Sport mode?

i've always wondered, being the naive young man that i am, what sport mode really is. automatic is automatic. sportshit is sportshift, but when u just click the shifter to the left, the sport light lights up near the gauges. my friend told me that it allows for the car to be a bit faster but eats up more fuel. whats the deal with 'sport mode automatic'

thats about it. I allows the transmission to have more agressive shifts and shift points holding yuou in boost longer. Yes it will eat more gas but yes it will make you a littel faster as well.

Basically it allows you to manually shift up and down the gears instead of the car doing it for you. The indicator will show what gear you are in and if you can shift up or down by the showing you an up or down arrow (or both) depending if the car will accept an up shift or down shift at that particular point. However, at some point the car will override the manual mode and shift itself if certain perimeters are met. For example, if you come to a stop and do not manually put it into first gear, the car does it itself. If you accelerate to a certain point and do not up shift the car will override the manual mode and shift itself. I guess this is a safety feature to prevent over revving the engine (or lugging it down too far should you not down shift)

 

I imagine the manual mode would use more fuel because one probably up shifts later and downshifts earlier than the automatic mode would. Someone driving in in the "sport" mode probably would tend to be driving more aggressively than if mom were in the car going to the grocery store.

 

If this makes the car any faster or not may be debatable. Perhaps a little, but in the end there is only so much performance you can get out of so much horsepower pulling so much weight.

There are three modes on the Legacy GT 5EAT: normal auto, Sport mode, manual.

 

Normal auto is just that. The transmission shifts for you with some bias towards fuel economy. In Normal auto mode, you can temporarily shift gears on your own by using the buttons on the steering wheel. After some time of no input to the steering wheel buttons, the transmission reverts automatically back to normal auto mode.

 

Sport mode, engaged by moving the shift selector to the left, is a fully automatic mode where the transmission shifts for you, just like normal auto, with the exception that the shift points are more agressive to empahsize performance.

 

However, if you use the steering wheel buttons or the shift lever in Sport mode, you've now entered manual mode. The only time the transmission will override your input is when you ask it to up/downshift into a gear outside of the current speed range (you'll hear two quick beeps) or if you've slowed down to a speed that would lug the engine (ie. the tranny will go automatically to 1st when you come to a stop).

 

Manual mode on the LGT, however will not upshift for you if you hit the rev limiter, unlike with the reflashed H6 5EAT program. You'll bounce off the rev limiter all day.

 

Ken

Sport mode is for more performance. It gives firmer shifts and at higher RPMs (and your milage will likely suffer).

 

The Owner's Manual under Selecting manual mode, Using the shift switch states "If you subsequently ease off the accelerator petal and then accelerate again, the transmission will automatically switch back from manual mode to normal mode."

 

I usually slip it over into Sport mode after it's warmed up and let it do it's thing, occasionally using the gear lever to downshift, and then flick it over to D and back to Sport to return it to automatic Sport mode when I'm done.

 

This morning I used the steering wheel button to downshift and indeed after I goosed it and then let off the gas it did switch back from manual to sport after a few seconds (the red gear number display went blank again and the green sport light came back on).

 

So if you use the lever to chage gears then it will retain your selected gear, while if you use the steering wheel buttons it returns back to automatic on it's own.

Basically, my Legacy feels like a completely different animal when it's in sport mode. Much more aggressive.

thanks for the replies!

Basically, my Legacy feels like a completely different animal when it's in sport mode. Much more aggressive.

 

I agree, feels 10x faster.

Feels nearly the same to me, except when slowing to a stop in sport mode, where it will kind of jerk as it downshifts at higher revs.

 

I notice, however, that there is no difference in shift points between sport and normal when it is floored... and when cruising in sport or normal the revs and RPMs seem the same, so I guess the only difference would be that perhaps sport mode reacts quicker to demand and shifts sooner in mid-throttle situations. Otherwise full-open and prissy-footed driving they are identical.

 

Does this seem to resonate with anyone elses' driving notes?

I just bought a very nice 05 Outback with 75K miles....really clean. I noticed the shifter illumination bulb was burned out so I proceeded to remove the necessary panels to replace it, and I successfully changed it. In the process, however, I inadvertently knocked off a white module which is "snapped clipped" to the left side of the shifter assembly below and to the right of the bulb.....the plastic module contains 3 activator type switches which I assume work with the shifter to allow for up and down shifting when in SPORT mode. I know where the middle main switch goes, but don't know how the other two need to be positioned (and it's a real bitch trying to reinstall the module with the switches that do not snap in place and keep falling out before they can be secured). I downloaded the shop manual (6000+pages), absolutely mind numbing and no help. Anyone have a diagram that might help me? Many thanks. FRED

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/subaru-oem-parts-catalog-online-exploded-views-opposed-forces-130411.html

 

try that...

You need SI drive + sport mode. S# is great.