thanks guys... I do the pedal dance whenever I remember. I hate it! Is there any other work around, ie a computer re-flash, install an newer model year computer or wiring mod to disable this silly feature.

thx again

 

You can install the traction/skid control computer from a newer model... but IIRC it's insanely expensive and may or may not leave a dash light on... a search should turn up at least 1 or 2 threads on this.

 

i drive with power mode on daily and i wouldnt have it any other way

 

Yup, you'd probably be better off just trading your car in for an '07+.

 

Thats not what I meant. What I meant was that you can't be in gear limiter mode or power mode will not kick in. You have to give the computer full control of the gears in order for it to do its thing.

Secondly, technically you can use the gear limiter to "select" gears if you know what you're doing. This is easier to do when down shifting, but it can still be done with up shifting.

 

You really can't, no.

You can use the gear limiter to limit the available range of gears. Other than if you paddle all the way down to 1, that range will still have more than 1 gear in it, and the car will remain fully automatic within that range.

So apart from that, no, you can not select and hold a gear regardless of speed, throttle, and brake input (which is what you'd really mean by actually selecting a gear)


If you want that ability you'd need to trade up to an IS-F, where you actually can select a gear and it'll hold it.


You're correct about ECT-PWR needing to be in D, rather than S, to do its thing though... I'd previously posted this information about 10 posts prior to your own when I posted the TIS info on what ECT-PWR was actually doing.

 

If I'm cruising down the road and I'm in 6th gear but I want to go down to 4th gear because I want more power then I can limit to 4th gear and my car will be in 4th gear. I still consider this "selecting" a gear even though it may not hold based on what you mentioned above. But I [can] get the car to hold this gear if i manipulate the other variables that the auto uses to calculate its current gear. Again, this isn't true gear selection since it can shift on its own, but it can be close.

 

^ Why not just press the gas pedal down hard to downshift?

The only functional use I know of for the paddle shifters/gear limiters is to keep my car in 1st gear when going through parking garages so that my exhaust can set off car alarms.

 

They're also pretty useful if driving through mountains to preserve the functioning of your brakes...

But yeah for performance reasons they're pretty worthless...

 

It's an interesting debate. Only way to tell from my perspective is to see how the cars will hold up of the guys here that have it on 100% of the time. That will be more substantial than theories. I won't do it simply because 70% of my driving is in Chicago traffic. Interesting question though and also makes me think can you run your car in S mode all the time without any problems. I like to shift my own gears just not deal with the clutch in the terrible traffic I have to drive in.

 

You can leave it in S all the time, sure.

You still won't be shifting your own gears though, since the paddles aren't shifters.

If you want to shift your own gears without a clutch you'll need to trade up to an IS-F. The automatic in the ISx50 is automatic. All the time. You never directly shift it between forward gears.

The best you can do is lock out higher gears with the paddles. The transmission will remain 100% fully automatic within whatever range of gears it is allowed to use.

 

^Thanks for the info. Yeah thats what I meant. I guess it's just that feeling you get as if you were still switching your own gears, that and I prefer to keep my hands busy haha.

And well that is the goal, to upgrade to an F someday.

 

question. ECT in our 2is are = Toyota overdiver?
Isn't Toyota transmission always on overdrive? etc camary... unless you push O/D off....

 

I think having the power button off can contribute to additional fuel usage because you have to hit the pedal harder just to get some normal acceleration going. In Power mode, you don't have to be as aggressive with the pedal to get normal acceleration going.
Personally, I can't imagine not using the Power feature all the time. The car (250) feels so lazy with it off.

 

LOL, and I thought I was the only one.