01GS430

hey,

I dont know if it is really safe to downshift on normal basis. What going to happen to tranny if i continue to do this.

bmackinnon

Double the wear on the clutches.... why in the world would you want to be doing this as a matter of habit???

BigClexus

iTrader: (2)

Definitely not a good idea. I wouldn't worry so much about the clutch as I would the gears, misc. small things in the transmission, the axles, and the rear diff. These cars do not "blip on downshift" as a real semi-auto transmission does, and you obviously cant put in the clutch pedal to blip I believe that the paddles were more of a marketing device, but I do admit that in a drag race I would use the paddles because the shift is a bit firmer.

01GS430

I only have been upshifting and didnt do any downshifting. I thought about forum so i asked here to be safe before trying to do on my lexus. Normally, i stop and shift to lowest gear and drive and upshift.

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

It's fine. I do it all the time. Also, yes you can blip the throttle on downshifts. The car takes about 1-2 sec or so to downshift, so tap the throttle quickly before the downshift initiates. I'll get a video of this when I get a chance.

denut-L

iTrader: (11)

I've been doing this for over two years with no problem. K.O.W

GS300-2002

jeff is right... as usual haha
on a personal note today i was driving and pulled up next to a friend bumped the shifter into neutral and floored it to rev the engine. the gear didnt disengage prior to my lead foot getting let loose and i ended up with this embarrassing lurch forwards before the car went into neutral

veritek

Wow, that is embarrassing, and good thing no one was in front of you. That would have really made your day.

01GS430

Oh okay, I dont have the e shift which it would be useful. I mean the shifter on the console. Is it okay to do same thing?

Rock-a-Lex

iTrader: (4)

hmmm...I have been doing this since DAY 1 (last 7 years) to more effectively slow down using both downshifting and braking; less wear and tear on brakes. I hope this doesn't hurt anything.

bmackinnon

Alot cheaper to replace brake pads than the clutches in the trans... and earlier poster, the gears in an auto are constant mesh/always engaged... they don't 'change'.... different clutches apply to engage the already meshed gears... only additional wear downshifting the trans would be to the clutches... (well, backloading the gears, but that is insignificant)... Manual upshifting (basically) affects nothing, manual downshifting (without a perfect blip) doubles the wear on the clutches.... just sayin'... I think Jeff will agree??

Rock-a-Lex

iTrader: (4)

What does it feel like when the clutches wear in an auto transmission? For all I know mine are shot to $ hit! lol

bmackinnon

at some point, they will simply start to slip.... or chatter during engagement (at the shift)... just like a manual trans with smoked clutch feels... I think these transmission have a good reputation for longevity, but manually downshifting each gear everytime you slow down is just not something I'd be comfortable doing.... it would feel like unecessary abuse to me... not that it really is.... more like unecessary wear... brake pads are cheap and engineered as a serviceable/replaceable part.... clutch packs are not...

Rock-a-Lex

iTrader: (4)

I got a quick question though...all you say makes sense but are you talking about manually shifting through the shifter? Or with the E-shift? There are probably more 2nd generation GS's on the road WITHOUT E-shift. Does the E-shift make it OK to use when downshifting perhaps? If I didn't have E-shift I would NEVER look to constantly move the shifter around from L to 2-3, to 4 or D; I CAN see this ruining the tranny over time. I would just always leave it in D if this was the case.

Not sure which model you have but only '98-'00 GS400's AND only '01-'05 GS300's came with E-shift. So that is roughly half the cars (or less) made from '98 - '05 with the E-shift.

vwynn

iTrader: (4)

reason why i bought a GS400 instead of a GS430... the e-shifter haha.

n also the supercharger being direct bolt on a GS4