it's really not that bad if you change the range at the right RPM...it also depends on how hard you are pressing on the pedal...if you drive normally and lightly and ur at say...3rd gear (and ur range max is 3)...then just drive up till the 2500-2800RPM range and then try changing ur range to 4...it should almost always shift right away (so it kinda feels ok)

if you are driving more aggressively...then you will need to wait for a higher RPM before trying to "shift" the range

 

the paddles are fun to play with but nothing beats a stick when it comes to it.

 

I find the only time I use the paddle shifters is for long downhill mountain roads, and even the the console shifter (up/down) works fine for that purpose.

 

hmm... ok i understand our transmissions aren't the same as a F430, but then again our cars aren't 150k ferrari's... when pushing it in the twisties i find they work fine, you're too worried about keeping it on the road than the minimal shift lag, and if keeping it on the road ISN'T your primary concern, you're NOT driving fast enough.

A true driver will adept to the faults of the car.

 

I've already stated that my dads Ferrari is a manual; a true drivers car. And yes, obviously F-Cars have one of the best gearbox's with the F1's, but my significantly less expensive Audi A4, shifts instantly and is not DCT. It will let you shift when you want, not when the car wants to. Just what I was trying to get at...

 

I agree with that. However, there are competitor and lesser models that have mastered faster shifting. My Multronic A4 CVT shifts instantly, and it's been established the IS-F also does. The regular IS is ripe for some shifting or programming improvements.
If there is a silver lining, it is my opinion the IS automatic transmission shifts are the smoothest in the industry.

 

Uh, you do realize a CVT doesn't really have _any_ fixed gears, right?

In auto mode the ratio is perpetually changing among a (virtually) infinite number of ratios.

I realize Audi added a little smoke and mirrors to make it act like it has 6 distinct gears in tiptronic mode, but it's really not a valid thing to compare to any sort of real fixed-gear automatic when discussing shifting speeds, since the internal design and function of the transmissions are vastly different.


The IS-F on the other hand, yeah... awesome shifting from an automatic... but then again the engine and transmission is where most of the 10-15k extra cost goes compared to the 350.


Really, the complaints on the ISx50 all stem from people failing to understand the paddles aren't shifters, they're range selectors. They work -exactly- as they should for what they are, rather than what people keep thinking they are.

Personally, I just leave it in automatic mode unless I'm in the mountains... the ECU is pretty smart on picking gears, and it shifts way faster than any human can.

 

IS250/350 paddle shifters are useless. Especially in races. I was doing some highway runs from 40 MPH and I downshifted so I have more control of the gears. I shifted near redline and it hits the rev limiter for like 2 seconds. There is like a 5 second lag or something.

Just wondering how do you guys do highway runs?

 

In 'D'.

Javier

 

Yeah I wish the tranny was a little better or atleast have that upgrade that the IS300 has, but I manage. Ive even been able to manage to match rev when I bring it down through the gears, that atleast is cool and sounds nice...lol

 

how the heck do you rev match when you cant put it in neutral? at least i think youre supposed to put it in neutral on a manual to match.

 

Nah man, just when you click to downshift tap the gas pedal like half way but quick and I guess there is a point where it does go into neutral or that auto clutch engages and the RPMs will climb right to the engine speed and you'll sound just like stick, lol

P.S.- Takes alot of practice!!

 

You know in this case I must say I am VERY fond of the "PWR" mode in our car. The shifting is much more aggressive (I see my gas mileage PLUMMET from 22-23 to 19 when I do this for too long) but it puts me in a stronger (lower gear) than it would if I was in normal.

Of course that also depends on how you've been driving your car in normal mode and for how long because obviously the ECU will adjust to your driving habits. I live in an area where people go really really slow way too often and I have trouble finding occasions to really push on the throttle so my normal mode has very conservative, gas-saving shifting under 1/2 throttle presses, 1/4 throttle presses.

 

Gas mileage "plummet" from 22-23 to 19? I got 5.3 mpg on three tanks of gas in two days at the track. That's plummeting! It's also going genuinely fast, something you really can't do on the street.

Besides all that, the impression paddle shifters give is instant gear changes. The paddles in the 350 do not deliver this and never will. It is IMHO, a serious marketing failure. There shouldn't be any paddles in the x50 cars because they aren't shifters at all. They're range selectors just as the documentation you get AFTER you buy the car says.

 

If one is going 70 mph and the car is in it's highest gear (6) and you downshift one (to 5) with the paddles, you are saying we are in fact NOT changing into the 5th gear? Are you saying we are shifting into a different range of the SAME gear? That makes no sense (or I am totally lost). The car has six gears and you can row through all of them with the shifter or paddle (if speed warrants the change).
The term "range selector" sounds like Lexus jargon for dummies (the average buyer). Please explain further.