Wow.. Iam the start of page two.. ha ha what ever that means

I have a 98 GS4 with the eshift. I think of the e-shift as a way to limit my top gear. If I go to "M" then I see the number on the dash as 5 then I interpret it as 5th, meaning I cannot go past 5th gear I now that makes no sense, but if it was on 3 then that means I cannot go past 3rd gear. It still thinks of it as being in 1st then it will shift up to 3rd and I think it will blow up past third if I don't shift but,I will not try that cause I am chin ken.

Did Lexus improve this on the latter models?

I am not trying to be offensive at all....

BP

 

I have no idea what you're talking about.

If you're in 5th, you can't go past it because the GS is a 5 speed. If you're in 3rd, you can't go past third unless you command an up-shift from your button or shifter.

I don't think you know how to use your e-shift properly. When you shift over to the manual mode, YOU THE DRIVER have to control the shifting. IT WILL NOT automatically downshift for you. YOU will have to shift it down to 1st at a stop.

When the car is placed BACK INTO AUTOMATIC, it'll shift down to 1st by itself and you can move into manual and start from the 1st gear and shift your way back up to 5th.

 

I have no control over the gear it starts in. It is ALWAYS 1st gear. The display says 2nd. What does your display say?

Your right I only really have control over downshift. It will upshift to the highest gear on the heads up display HUD... Ha ha

BP

 

Are you using the buttons or the shifter?

When I use the shifter, I can shift it down to 1st, 2nd, whereever to start. I can also upshift whenever I need or downshift whenever I need. And when I pop into 5th gear, I also place the car back into the Automatic mode. But from that point, I can tap my shifter back into fourth and get back into the manual mode.

 

I'm confused since when is e-shift available on a GS430?

here is what the interior of you 430 looks like


and the interior of a 400 with e-shift



Brian I believe that you are mistaking what the original poster is talking about. The Gs430 does not come with e-shift, rowing through the gear with your gear shift lever is not the same thing that he is talking about.


Owning my car for 2 years and being an avid user of e-shift, here is the break down. Yes when you engage e-shift, shift to the M, the cluster displays 5th gear. But that does not mean that you are in 5th gear it just means that the you set the limit of the gear the tranny can shift into 5th gear. E-shift will downshift and upshift without your input the only thing that e-shift does is give you the ability to set the highest gear you are willing to let the tranny go into and downshift.

 

I didn't say the GS430 had e-shift. I was talking about the manual mode ability in the GS430 vs. the E-shift in the GS400.

But I think I may be misinterpreting the function and use of e-shift. I always thought that the E-shift was basically the same thing if I were to use the shifter in my GS430 to shift between gears. The buttons on the steering wheel just allowed the driver to shift without having to actually move the shifter.

You probably know much more than I do with the E-shift itself but I'm going by my experience in the 430 and the manual ability with that car.

 

using the gear shift in your gs430 leaves the car in that one gear no downshift or upshift, whereas the e-shift will downshift and upshift but only to the gear that you have displayed on the cluster.

 

Then isn't that the same concept? You press the e-shift down to 3rd, and the car will shift down to 3rd and stay there. And then you decide to upshift to 4th, so you upshift to 4th with the e-shift and the car shifts into 4th and stays there. Isn't that how it works?

It's just that on the shifter on the 430, I can shift without having to command the car to what gear I want. With the E-shift, you command the car to shift to 4th, and the car will follow your command.

Isn't it the same concept behind the SMG in the E46 M3 (except in the M3, it automatically downshifts to 1st when stopped).

 

As one thats had both cars...
I miss E-shift in the 400. I used it ALL the time. It pre-dates the paddle shifters now used on the IS. E-shift was a way for you to "MANUALLY" control your gears, thus putting it in "M" mode. THere is no 1st with e-shift, only 2-5 gears.
If you put the car in that gear, it will NOT shift to a higher gear until you press the button again.

With the GS 430, if you use the gated shifter, it is "like" e-shift. The car will redline until you shift into the next gear.

 

Oh and
98-00 GS 400 has e-shift
01-05 GS 300 has e-shift

I don't think its interchangeable.

 

Well stated Mike. Makes sense now. Kinda like what I was saying except I didn't know e-shift did not allow 1st gear.

 

I dont know about the GS430, but my car doesn't start in the gear I want it to. If I manual put the lever to 2, the car will start in 1st and then go to 2nd. If I put it in 3, the car will start from 1st-->2nd-->3rd. Perhaps its a new program for the 01+ GS.

I only use e-shift to downshift when I need passing power. Upshift is a joke so I leave that alone.

 

This is a topic that is getting out of hand, but I have an opinion about this one.

If you put your car in the M mode and the 5 is listed in the dash you can come to a stop and the car will down shift to 1st for you. Yes, you can down shift the car to 2nd and only have it shifting between 1st and 2nd, but if you fail to upshift, your car will do so for you prior to over reving the engine. I agree with all of you that feel it is a waste of time to use the M mode.

 

I think everyone is making too big of a deal out of this lol.

There are certain safegaurds built into the car. Toyota is really aggressive about this for some reason. The e-shift in Nissans and Hondas(includes Infiniti and Acura) is in more direct control by the driver. When you shift up in those it will shift up, not like in the GS where it shifts up when the ecu feels like it according to your speed/rpm/throttle position.

In my experience, if you manually shift with the lever the car will act just as if it were in E-shift mode. As in the car will start from first gear always and will not go above whatever position the lever is in. It will also downshift even if you are using the lever. I haven't driven my car in 2 months now so I don't remember exactly but I think thats how it was. I used e-shift all the time since I tend to downshift and punch it all the time

 

Having taken my 400 and 430 to the 1/4 mile strip, my best times are leaving either car in D and just punching the gas...

I really miss e-shift....I don't know why the 2IS gets paddle shifters but not the 3GS...

Lexus really makes me sometimes