Downtuned

Hey guys,

So im a bit of an automated manual trans. noob, and need help understanding the most efficient way to use it. It seems regardless of what gear I am in while in Manual mode (paddle shifting, +/-) the car seems to still want to shift for me, regardless of what I do. I do have most of the control on this, but should I be concerned that my car's supposed brain is taking over?

Also, can you all provide some basic tips on how to get the most Power/Gas Mileage/Overall longevity/performance out of my Automated manual System? Thanks!!

-T payne.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

There are some very detailed answers for you in many threads here do a search on paddle shifters and you will get your answer.

Downtuned

thank you, in return I will post pics of my new IS when I get home from work. Glad to be apart of the forums.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

This is largely what's repeated in the other threads, but-

1. Understand this- Regardless of what Lexus calls them- those paddles are not shifters. If you want to manually shift get an IS-F. The ISx50 does not do this. Ever.


2. What S mode/the paddles DO do is limit the top gear the transmission is allowed to use. That's the only thing they do.


So when the car is in D you have a fully automatic 6 speed transmission (gears 1-6 allowed to be used by the automatic)

if you put the car in S-4 you now have a fully automatic 4 speed transmission (gears 1-4 allowed to be used by the automatic)


That's it.


The system can trick you into thinking you're shfting if you lock out a gear currently in use (ie if you're in 5th and you put it in S-4 you might think you downshifted... you didn't. You just told the automatic "You can only use 1-4 now" and it realized it wasn't in an allowed gear and exited it by automatically shifting to the highest allowed gear.




So basically, leave it in D. The paddles are utterly useless for any sort of performance.


Exceptions:

If driving down a mountain it can be useful to lock out higher gears to preserve your brakes

also- in certain specific (non-straight line) race situations it might be useful to lock out certain gears


But regular street driving? The paddles will do nothing but slow you down and frustrate you by what they don't actually do.


Another thing that may not be obvious- for best straight-line (drag race type) performance, leave the ECT switch in normal mode... it's faster than ECT-Power.

ECT-Power is only useful for "performance" purposes in traffic and on/off the gas pedal type driving.

bob4256

iTrader: (17)

Kurtz, Im a bit confused on your explanation of the ECT-Power. I thought that mode made your shifts quicker? If so, wouldnt it be better for drag type situations?

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Nope, it doesn't change shift speed at all, and actually shifts at a lower rpm, which is what you don't want in a drag race.


What ECT-Power actually does:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/5807368-post24.html

Useful stuff when coming on/off the gas pedal repeatedly.... worthless in a drag race... (and the lower shift points hurt you)

If you want to do a search you can find the thread with the datalogging stuff posted showing ECT-Normal actually holds gears 100-200 rpm higher than ECT-Power does.

CANDYAPPLE

iTrader: (1)

to tell you the truth its kind of confusing for me, i stick to the shifter if i want to emulate a stick. when i want to drive a stick i jump into my 6 speed lol.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

To be fair- your ISx50 is also a 6 speed

bob4256

iTrader: (17)

Thanks for the info!

Downtuned

Great response, its crystal clear now. Thanks.

CANDYAPPLE

iTrader: (1)

6 speed manual is that better,lol.