What happens if you just reach down and hit the kickdown with your fingers (and dont touch the gas pedal at all). Will it still accelerate?

 

It basically changes the shift gear selection program in the ECU. If you press the button before hitting an appropriate throttle position the ECU simply ignores it and operates in the normal shift mode. This was tested by lobuxracer in his IS F and is also what the repair manual indicates the ECU will do if it detects a short.

Jeff

 

yeah, it does nothing if you press it without apply the gas.

So, has Lexus integrated the kickdown in the gas pedal on NA models, since you don't have the switch? If not, does it mean that NA models accelerate slower than Euro models? Since vi have this switch?

 

Well all it's controlling is the transmission shift pattern (apparently), so as for how the North American ones shift in comparison to the European ones, it would be hard to know without driving both. Perhaps the North American ones are always on a slightly more aggressive shift pattern (or somewhere between the normal/button pressed European one). Definitely hard to know without a direct comparison.

Jeff

 

Well, it might not makes much of difference if both accelerate from standstill (Since the 0-60 time is basically the same). But at the speed, it will make difference if one can drop gear quicker to accelerate faster.

 

I understand, I'm just saying I don't know how the North American cars would handle the downshift in comparison to the European ones. It's possible the North American pattern may downshift sooner than a regular European one, but not as quick as a European one with the switch pressed. Or it may downshift just as fast as with the switch pressed, or slower than both. Someone needs to do some testing or something, haha. Maybe the North American ECU's have a kickdown switch input and you could add it, who knows.

I'd look into it, but as I have a manual transmission, no amount of switches will make it downshift any quicker, haha.

Jeff

 

This turned out to be a better thread than i thought, i figured that since i didnt even realize the isf even had that feature lol.

very informative, thanks fellas. i told my friend with the isf Jeff Lange would be the first to respond but i was wrong lol