steveim86

I noticed not too long ago that when I drive my car after being idle for a long time, the gear acts weird. Bought the car in July 2015 and has only 2,600 miles on it.

Usually in S or S+ mode the gear doesnt go past 5th gear on local. However, in Auto mode it goes up to 8th gear when I am not even accelerating that hard. In manual shift mode, the gear is delayed by about 5 sec, using the paddle shifter. It happens once and it goes back to normal.

I have not talk to the dealer yet. I wanted to get a proof before I do, so they dont tell me nothing is wrong with the car.
Anyone experienced this issue?

Video for reference:

ramlawih

In Sport and Sport + , the car gives you access to more power in lower gears so it can be at your disposal whenever you wanna hit the throttle.

There is no delay in shifting, you just need to train more on knowing when to shift gears whether using the stick or the paddle shifter. this car actually have a great gear response time.
hope I've got it right.

steveim86

ramlawih,

Thanks for you input. I know there is no delay/lag when changing gear in manual shift mode. But with my issue, i notice the lag when i first press on the accelerator.

In addition the gear shouldnt be going up to 8th on s or s+, especially when going 37 mph. It only does that in eco or normal mode.

Justin2JZ

I dont see an issue here. My GS does the same thing. Itll get up to top gear if I drive gentle enough in Sport +. However Sport + holds gears too so if you give it enough gas its not going to upshift.

ramlawih

Don't worry about the gear not going to 8th in sport and sport plus modes. its perfectly normal. you shouldn't even let it get to 6th gear when ur driving with sport plus activated haha, unless you reach a 100 mph then you will have to. anyways.

So you get a Delay when you hit the throttle from Zero mph or when you are already moving??

kinglexus99

When my car is in S mode it typically never goes above 5th gear. The fact that yours went to 7th at 35-40 mph is strange but I don't know that it's impossible. It may have something to do with how hard you typically accelerate and how your ecu is trained. I never drive in eco mode and I have a heavy foot so that may be why my S mode knows to stay at 5th. I also get 15.5 mpg so my car is clearly used to the abuse (LOL). The dealer is going to say there is nothing wrong with it so I wouldn't waste your time.

bhvrdr

I agree with the above. The transmission behavior you recorded looks pretty normal.

The transmission will adapt a bit to driving style. The sport modes still lock you out of 8th gear and that seems to be the case for you. Non sport mode will upshift like crazy all the way to 8th gear to help with fuel economy.

Unplug the battery overnight. Drive the **** out of the car in the morning and see if you get a better shift algorithm for your likes.

Mike

steveim86

Thanks everyone for your input.

It just never did this until I started driving in manual shift mode a month ago. Now, every morning I notice my gear going up to 8th on automatic in S and S+. Once I come to complete stop and accelerate again... everything is normal.

On manual shift mode, I upshift and the number changes to M2, M3, etc. But it takes about 5 second for the gear to actually change. Again, it goes back to normal once I stop and accelerate.

goldengame

I've noticed with mine that the way it shifts changes depending on how I drive it. When I constantly drive it hard in manual mode, it will shift more aggressively and at higher RPMs. When I drive it normally for a while, the transmission adapts itself again and shifts less aggressively. I feel like that's part of what you're experiencing.

The 5 second lag doesn't sound right though. Mine barely has any lag (I have AWD with the 6 speed) in any temperature (driven from -5ºC to 30ºC). I would get the lag issue checked out by the dealer.

yardie876

Ok I assume you're talking about when you first start driving and the car is cold. Lexus programmed these transmissions to retard shifts tremendously initially (in manual mode) when the car is cold, I presume in an effort to prolong the life of the transmission and engine. It is pointless to put the car in manual if the engine temp needle is anywhere below a quarter of the way up. The car simply will shift when it wants to lol. Starting the car and letting it sit for that initial ~15 secs where the RPM is elevated helps too.

wkdrnwkd

I noticed that too.
It looks like it will go to upper gear position when you reach higher speed in Sport Mode with shifter in "D".
For instance, You can force it in to higher by putting the shift in to "M" but it wouldn't go in to 6th(or higher) gear if you are under 60 mph cruising with shifter in "D" in sport mode.

In Sport Mode,
to get it into 7th gear, you need to go over 70 mph cruising.
I guess you will need to go over 85 mph cruising to get into 8th gear.
It limits higher gear for faster response when you step on your gas.

You probably know that by now since it was a post from long ago. I just got one recently and tested.