Tranny impressions - 04 vs 06

[andyschneider]

Now that I've had some seat time behind the new 06 and also drive the wife's 04, I've noticed a couple of differences in the drivetrain behavior. First, the '06 is much quicker and more responsive, even after only 350 miles. First tracked tank (after I topped it off ) was 17.5mpg mostly rural driving - not bad.

One thing I've noticed that's a significant difference between the two is the shift point of 1-2 in normal driving. When accellerating from the same locations with similar speed-ups, the '06 will hang on to first gear much longer than the '04 in most all situations - slow accel and "speedy" accel. I know that the 05's had a change from the '04's in terms of gear ratio in 4th and 5th gear, but hadn't heard much about the changes at the lower gears. I know it can't be too "wrong" given the decent mileage on the first real tank, but I also know I can hear the motor revving more on the '06 vs the '04.

So, is this something that's a side-product of the TBW changes in '05/'06, or something else?

thanks for any input - really loving the '06 so far - a much different ride than the '04. Good news is that my wife prefers her '04 and I prefer my '06.

andy

[ncelk]

Funny you should bring this up. I was actually going to send you a message to ask about the tranny performance between the 2.

I previously had a 2003 and now have our 2006. Our 2006 now has about 750 miles on it.

I immediately noticed the way that the new one really holds on longer for the 1-2 shift, almost like it is hesitating a bit waiting to shift. Then the 2-3 shift is not quite as bad, but still seems to lag a bit compared to our 2003.

The tranny in our Ody shifts just like our 2003 Pilot did (ie, earlier, with no hanging on to the 1-2 shift).

I also found the gas mileage is the same as our 2003.

But the shift points on the 2006 are taking some getting used to. I get used to and then drive the Ody, then get back into the Pilot and feel like it is holding onto 1st too long. And if you are going up a slight incline, the tranny simply acts like it does not want to go into a higher gear! It will just hang onto 3500 rpm or so as long as you are on a slight incline.

I almost went and drove another one on the lot to verify what you did in this post.

I do notice that once it is warm, it is not as bad, but still shifts higher and later than our 2003.

It definitely feels faster though...............

[andyschneider]

Ncelk - in some ways, the tranny shifts feel like when my son's old Saab was in "sport" mode - where it held onto the shifts longer to give the car more "punch". And you're right in that it doesn't seem to hold the shift as long once warmed up. Of course, I've only driven mine in temps lower than 40 degrees, so who knows how it'll act when it warms up in the spring. But I wouldn't describe the shifting as harsh by any means - just different!

Anyway, it sounds like a random sample of 2 (so far) have the different shifting, so it's probably the way it is. But it does make the '06 more of a kick to drive than the wife's '04. Maybe that's why she likes hers more.

thanks - andy

ps - the wife also likes the old avitar you had - we have 2 pugs, so anything to do with pugs is right up her alley. She was looking over my shoulder a while back and saw the pic...

[ncelk]

Originally posted by andyschneider
Ncelk - in some ways, the tranny shifts feel like when my son's old Saab was in "sport" mode - where it held onto the shifts longer to give the car more "punch". And you're right in that it doesn't seem to hold the shift as long once warmed up. Of course, I've only driven mine in temps lower than 40 degrees, so who knows how it'll act when it warms up in the spring. But I wouldn't describe the shifting as harsh by any means - just different!

Anyway, it sounds like a random sample of 2 (so far) have the different shifting, so it's probably the way it is. But it does make the '06 more of a kick to drive than the wife's '04. Maybe that's why she likes hers more.

thanks - andy

ps - the wife also likes the old avitar you had - we have 2 pugs, so anything to do with pugs is right up her alley. She was looking over my shoulder a while back and saw the pic...

Good description. It is definitely not harsh, but it has taken some getting used to. It shifts quite smoothly, just much later than I normally would expect it to. Your feedback was very timely on the tranny though.

Thanks for the Avatar comment, I need to go back to the other one with the Pug (louie). We have a 2 pug, one black lab family, looking to add an other pug. They are a lot of fun and a good size! My 4 year old loves them! We want to add a black one next time around (possibly)........

[ncelk]

OK, I had to change it back.

I get more coments about the dog than I do the boring white Pilot photo.......................

[andyschneider]

Originally posted by ncelk


Good description. It is definitely not harsh, but it has taken some getting used to. It shifts quite smoothly, just much later than I normally would expect it to. Your feedback was very timely on the tranny though.

Thanks for the Avatar comment, I need to go back to the other one with the Pug (louie). We have a 2 pug, one black lab family, looking to add an other pug. They are a lot of fun and a good size! My 4 year old loves them! We want to add a black one next time around (possibly)........

If you go to my avitar on driveaccord.net you'll see our black one (when she was a pup). We also have a 14.5 yr old fawn pug and a 2yr Jack Russell mix. We had pugs back before they were trendy - of course, our first came in a package deal with my wife 24 years ago.

andy

[ncelk]

I remember that one.

I use the Pug avatar on driveaccord.net.

We have also considered a Boston Terrier, as we have had one on the past and they have a great personality most of the time.

[drm1111]

I too traded my 04 for a 06. I really like the new tranny better. Seems more responsive and quicker. Also the 4th and 5th gears seem more suited for the engine and drivetrain. Also the increase in torque has helped a bit. On the 04 the least bit of acceleration on the interstate would shift it to a lower gear. Sometimes in the hills and mountains of WV it would go all the way to 3rd gear on a steady incline.

[ncelk]

Originally posted by drm1111
I too traded my 04 for a 06. I really like the new tranny better. Seems more responsive and quicker. Also the 4th and 5th gears seem more suited for the engine and drivetrain. Also the increase in torque has helped a bit. On the 04 the least bit of acceleration on the interstate would shift it to a lower gear. Sometimes in the hills and mountains of WV it would go all the way to 3rd gear on a steady incline.

In your opinion, does it seem like your 06 holds on to 1st gear longer than the 04?

I am not aggressive with my driving and I find it shifts around 3200-3500 on the 1-2 shift.

[CHADC880]

What I have noticed the most is the difference in where they have the drive by wire system setup v/s the DBW 05 and the 04 throttle cable. I remember when having my 05 and 04 after driving my wifes 03 accord a weekend and getting into my previous pilot it would whip lash you. The 06 now has a normal range where you actually have to push the pedal for it to go. Transmission wise I have noticed the 06 holds alot better in 5th or lockup where as the others would constantly shift back and fourth. And I feel the 06 is quicker. Just made a 500 miles trip for the Christmas Holiday and noticed the 06 does get better mileage as well. This was the far smoothest ride we have ever had in the pilot period. Even the leather seats in the 06 feel alot softer ( used leather conditioner from honda) then the previous ones we have seen. The 1 to 2 yes feels like it takes longer to shift but I still am 300% very satisfied with the 06. And man I love the new headlights on the 06 so much better. I have never seen a precise beam come out of a headlight before. The the new foglights wow they actually do something other than just for looks.

[whitefl]

My understanding is the 06 transmission has been redesigned from the one used in 05 and before. The new tranny is still a 5 speed, but there some differences. One you can see is the old tranny had PRNDL21 on the dash, and I think the new tranny in the 06 has PRNDL1 or PRNDL2. And I belive there's a push button on the side of the gear shift to select a lower gear, is there not?

There's some internal difference that I was not able to pry out of Honda. The old 5 speed was able to be towed 4 down without any problems. That's important to me as I'm a fulltime RV resident. But the new 5 speed cannot be towed 4 down. Bummer. Had to dump a brand new 06 Ody Touring and go with the 05 Pilot to solve that problem!