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6 Speed Auto Paddle question

9K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  AZMX5 
#1 ·
Hey Dudes

Question: Ive been driving with the paddle shift recently (I got my car last week) and I noticed something i didnt know about. When you push the car and get to around 5.5 thousand revs it gears up automatically - whats up with that? Because inevitably that exactly when I want to shift and then i end up shifting up two gears...

Am i missing something should i be trying to shift that high? I mean whats the point of manual shifting of an automatic gearbox if its going to change automatically anyway
 
#9 ·
Well, simply stated you ARE missing the point of the paddle shifters. They are there to make you feel like you bought a high end sports car and as a marketing gimmick. They serve little purpose in the real world other than a ploy to keep both your hands on the wheel.

It's still an automatic transmission in a reasonably priced compact car. It's going to try to save itself from you, no matter what setting you try to over-ride it with.

And I'm hoping you are well out of your break-in period if you're driving around like you claim to be.

Forgive me if I seem a little "stern" here, but people's expectations of the car need to be reasonable.
 
#14 ·
And I'm hoping you are well out of your break-in period if you're driving around like you claim to be.
not really such a thing as a break in period on modern day cars.

once the rings seat you are good to go and this is done by the factory during a break in/dyno procedure.
only exception to this is new car or new clutch installations on a manual transmission where it is typically a good idea to break in before doing any clutch dumps (though you shouldn't be doing those in a forte anyways)

in my experience running an engine hard the first oil change helps, it promotes better ring seal. i've build alot of high end engines.
 
#10 ·
^^^word! Even the floor shifter on the 2010 Forte's do not let you shift the tranny in an abusive way. You can't get the tranny to shift "up" into 5th gear at slow speeds because the ECU knows it is not optimal for the car. Just enjoy manually shifting your autotranny if you feel so inclined...LoL!
 
#15 ·
Agreed. I've owned built short blocks before with other vehicles. The best way to promote maximum ring breakin is through hard accel and decel letting the engine slow the car down. Under hard accel, cylinder pressures are at a maximum meaning the rings seal to the bores are at max, letting the engine slow you promotes high vacuum which also draws the rings tight to the bores.

But most car manufacturers do this on a dyno before the vehicle ever leaves the plant. So you are good to go.
 
#16 ·
I have the 6-speed auto, no paddle shifter, but have the auto stick fuction and yeah it shifts when it wants to. At higeways speeds it will not let me go lower than 4th and that sucks as third would be awesome! One thing it will let you do is take off in second and that's nice for when it's slick out.
 
#17 · (Edited)
6 speed auto paddle question

I've had my '11 SX 5 door for 3 months. I use the paddle shifters to decelerate when exiting freeway ramps. The 6 speed auto will also let you make standing starts in 2nd gear - helpful on snow and ice. Manual over rides of the transmission shift points might be better than the transmission's program mode on hilly, curving roads and in anticipation of having to do a quick pass maneuver on two lane roads. For normal driving it's best to let the ECU and transmission pick the shift points since Kia hasn't programmed it to shift too early or wait too long for downshifts. But with the 2.4 liter SULEV engine, the shift action doesn't feel as crisp as it does with the ULEV spec engine. IMHO Kia did a good job on the 6 speed automatic. One source claims they've applied for 300 patents on this transmission.
 
#20 ·
I love manual trannys - I have a race-bred miata with a racing flywheel and clutch. I bought it with a the 5spd swapped in place of the 6spd. It is high revving and much fun. It has lots of mods.

Having said that, we really wanted a manual SX Forte5, but none was available anywhere within 500 miles. In my case I am very happy with the 6spd automatic we got. I enjoy the paddles, but more importantly, I have a deep appreciation for the technology going into the design of the 6 spd. trans. The gearing, responsiveness, and smoothness all add up to the best driving experience one could expect out of a budget hatchback.

Here's some more reading about the new 6spd. auto:
Compact 6-speed automatic transmission
 
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