The new 8 speed transmissions is to have a "Selectable Sport Shift Mode." What is this?

I have a new Corvette with Paddle Shifter. To use the paddle shifting, you put the shifter in "S" which is the "Sport" mode for Corvette. If it's not in Sport, you have it in Drive for regular auto shifting.

Will Lexus have paddle shifting? I LOVE the paddle shifter.

Big Jimm
So. Fla.

it's something similar, but not entirely the same.

go look at the new is350, they hav paddle shift. like you said, just put it in sport mode and you can shift with the paddles

but go look at the new gs430. that's why the sport shift is. you put the shifter in s mode, and you can use that shifter to upshift or downshift.

that's what you will get on the ls460 i believe

Thank you rominl. But, are the paddles located on the steering wheel like the vette? The vette has one on each side of the steering wheel. Both do the same, just for left or right handed person.

Do you happen to have a site I can click on that shows them on the gs430? A couple of the guys on here have seen the 460. Wish they would comment, too.

Again, paddle shifting REALLY adds fun to the driving! (At least it does on the vette when you're blasting around and listening to your after market pipes!)

Big Jimm
So. Fla.

like i said, no, only the is350 has paddel shift.

if you look here, 2nd picture on top row from right, you see the steering wheel of the 2is, and you see the padel shift.

for the ls460, more than likely it's just like the gs

http://www.lexus.com/models/gs/galle...or_photos.html

look at the first pic from left on top row. you dont' see the padel shift on the steering wheel. but if you look at the gate shifter, you pull it all the way to the bottom, and then left. there you can push it up for up shift and down for down shift

i think that's what on the new LS as well

as you can see here



there is no pedal shift on the steering wheel. but if you look at the shifter area, you see similar setup as the gs

take a look here:



you see clearing the + and - at the bottom left of the shifter, that's the sport shift

That may be ok but it doesn't seem NEARLY as practical, handy, or useful as having it right at your finger tips, on the steering wheel, where you never have to take your hands off to flip it.

However, I know that the Lexus isn't built for speed shift, competition racing.

Big Jimm
So. Fla.

actually, correct. the LS and GS are not made for speed and performance driving.

but the IS is more like it, so it has paddle shift.

so it's not all lexus

and if you think about it, if you have manual tranny, you have to reach for the shifter anyway

Yes as most new model Lexus are offering a "Sequential sport shift mode" the New LS is one of those. Paddle shifters i.e. IS250/350, don't count on it.

But, just how does the "Sequential sport shift mode" work?

Say you are in 5th, and you put the shifter in Sport, does it drop you down to 4th and lock in there?

Then if you want to go on down to 3rd, what do you do? Or, to shift back up to 6th, etc?

The paddles, as you know, you just keep flipping the up or down as many shifts as you want. I guess I'm just not seeing the purpose of the "Sequential sport shift mode." But, it must have some benefit or they wouldn't have it.

Big Jimm
So. Fla.

why don't you just go and drive the 3gs so you can know for sure.

to get into sport mode, you just flip the shifter to the left from D, and then you are in sport mode and you can push the shifter forward to up shift or backward to downshift. you havae to do the same on the 2is before you can use the padel shift anyway.

bottom line is the 2is or the 3gs (or the new LS), they all work similarly. just that the 2is has the padel shift, but the gs and ls you do it on the shifter

The answer lies in the pic rominl inserted above. See the sport shift in "S" has the (+) and (-) which allows you to shift up or down, respectively, as you so wish. Really easy stuff too.....

That might be a good idea but I'm not the kind of guy who would go to a dealer and try out a car "just for the hell of it."

I realize how dumb my questioning on this is to you long-time Lexus people. I've never even ridden in a Lexus. I just decided to buy one in the last couple of months because the new 460 looks so great! Now I'm VERY anxious.

But, I've been probing as much as I can about the transmission because anything related to paddle shifting is VERY important to me! Love it.

Now, let me see if I finally have it right: The shifter when in D will move to the left which puts it in the Sport mode. When there, it is spring loaded to a neutral position so that you can push it to the + for upshifting one gear at a time or the - for downshifting one gear at a time, regardless of what gear the tranny happens to be in.

Am I finally on the right track?

Big Jimm
So. Fla.

thast the basic jist of it.

Jimm, if you liked shifting before, you should LOVE it on the new LS, cuz it has EIGHT gears to go through. LOL

dont' take me the wrong way, that was a honest suggestion. i found it to be the best way to find out what you are getting!