2017 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 RF transmission

4–55
When Driving
Transmission
Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transmission vehicle
by allowing you to operate the selector
lever manually. This allows you to control
engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels
much like a manual transmission when
more control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.
NOTE
Changing to manual shift mode
while driving will not damage the
transmission.
To return to automatic shift mode, shift the
lever from M to D.
NOTE
  If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the gear
will shift to M1.
  If you change to manual shift mode
without depressing the accelerator
pedal when driving in D range, 5th
gear/6th gear, the gear will shift to
M4/M5.
Indicators
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication in the instrument panel
illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear
illuminates.
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
NOTE
If the gears cannot be shifted down
when driving at higher speeds, the gear
position indication will À ash twice to
signal that the gears cannot be shifted
down (to protect the transmission).
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4–56
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
Gear Shift Indicator *
The gear shift indicator supports you to
obtain optimum fuel economy and smooth
driving. It displays the selected gear
position in the instrument cluster as well
as noti¿ es the driver to change to the most
suitable gear position corresponding to the
actual driving condition.
Selected gear position Suitable gear position
Indication Condition
Numeral The selected gear position is
displayed.
and numeral Shift up or down to the indicated
gear position is recommended.
CAUTION
Do not rely solely on the shift-up/
shift-down recommendations by
indications. The actual driving situation
might require shift operations different
from indication. To avoid the risk of
accidents, the road and traf¿ c conditions
have to be judged correctly by the driver
before shifting.
NOTE
The gear shift indicator turns off when
the following operations are performed.
 
 The vehicle is stopped. 
 Manual shift mode is cancelled.
Manually shifting up
You can shift gears up by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
* .
M 1
: M2
: M3
: M4
: M5
: M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.
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4–57
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
Using steering shift switch *
To shift up to a higher gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the UP switch
(
) toward you once with your
¿ ngers.
UP switch (+/OFF)
WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using ¿ ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be impacted
causing injury.
NOTE
  When driving slowly, the gears may
not shift up.
  Do not drive the vehicle with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE
while in manual shift mode. In
addition, manual shift mode switches
to automatic shift mode while the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed.
 This function is cancelled while
the DSC is turned off. However,
if the vehicle is continuously
driven at a high rpm, the gears may
automatically shift up to protect the
engine.
  The steering shift switch can be used
temporarily even if the selector lever
is in the D position while driving. In
addition, it returns to automatic shift
mode when the UP switch (
)
is pulled rearward for a suf¿ cient
amount of time.
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4–58
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
Manually shifting down
You can shift gears down by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
* .
M 6
: M5
: M4
: M3
: M2
: M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.
Using steering shift switch *
To shift down to a lower gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the DOWN
switch
toward you once with your
¿ ngers.
DOWN switch (-)
WARNING
Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds:
Shifting down while driving on wet,
snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving
at high speeds causes sudden engine
braking, which is dangerous. The
sudden change in tyre speed could
cause the tyres to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using ¿ ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be impacted
causing injury.
NOTE
  When driving at high speeds, the
gear may not shift down.
  During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending
on vehicle speed.
  When depressing the accelerator
fully, the transmission will shift to
a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed. However, the gears do not
kickdown while the DSC is turned
off.
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4–59
When Driving
Transmission
Second gear ¿ xed mode
When the selector lever is moved back
while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h
(6.2 mph) or less, the transmission is set in
the second gear ¿ xed mode. The gear is
¿ xed in second while in this mode for
easier acceleration from a stop and driving
on slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back
or
forward
while in the second gear ¿ xed
mode, the mode will be cancelled.
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4–60
When Driving
Transmission
Shift gear (shifting) speed limit
For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows: When the
selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is shifted.
Shift up
The gear does not shift up while the vehicle speed is lower than the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear
position indication À ashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
However, the gears do not kickdown while the DSC is turned off.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear ¿ xed mode.
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear ¿ xed mode, the gear remains in
second.
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4–61
When Driving
Transmission
*Some models.
Direct Mode *
Direct mode can be used for temporarily
switching gears by operating the steering
shift switch while the vehicle is being
driven with the selector lever in the D
range.
While in direct mode, the D and M
indication illuminate and the gear position
in use is illuminated.
Direct mode is cancelled (released) under
the following conditions.
 


 The UP switch ( ) is pulled
rearward for a certain amount of time or
longer.
 


 The vehicle is driven for a certain
amount of time or longer (time differs
depending on the driving conditions
while operating).
 


 The vehicle is stopped or moving at a
slow speed.
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
NOTE
Shifting up and down while in direct
mode may not be possible depending on
the vehicle speed. In addition, because
direct mode is cancelled (released)
depending on the rate of acceleration
or if the accelerator is fully depressed,
use of the manual shift mode is
recommended if you need to drive the
vehicle in a particular gear for long
periods.
Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction
selected by the selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward
with the selector lever in a forward
position, or do not let the vehicle move
forward with the selector lever in the
reverse position. Otherwise, the engine
may stop, causing the loss of the power
brake and power steering functions,
and make it dif¿ cult to control the
vehicle which could result in an
accident.
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transmission will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
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4–62
When Driving
Transmission
NOTE
  The accelerator pedal may initially
feel heavy as it is being depressed,
then feel lighter as it is depressed
further. This change in pedal force
aids the engine control system
in determining how much the
accelerator pedal has been depressed
for performing kickdown, and
functions to control whether or not
kickdown should be performed.
 
 While the selector lever is in the M
position and the DSC is turned off,
manual shift mode does not switch
to automatic shift mode even if
the accelerator pedal is completely
depressed. Operate the selector lever.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while gradually
accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight and
grade steepness. Descend slowly, using the
brakes only occasionally to prevent them
from overheating.
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