Ok, so one of the things I'm gonna miss in going from a GS400 to the upcoming GS 430 is E-Shift. But the 400 has to go -- the lease is up and it was in an accident.

I always drive in manual mode and, although I don't use it a lot, when I need a downshift at speed I know I can push the button and (pretty soon) it's gonna downshift.

If I don't use the E-Shift and force the downshift by flooring the accelerator the 5-3 downshift or 4-3 downshift can be one of the things I like least about my GS. It seems to take forever, and by the time it happens I've lost so much momentum it seems like I'm digging speed out of a hole.

What can be done on the GS 430 to make the shifts crisper for everyday driving?

 

Have you considered TC?

 

Well, I guess that's question. What will the modified TC do for the car? I gather from some of the posts I've read that it will improve launch times, but I'm not looking to drag race.

What will it do for the everyday driver and specifically, will it help the sluggish downshifts?

 

With the high stall TC, you'll get more crisper downshift. Due to the higher slippage rate of the after market TC, every time you raise the rpm, it'll downshift for you immediately. ( The tranny ECU detects the difference between RPM and wheel spins) With the TC, you feel like your GS is in power mode all the time while in normal mode. If you switch to power mode, it gets even more aggresive. Get one and you'll know why

 

It does seem like the TC will give me what I'm looking for.

So what, if anything, do I lose?
Does it feel about the same in normal stop and go traffic?
Does anyone know how it affects the warranty on the engine/tranny?

What kind of $ are we talking installed?

 

You'll lose 2-3 mpg but you'll gain tones of fun.
If the dealer finds out about the TC, you're out of luck on the tranny warranty. You'll look at 5-6 hours of labor to install ~ $400.

 

Though people say it's lose 2 to 3 mpg but in my case that hardly happens. Most of the time when people install TC, their driving habbits also change, step on the gas pedal harder than before, and etc.

I'd say TC is so far the best upgrade I've had.

 

i'll let you know on thursday how it is, untill then if you want to downshift you don't use e-shift, you can just use the Shifter Gate in the same manner, thats what i do!

 

That hurts the transmission.

 

RacingAristo,

Why do you think that gate shifting hurts the transmission? Why should it be any different from using the e-shift?

 

yah why does it hurt the transmission? It's pretty much the same thing as E-Shift except one uses buttons and one uses the shift lever. It's just like how E-Shift won't let you touch the redline, same thing with the gate-shifting.