fly2low

A related issue:

When I am stuck in a traffic jam or stop-and-go traffic and I forget to switch the ECT power off, it is kind of annoying because the setup is quite agressive and doesn't allow a smooth transitition.

The S mode doesn't do me any good with no complete control. So, I almost never use it.

omgitsroy

iTrader: (1)

in the regular mode.. i've noticed that if i gas once all the way really fast.. then follow up with just mashin it the whole way ... it's a bit more responsive....

i have no issues with it.. thougth i have to admit it's not the best in throttle response but it's pretty damn good enough for now~

cvex

Wow, never knew theres other that are experiencing this either. Although I dont own and IS, my '06 G35 have the same Intel learning tranny too. I dont drive like a nascar all the time but there are times that I need to really MOVE or get hit by incomming cars.

For instance, I was pulling out of a gas station on to a street that had a speed limit of 50mph and of course no one drives 50. I almost got rear ended because my 280hp engine shifts like a little grandma at 3k rpm on each gear at full throttle. Its a damn shame.

I understand that the Intel Tranny give your better gas mileage but in this case it was not a great option to put in a sports car that you know it has potential and confident that you can beat the traffic. If I would have known that it would shift like that I would have NOT pull out. I wish it can learn that full throttle means "Oh *****"

nois3504me

i hate to say this but I have also experienced this strange tranny behavior today. there were cars in front of me when i was trying to merge onto the freeway. I decided to pass the slow moving cars by moving 2 lanes over, but when i punched it, it felt really laggy like the car didnt want to go. it lasted for what seemed like a second, but long enough to make me think WTF?!.

ff_

Our ES does the same thing. They program the shift logic this way to try and keep gas consumption and emissions to a minimum. Our ES tries to get into top gear as quickly as possible, and then refuses to move from there until absolutely necessary. Other carmakers can manage to maintain good mileage and emissions control without resorting to that behavior. I don't know whay Toyota can't do the same.

Lets Drive

iTrader: (3)

You keep claiming that its not dropping to the lowest gear possible for max acceleration...but at what speed are you traveling when you punch it, which gear is it dropping to, and what is the RPM in that gear?

eddo1

Its possible that it's not just the intel tranny causing this issue. On my BMW 325i which is a stick shift (taking the intel slushbox out of the equation), the electronic throttle also learns your ways. So it varies the amount of gas(air) that it gives the engine for a set distance that you push it in the pedal. As our cars has the electronic throttle, that may also be causing that problem. BMWs, however, can get that reset without disconneting the battery. It would be interesting if someone with a IS250 manual can verify this - if their car drives faster after disconnecting the battery then, the electronic throttle can be interfering also.

CarDudeRI

At least I know that i'm not the only one this is happening to now... it's a relief (in a sense), but again... this shouldn't be happening to anybody.

As far as the electronically controlled throttle... I never even thought about that, and it's a very logical suggestion. I will bring this up with the lexus dealer. But if it's "learning" is similar to the tranny, then it looks like i'll have to do the same, and keep disconnecting the battery.

Anyway, to answer Shinobi's question: I can be driving on the highway at 65 mph in 6th gear (around 2.5 rpms) - then mash the gas pedal, and the tranny will only drop to 4th gear. However, in the same situation if i'm in "S" mode, i can make the car drop to 3rd gear for better passing acceleration. Same thing on side roads... i can be going 45 mph in 6th gear (2 rpms), mash the gas, and it only drops to 4th gear. But again, if i use "S" mode, i can force the tranny to drop down to 2nd gear to get a ton of torque. If "S" mode allows me to bring it down to 2nd gear when i'm cruising at 45mph, then why won't the tranny automatically do that for me when i slam the gas pedal as i'm crusing in automatic?

After I disconnect the battery and re-connect it... the problem completely dissapears. But like i said... that all goes away after about a week of driving, and i'm back in the same place i am right now - disconnecting the battery yet AGAIN. Besides being a pain in the butt to have to disconnect the battery once a week, it also erases all of my settings in the car each time... so i then have to reprogram the stereo, etc...

Phillip31

According to your previous post....you said puttin it in S-Mode...still doesnt sovle your problem.


But in your most recent post....it seems like puttin it in S-Mode is how u want the tranny to shift....

CarDudeRI

Those are 2 different situations... when you put the tranny in S-Mode, you can either let the car decide the shifting, or you can do it yourself. Once you open all the shift gates in S-Mode, you never have to touch the shifter again. You can just use the brake and gas and let the car decide the shifts, which is exactly the same as auto mode... and that's what I meant in the first post - that putting it in S-Mode, and opening all of the shift gates doesn't solve my problem. In that situation, when i slam the gas (and don't shift myself), the car doesn't get up and go. In the other post however, I meant the exact opposite. When I put it in S-mode, the car does move ONLY WHEN I control the shifting by locking out the higher gears by physically dropping it down to 3rd or even 2nd gear. Did that make sense?

Anyway, I don't believe I should have to put it in S-mode and physically drop the gear down to 2nd or 3rd to get the maximum amount of pick-up. The car should do that same thing itself when I leave the tranny in auto mode and slam the gas.

Simply put... when everyone else is cruising along in auto mode... when you slam the gas, does the car get up and go, or does it just kinda pick up slightly as if you were trying to drive carefully with your grandma in the car? Cuz that's exactly how my car behaves when i slam the gas in auto mode.

jthbe

The kickdown logic is a problem. The delay you are experiencing is the tranny deciding to shift into the lower gear.

I've been trying to get Lexus's ear for reprogramming the TCM to eliminate the kick-down logic on hard acceleration. I finnally met with a master technician the other day and they said we're on our own.

Any one out there know how to modify the TCM logic?

Based on this thread, there would be a market for this mod.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

There's no need to disconnect the battery for 5 minutes. Click here for the alternative procedure from the FSM. It will not erase all the other settings you have.

AFA the gearbox being slow to respond, I haven't had that argument with it. I've always figured automatics won't do what I want them to because I didn't program them to make me happy.

Lets Drive

iTrader: (3)

Ah, ok because I also have the same "issue", but I wouldn't exactly call it a problem (unless you just outright disagree with the engineering). My current avg speed in the IS is between 18-20mph, and I usually do apply moderate throttle when accelerating, with infrequent real punches of the throttle, as I've been experimenting for gas mileage as of late. The car behaves as such when I decide to change my driving dynamic, as I too have found the car in standard mode and at times power mode, to be more laggy when giving it a jab. I'll note that often times when I do get on the throttle (at similar speeds to yours), I take it upon myself to shift into the S-mode, which as you know drops it to 4th, but tend to downshift to 3rd for the same acceleration I'm assuming you look for. But as the car doesn't "learn" in S-mode, I'm curious as to why it dosn't alleviate your issue. If you were to leave your car in 6th/S-mode, its behavior should remain consistent, based on shift points that were determined as it left the factory.

I'll also say, that the reason I asked about RPM, was because in 3rd gear at your given speed, while it may provide more acceleration, the duration of that period isn't very long (especially depending on your right foot), and shifting to 4th prevents gear hunting (which I also absolutely despise). My guess is that Lexus opted for predetermined shift points in order to prevent this, while simultaneously adding to a smoother ride, rather than a sudden jolt from depressing the gas pedal the odd times that you would, if the car has already learned your "granny style".

I also notice the behavior of what I describe above to fall in line with how the active cruise feature on my IS works, as setting it to 80mph for example, and then having it trail a slower moving vehicle, usually has it making as few shifts as possible, at the expense of quicker acceleration once said vehicle moves out of my path. Simply put, the car will sooner downshift to a gear that it will take longer to reach 80 in, rather than shifting through 2 gears to get to 80 faster. Slow i.e. laggy, but far more smooth to the passenger(s).

I'd have to say the tranny is working as advertised really.

ff_

There's a solution to all these problems you guys are having: stop buying cars with slush-o-matic transmissions.

CarDudeRI

LOL... thank you Lobux - it's appreciated as this work around is much simpler as well as convenient for not erasing my presets.