After uploading a base Ktuner tune, it'll race up to max rpm from a dead stop and bounce off the rev limiter. Sounds like machine gun backfire. I have to lift off the throttle and gas it again for it to stay set at max rpm like normal. I hate the fake shifting (I no longer like real shifting anymore either since owning my 2015 Honda Fit) while racing and thought this CVT would've been great in 'L' gear to do this, while tuned.

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