peanut220

Hey guys,

So I have a 2006 IS350 with 141k miles on it. Never had any issues. Car shifts like a dream all the time in ALL GEARS. The ONLY time I notice hesitation is when I'm braking at high speeds and it does that 6 to 5 downshift thing. Now the downshift is fine, but if traffic then speeds up and I press the gas-pedal it seems to hold 5th gear for 3-5 seconds (almost like it's confused what to do) and then shift back into 6th.

Is that normal? Otherwise when I am driving normal it gets 5 to 6 smooth like butter like all other gears.

Figured I'd ask fellow 350ers and 250ers. Any input is appreciated thanks guys and gals!

peanut220

Bump bump bump

lockedlex

what happens to that 5-6 upshift when it's in Sport mode? Seems like it'd be normal to me otherwise.

peanut220

Is sport mode the paddles? or ECT? If either of those I haven't tried it. My car shifts totally normal from 5 to 6 as long as that weird engine braking thing doesn't precede it. Makes me lean more towards it being normal but wanted to see what fellow ISers have seen or experienced.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

2013 350 w/just under 80,xxx mi on it and it is exactly like that. Like it is looking for the engine load to be high enough to exceed *some value* before it returns to 6th.

My daily freeway drive I climb a hill and descend gradually over the next 2 miles. If the brake is tapped during that downhill it can hold 5th for a looooooong time. Like yours, a brake tap at 60mph, drops to 5th, holds 5th coasting at 60/70mph (adding light throttle to hit 70), after that it is somewhat random as to when it goes to 6th. Adding more throttle usually helps this along (5th to 6th).

So, at the top of the hill while in 6th I lever it over so it locks in 6th and just stays there even if I end up doing a brake tap to not ram a Prius blocking the left lane....

FWIW it can do this on flat roads too. So it it load dependent as to when it finds the happy spot and returns to 6th.

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Question - do you drive yours semi aggressively on a regular basis? Perhaps using WOT multiple times during a run cycle?

peanut220

Ok good to know and I find it particularly interesting that I have the first production year of our car and you have the last. You describe the action EXACTLY as I experience it as well, I cant even call it a problem because I dont really believe it is, I am more curious if anything. Meaning that now way its something that the programming got updated or something. I am leaning more towards it just being normal on our cars as I find it very interesting that you describe the EXACT same thing as me. And I would think it is a problem if it did it under normal circumstances but it never does ONLY after that weird braking downshift thing.

I dont normally got WOT every drive cycle but I dont grandma my car either. But as far as redline WOT runs no. I use my IS350 for commuting mostly. Why do you ask?

2013FSport

iTrader: (2)

Because it learns along the way and according to Techstream it has 68,000 mi since the last ECU reset (just under 80,000 actual miles now) and it is driven somewhat aggressively seeing WOT during 55mi round trip runs. I thought it *may be* a factor.

What about flat land? Does drop a gear then but recover swiftly?

The other trans oddity is that 90% of the time at speeds under 45mph when switching to manual it defaults to 4th as the highest gear. If cold and stopped, it can be 1st or 4th. When warm and speeds over 60mph it may for example not gear limit and keep 6th when switched but typically drops a gear.


I'm in a hilly area so I routinely pull it over to limit its choices. Mostly to reduce speed and obey the limit in trouble spots knowing it will bang through all 6 gears when 4th would have been fine as we have to stop at the bottom of the hill. In short even at lower speeds and lower gears it does the same thing so i limit how stupid it can get.