Does the transmission get smoother after break-in?

[apk]

Quick question from a new owner, less that 300 miles: Does the transmission get smoother over time?

This is my first Honda manual and I find it very notchy and not smooth. Even almost crunchy. I have driven a few manuals in my time but never a Honda, so I am unsure if this how they are or if I have issues I need to get looked at. Or even if it is tight and will settle in over the first 1000 or so miles.

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[02SilverSiHB]

strange...mine has been smooth since day one. I have just a tad over 3k miles now

 

[ratimux]

Honda probably has the best shifting manuals for cars under 80K. I just test drove a Red 2018 Type R, immediately after driving a 2018 M2. All I can say is that BMW needs to step up their game. You may have set the wrong expectations. Notchy is not necessarily a bad thing. You want to feel the gates and know what is going on, but at the same time you want short and firm throws. It is hard to say if you have a problem, but I read somewhere that there is a difference between the Si and Type R shifting feel.

 

[RP2000R]

Honda probably has the best shifting manuals for cars under 80K. I just test drove a Red 2018 Type R, immediately after driving a 2018 M2. All I can say is that BMW needs to step up their game. You may have set the wrong expectations. Notchy is not necessarily a bad thing. You want to feel the gates and know what is going on, but at the same time you want short and firm throws. It is hard to say if you have a problem, but I read somewhere that there is a difference between the Si and Type R shifting feel.

I have both a R and Si and the R is sooooo much better then the SI.
My Si is grinding once in a while in 2nd.
Very notchy and get reverse and gear lock out daily and also a very high clutch feel.

 

[apk]

This is what I have always heard, but this feels more than notchy. I did not buy locally so I may be in for a fight with the local dealers, or at least to find another type r to compare. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Zeffy94]

Mine is notchy more than not in the even numbered gears, with 2 being the most common. 1st has almost has 0 resistance to it and to be honest I sometimes do not know if i am in 1st or 3rd when getting ready to move from a stop. But sometimes my 2nd gear is smooth, and sometimes my 3rd gear is notchy. I dunno, it’s quirky but gears have not been grinded yet so I’m fine with it honestly.

 

[ThatTypeRDude]

Mine got much smoother at 400 miles, it felt a little pillow like if that makes any sense when putting it in 3rd and 5th. But it's no longer like that now. Feels fantastic and smooth. Ordered the Honda Access weighted shift knob to hopefully make it even smoother.

 

[lawl]

Honda probably has the best shifting manuals for cars under 80K. I just test drove a Red 2018 Type R, immediately after driving a 2018 M2. All I can say is that BMW needs to step up their game. You may have set the wrong expectations. Notchy is not necessarily a bad thing. You want to feel the gates and know what is going on, but at the same time you want short and firm throws. It is hard to say if you have a problem, but I read somewhere that there is a difference between the Si and Type R shifting feel.

I think some cars have 'problem' transmissions. Mine is definitely pretty notchy. No grinds at 400 miles but the shift feel is inconsistent. I've had a few crunchy shifts and honestly I drove a previous gen Si and the Si had a wayyyyyyyy smoother transmission than my type R does.

 

[seetohey]

Honda probably has the best shifting manuals for cars under 80K. I just test drove a Red 2018 Type R, immediately after driving a 2018 M2. All I can say is that BMW needs to step up their game. You may have set the wrong expectations. Notchy is not necessarily a bad thing. You want to feel the gates and know what is going on, but at the same time you want short and firm throws. It is hard to say if you have a problem, but I read somewhere that there is a difference between the Si and Type R shifting feel.

As a current owner of an '18 M2 and past owner of many Hondas, I can tell you this is 1000% true. To put it nicely, BMW shifters are absolutely shit compared with Hondas. I've never driven a BMW manual that wasn't rubbery and extremely vague feeling (I used to have an E46 M3 as well, same thing).

 

[remc86007]

Mine definitely feels smoother now at 1500 miles than it did brand new. It seemed to get dramatically better around 300-400 miles in. It is much more notchy than my CR-Z's transmission was.

 

[warrendeath]

Mine is notchy. Reminds me A LOT of my Mustangs (RIP beauty). That had a ton of bite...This hasn't been nearly as smooth. I've always wondered why. My Father's 2005 Civic felt a bit more smooth.

The M3 I drove two days before was RIDICULOUSLY smooth. It felt like an arcade game.

 

[warrendeath]

As a current owner of an '18 M2 and past owner of many Hondas, I can tell you this is 1000% true. To put it nicely, BMW shifters are absolutely shit compared with Hondas. I've never driven a BMW manual that wasn't rubbery and extremely vague feeling (I used to have an E46 M3 as well, same thing).

Not to be out of topic, but how do you like the M2? I gave up a deposit on one to get my CTR.

 

[athreeiron]

They loosen a bit over time as some others have said, but going into 2nd is always going to be a challenge, especially if you haven't driven a Honda manual much. My 2017 SI was sometimes difficult to get into second, in that it was a bit notchy, but over time I learned to just pull it back and not worry about it. It did grind a few times, but after I learned how to really drive it I had no more issues.

My 2017 CTR has not had a single grind. It still is the same getting into second, but it's very similar to the SI in the feel so I already know how to drive it. Definitely tighter on the CTR but that's what you want. It does loosen up though. Once you get comfortable driving it, it's the best gearbox out there IMO.

I will say I had to get my 2015 SI pressure plate and a couple other parts replaced under warranty in the first 2k miles because there was a common issue on some of them. Had issues from day one. After they replaced the clutch it was great after that.

It wouldn't surprise me if some of the cars have some wierd issues that others don't, so it may be worth having the dealer look at it and make sure there isn't something wrong with it.

 

[pawnstar]

My transmission is intermittently notchy and not what I expect out of Honda's halo car. My previous s2k and my current 07 Si, shift smoother. I plan on switching to amsoil tranny fluid soon.

 

[c242]

I was wondering if this was how they felt as well. Mine is very notchy and clunky with inconsistent feel. My 8th gen SI felt smoother than this but was also fairly inconsistent. Some amsoil fluid helps these feel more consistent. I have found that I have to be more forceful with every shift in the type r to help keep it consistent. Its also really bad getting it into reverse, I almost have to shift into 1st then reverse to get it in smoother.

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