GS430 Better Tranny shifts just by adjusting dial?
07-29-14, 08:24 PM
#123
Driver
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Ehh, sort of. While most of us are not engineers some of us want something different from what they set up as a kind of "this will make the majority of them happy" settings. Did you know some car manufacturers add non-structural weight to the doors to make them feel more solid? Because light feels cheap and flimsy. So the very soft transmission panders to whom they figured would be buying these cars. People who do not want to hear the exhaust tone or the intake growl or feel a snappy aggressive shift from the transmission. It always comes down to money and greed. How many fewer units of GS series cars would not get sold because the consumer reports claim that the transmission was "too harsh"? Probably alot would be not sold being that these are a luxury type car.
Last edited by RoMiLex; 07-29-14 at 08:33 PM.
07-30-14, 12:07 PM
#124
I has this installed about a month ago. Makes the shifts night and day quicker and firmer. 
They drill the main passages to accept more fluid thus more pressure.
http://www.importperformancetrans.co...here-3108.html
They drill the main passages to accept more fluid thus more pressure.
http://www.importperformancetrans.co...here-3108.html
07-31-14, 04:10 PM
#126
Ehh, sort of. While most of us are not engineers some of us want something different from what they set up as a kind of "this will make the majority of them happy" settings. Did you know some car manufacturers add non-structural weight to the doors to make them feel more solid? Because light feels cheap and flimsy. So the very soft transmission panders to whom they figured would be buying these cars. People who do not want to hear the exhaust tone or the intake growl or feel a snappy aggressive shift from the transmission. It always comes down to money and greed. How many fewer units of GS series cars would not get sold because the consumer reports claim that the transmission was "too harsh"? Probably alot would be not sold being that these are a luxury type car.
07-31-14, 07:48 PM
#127
08-02-14, 05:31 AM
#128
Yep, I agree about non-structural weight however some of that weight is also used for weight distribution to balance the car out at certain points. I can also agree with you on that the car in stock form is really soft shifting but its a luxury car but is "suppose" to be performance oriented luxury car. I added the Torque Converter and LSD and it really woke up the car.. I use to have Corvettes with shift kits and all and i kind of missed the quick shifts and chirping tires in every gear but IMO i don't think i want that in my Lexus. I think TC/LSD is enough. Plus i won't want to stray off to far with anything having to do more with touching the Tranny. I don't think it boils down to just money, I think they intended the car to have a balnace of luxury of performance ofcourse some of us want more of the lean of performance on our cars which is why I have owned a few Infiniti(s). (Infiniti is less soft and more performance oriented Luxo brand) I do agree the pre-FSport cars are very soft but I still think Lexus did a fine job for what they were trying to achieve at that time, now people want more sporty/racier cars hence voila F-Sport models.
None of the weight added to doors has to do with balancing the car.
If you've added a TC and LSD - why would you not want to adjust the pressure setting - that the engineers PUT THERE?
At first you talked about staying stock so I said "ok" - then you tell us you modded your car but don't want to use a factory installed optional setting?
Yes they intended the car to have some balance of luxury and performance but I also know that there were many concessions mad and this shows us that they thought about how many complaints they would get because the tranny shifted too soft.
08-02-14, 07:14 AM
#129
I really think you are missing there point here.
None of the weight added to doors has to do with balancing the car.
If you've added a TC and LSD - why would you not want to adjust the pressure setting - that the engineers PUT THERE?
At first you talked about staying stock so I said "ok" - then you tell us you modded your car but don't want to use a factory installed optional setting?
Yes they intended the car to have some balance of luxury and performance but I also know that there were many concessions mad and this shows us that they thought about how many complaints they would get because the tranny shifted too soft.
None of the weight added to doors has to do with balancing the car.
If you've added a TC and LSD - why would you not want to adjust the pressure setting - that the engineers PUT THERE?
At first you talked about staying stock so I said "ok" - then you tell us you modded your car but don't want to use a factory installed optional setting?
Yes they intended the car to have some balance of luxury and performance but I also know that there were many concessions mad and this shows us that they thought about how many complaints they would get because the tranny shifted too soft.
I'm actually very content with TC/LSD on my modded 400 and that as far as i'm going to go with it as far as tranny. I'm not that into neck snapping shifts as i once were.. hehe
I personally feel my mods on my GS400 is as near perfect as I can get and my 430 is stock so i'm loving that too (Jekyl and Hyde) LOL
10-09-14, 09:32 PM
#130
So I had a car come in and had his tranny oil changed - while we were in there he asked if I could turn the dial.
I never drove the car before but I can say that it felt a little better than a stock GS - It did get me to thinking about one thing.
The IS300 always seems to shift quicker and harder than the GS - since their tranny is the same (A650E) I wonder if simply swapping the valve bodies would give us the same shifts?
I never drove the car before but I can say that it felt a little better than a stock GS - It did get me to thinking about one thing.
The IS300 always seems to shift quicker and harder than the GS - since their tranny is the same (A650E) I wonder if simply swapping the valve bodies would give us the same shifts?
10-15-14, 08:38 AM
#131
Pole Position
Is this dial actually something that can and is supposed to be adjusted? Or is it not recommended ? Because I've never heard of this. If you can possibly tell me where or point me to where it's at so I can tell my mechanic to try this.
10-17-14, 09:34 PM
#132
10-31-14, 01:25 AM
#133
OK, I'd like to chime in now after a little more seat time with my 99 GS4.
I did the mod and I can definitely feel the difference, the most pronounced part is the downshifts.
You can really feel it kick in and I like it - I just bought the toyomoto style "rods" and I think I may try it next - although I need to get the figs rear diff and subframe bushings first as it really moves around on the stock bushings right now.
I did the mod and I can definitely feel the difference, the most pronounced part is the downshifts.
You can really feel it kick in and I like it - I just bought the toyomoto style "rods" and I think I may try it next - although I need to get the figs rear diff and subframe bushings first as it really moves around on the stock bushings right now.
01-21-15, 04:28 PM
#135
Lead Lap
reading through this got me thinking... since the A650E is used in the LS, GS, SC, and IS, isn't is possible that this switch is meant to be set at a certain position at the factory depending on which model the trans is going into? the comfort oriented LS would probably be on a softer setting, while the more sporty and stiffer GS would be on a higher pressure setting. this way the same trans can be used in different cars yet still allow for a different feel across the model range. either way, it's something i'd be looking to do on my LS...