Heltah

Ive noticed that my IS250 auto actually downshifts and slows you down when coasting with foot off the gas.

Its even worse coasting downhill. I take my foot off the gas, while going down hill the car will actually speed up alittle then the tranny downshifts and my rpm shoots up to 3k and I start to slow down.

My $5,000 Ford ranger can coast farther without gas.
Is it just me? I would tap the brake if I wanted to slow down. It seems to be ok with the slightest pressure on the gas pedal, but I shouldnt have to do that.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is it the same with the 350?
Is it some computer/tranny safety feature?

dana_daen

I've noticed the same on my 350.....Its all good

Chi-town

Yes, in my 350 it does this as well; personally, I like it. It comes in handy, especially when your trying to maintain a set speed. Quite frankly, the IS' auto-tranny is one of the best, out of the many auto trannies, that I have ever driven.

Heltah

How does it help you maintain a set speed if it purposefully slows you down?

I can coast twice as far in my Ford ranger P'up from 30mph-0mph.

al503

I guess it depends on the downgrade but I think he's saying that you won't keep speeding up past the speed limit or whatever is comfortable for the road.

Bichon

I imagine that Lexus' intention is to make the transmission feel more like a manual, in that you can slow down for a turn or for slower traffic without having to hit the brake.

t0e

iTrader: (1)

I drive along hills every day, and I do let it coast on down slopes--it never down shifts on me unless I touch the gass pedal. Even When I let it coast at 80mph as long as its a good down slope the gear never shifts down. --paul

Jay M

I really like that feature. I have a hard enough time keeping the car under 80mph on a flat road, I like the fact that it slows you down going down hill.

I've also noticed that it keeps downshifting as you approach red lights.

I think if you want to coast down a long hill you could just put it in nutral or manual.

When I was young I used to see how far I could coast. I went from the top of the 101 near Univeral, exited Highland, turned right onto franklin and then finally came to a stop after about three blocks on Franklin. I don;t know how many miles it was but it was really fun! THe right turn on franklin was a challenge because it was high speed, but I didn't want to loose too much momentumthrough it.

~Jay

cdeslandes

First of all, it depends which mode your tranny is in. If you want to coast further, select the SNOW mode!

Second, just because you're at 3,000 rpms doesn't mean you're burning gas. In fact you're not.

Toyota_F1

iTrader: (1)

Another part of this is that as it downshifts it's using the ratio of the lower gear to turn the crank so the injectors stop dumping fuel in, that way you're not really using any fuel while coasting. Done by design for fuel economy. If you use cruise or you're coasting with your foot on the gas you are using much more fuel.

Heltah

Thanks for the snow mode tip, Ill try it

Im pretty sure its using more gas at 3k vs 1k.

Wow thats the complete opposite condition from me, I need slight pressure on the gas to keep it from downshifting goin downhill.

kensteele

Then you're doing too much "coasting" which is illegal in most places anyway.

integlikew

in snow mode you will take off in 2nd gear and the tranny is run at earlier shift timing and lower pressure. i wouldnt recommend driving in snow mode. Its not good for the tranny to be pushed in snow mode. Not only does the tranny take off in 2nd but also is softer shifting wich is made for easy or slow accel in snow. Stepping on it on the street or even normal street driving is not going to be good in snow mode. To much torque on the tranny with the low pressure in the trans (due to snow mode soft shifting) will cause the clutchs to slip and take longer to shift which will result in clutchs wearing out sooner. Just not recommened.

sdub74

What time of the day/night were you doing this? I've never seen Highland empty enough where you could get from the 101 all the way down to Franklin without at least one moron getting in your way.

dalerb

I'm having a hard time picturing this. There's actually a hill after Universal so the top of the grade would only be about 3/4 of a mile before the Highland exit. And how you got past the Hollywood Bowl on Highland without encountering traffic or a red light is really beyond my imagination!