I've owned my 2015 RCF for a year now and noticed a transmission problem from the get go.... I've taken it in numerous times and although I had one tech admit to me that he saw a problem Lexus keeps denying anything is wrong. I even had a corporate rep come take a ride wth me only for them to tell me that it's the way that I drive my car. I am a very aggressive driver having had already 7 Lexus ... mostly is350's. I have had them reset the transmission 3 times and no matter how I drive I have the same problem. I can't blame the transmission as it has no problem but I do blame the programming. The problem happens when I try to pass a slow car (embarrassing af) and it happens when taking turns that the car delays when switching to the correct gear to pull through. I don't know what else to do... I love the car except for this huge annoyance. I almost had an accident when trying to pass someone due to the delay In power. I was almost rear ended by someone in the other lane... someone has to have an answer

 

How about a reflash of the ECU?

Also which mode do you drive in?

 

I usually drive in normal mode however I have found that it does the same thing in sport s mode... I hadn't really payed attention to it in sport s plus mode because I usually use it when I want to hear the engine noise in the car.... I love it but it's always in such a low gear it's not practical for my daily commute to work in traffic.

havent had the ecu flashed yet, has anyone else?

 

I have done the reflash but I still have the downshifting delay..

 

well I'm glad I'm not the only one... not that I wish this on anyone but I was beginning to think I was crazy, everyone at Lexus in Tampa, FL says nothing is wrong with my car. I've now moved to Miami and was thinking of getting another opinion. One thing id like to note is that my RCF was purchased in Canada and imported into the states so it's a Canadian model, by any chance does anyone else w/ this problem have a Canadian RCF?

 

I have the same tranmission issue that many of you speak of and the dealers I've gone to have also let me drive newer RCF's and GSF's to show me that they all do it.

Of course my response is "just because they all do it doesn't make it right". I also fought to get the reflash and it's still there. The tech also said they reset the TCM so that it could relearn my driving habits, but that didn't work either.

Bottom line, it shifts way too early out of all gears and has too many of them. I also use manual quite often, but why have an automatic if you need to shift it manually.

I hope someone like RR Racing can come to our rescue and issue a reprogram of their own to let the V8 really shine.

 

checkbout this thread with gs owners, they seem to have he sameness jerking issue. I also have a rcf with the same jerking issue. Gonna go to a dealership and press the issue soon. Anyways the gs owners found out it was the ecu causing the jerking. New ecus and jerking gone.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-3rd-gen-2006-2011/721016-jerk-jolt-clunk-when-coming-to-a-stop-3.html

 

FWIW, I love this transmission/engine combo and feel it's the ideal match for the RCF which is more GT coupe than sports car.. The only time I drive in automatic mode is to warm it up or doing easy cruising if I have a passenger to keep my attention. After that, it's sport or sport+ m mode, keeping the revs high especially after I got the apexi exhaust installed.

I don't expect my torque converter automatics to have instantaneous response like a DCT just like I don't expect the DCT to be as smooth an operator as a TC unit. Going sports manual gives me the best of both worlds.

Good luck.

 

I agree.

But I didn't want an automatic anyway. If I could have gotten a manual I would have, without a doubt. However, I wanted the RC F so I have to settle with what I have.

I've learned to live with it's flaws and how to work around them. Like if I'm cruising and see a potential race, then I drop gears so I can get on it without having to wait for it to shift from 8-7-6-5-4-3.... By then they would be like 10 cars in front of me if it was a close match. I mean comon... you can't even skip a gear in manual mode. That's one thing I know that a tranny tune can adjust and I hope someone gets on it. But in the meantime....

 

I rarely drive in automatic but in auto sports+ my RCF will redline most of the low gears. Driving in manual is just to much dam fun!

 

Ripping through the gears is definitely something I miss. But I'd not trade in my RC F for a manual anything else right now.

Automatic does a good job if you start from a stop and stay in it, like if running a road course. But I often like to nail it from a stop and then cruise when I get to speed. In manual mode I can instantly upshift when I get to speed so that the car isn't sitting there at speed with the revs running really high while waiting for the tranny to realize that I want to cruise now and to finally upshift. Maybe it's just a peeve of mine since I'm so used to a manual and having complete control over what gear I'm running in... but it bothers me to be sitting at 5k rpm for what feels like 10 seconds with the cruise control on.

I also rarely use the paddle shifters. It seems that every time I try to get into the habit of using them I find that I need to shift while taking a turn and it's easier and more natural to just reach for the stick. Once again, it's probably because I drive as if I had a manual tranny because that's all I've ever owned with sports cars until now.


Side note:
I tore up a 328i on the highway today. I even left it in auto. But I did switch to Sports+ mode (I cruise in normal or sports mode for 8th gear).

 

oh wow you don't use the paddle shifters, I only use the paddle shifters sports+ LOL. I am going to try using the stick next time I drive it. I have a Borla exhaust and that apexi throttle controller, and it feels a lot different from stock, definitely more power. you are correct it can get kinda crazy turning the corner using paddle shifters. If you haven't driven your RCF on the track yet I HIGHLY suggest it.

Great kill on the 328i, I have ran against my friends C6 corvette on the expressway from about a 70mph start and once the RCF got up to about 100-110 (not 100%sure of speed I wasn't looking down LOL) I started pulling away. I also ran against an M4 on the way to a car show and it is fast but again once we got up there in mph the RCF started pulling, allegedly we got up over 140mph allegedly.

 

I think it's because of the way I use the steering wheel. I have habits from 20 years of driving a manual. So when I have to turn the wheel more than 90 degrees the paddle shifters are in an awkward place for my hands. So I reach for the stick instead. But I can see the benefit of having paddle shifters. For example, I made a video a while back. I was holding my phone with my left hand so that it was capturing the odometer with the road while I was shifting a manual transmission with my right hand. I was going well over 100 mph and I had to completely let go of the wheel to shift. I couldn't even use my knee because one leg was for the gas and the other leg was for the clutch. Paddle shifters would have been nice then. Needless to say, I had a lot of faith in my ride and it was properly aligned.

I'll run to the limiter if I have to. Nice kills. Wish I could get a good race, but I haven't had a single close race yet. I'm in the sticks of North Carolina on a contract right now though. Every now and then I see a contender. But they are usually not going my way.

 

Old thread i know but curious if anyone else encounters this......

I could be driving on a nice straight bit of road (auto mode), doing about 80km/hr and decide to floor it (hard acceleration). The transmission will kick down from 8th to about 5-6th gear and then a second or so later kick down again to 3-4th gear. More so in normal auto mode but sometimes even in sport+ mode. Its like it accelerates in 2 stages.

This generally happens on the first hard acceleration when i drive the car. If i do the same thing moments later, it will kick down from 8th to about 3rd gear.

Of course in Manual / paddle mode this doesnt exist but if i need to accelerate hard from 8th gear, i find it quicker to mash the pedal in auto mode, it kicks down to a low gear and then i can flick over sports + vs trying to manual flicking down 5 gears or is there a better sequence of doing things.

Edit, sorry noticed this is the RCF thread not ISF, ill repost there but im sure some many of you RCF guys have come from an ISF and may know anyway

 

There is a sensor under the throttle pedal and if you don't push the pedal hard enough it wont engage the lowest gear possible, have a look, there is a tread on here somewhere about pulling the spring out and making it softer cheers.