ACDinan5

My buddy just got a very nice, great shape used 99 GS4. While driving his car, we both noticed that when you come to a complete stop in E Shift Mode 3rd is the lowest it positions itself. Anyway to force it to 1st?

Also, we noticed that in D, it feels like it starts off in 2nd gear. Beside Gate Shifting, any way to get it to start in 1st? (he can't stand the fact that I'm whoopin him off the line )

Oh BTW, for any DC area folks, he has 17 inch Chrome wheels but he wants to trade for 16's and Cash (I know, crazy!) I told him to get 19's but he truly likes a floaty ride.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

E-shift won't go to 1st at all. It also won't go to 2nd unless the car is warmed up. I may be in the minority, but I don't believe shifting to first is necessary.

It doesn't start in 2nd (unless he's got it set to 'snow mode'). My car stays in 1st easily until almost red line if I want it to (with WOT) even in full automatic. What are you whoopin him with? From your handle, I guess a Dinan 'chipped' 540i? Is your stick?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yes, using eshift and if the car is not warmed up, can't go to 2nd.

eshift never goes to first

my car always starts in first

ACDinan5

Nope, automatic 540. But do have Dinan CAI, Stage IV chip, Tranny Chip, Air Flow meter, and 3.15 Diff. The 3.15 made the most impact off the line IMO.

"Whoop" was a figure of speech, but I do beat him pretty convincingly. He's pretty even with a stock 540 sport auto buddy that we know.

Yes, I do believe that we tried to E Shift when the car was just started thus explaining why it stayed in 3rd.

I actually like driving his car...the power is, if not, almost identical to a stock 540...the GS is deceivingly fast cuz it's so quiet. His car handles very well so I don't understand why so many people say that the GS doesn't handle great...they have to drive on hard to understand. His Navi is pretty nice, but appears a bit fuzzy. All in all a great car...could see myself in one!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Nice setup. And welcome. My neighbor has a (stock) '99 540i auto (sport pkg). I find my car to be a bit faster than his, and with my handling mods, I can run circles around his.

Both make sense.

Thanks for the praise - very cool to read a Bimmer driver praising a GS. I highly respect the 540i also. I've driven my neighbor's plus I drove a friend's 6 speed. The 6 speed one was definitely quicker than the auto, but of course the auto one my neighbor has doesn't have all the mods yours does.

Anyway, doesn't sound like your friend's GS is every likely to beat you in a straight line without mods like a TC and perhaps intake at least.

ACDinan5

I actually drove GS400_PUSHER's car...very responsive since he got the TC. His Intake seems a bit loud and I wonder if it's actually improving his performance since I assume Lexus, like BMW, or vise versa, is so highly computerized that the Intake may not be really doing much unless you change air/fuel ratio or something. Even with his 20's his car was very responsive. The TC is a must mod IMO for all GS owners (car freaks that is ). My buddy is thinking of getting the TC since he feels that his GS tranny is not as responisve as mine when you floor it. He doesn't understand that it is the Dinan Tranny Chip that makes my car shift crisper and quicker. I should have let him drove my car years ago when it was stock, then he would realize that it's not just his GS but all stock cars.

I also own an Audi A6 4.2 (wife's car), man that car is a dog. Tranny sux, power is sub par for a V8. I tried to convince my wife to get a GS430 with MK/Nav but he best friend drives a GS so we didn't get one What is it with women and things they cannot have cuz their best friend has one....

I am anxiously waiting for the next GS...hopefully Lexus will drop a 6spd in that thing.

RealMarty

As bit said, it starts in first. Also tell your friend that every test I've seen shows that the fastest straight-line acceleration is by leaving it in D.

E-shift is fun to downshift but it doesn't react any faster than gate shifting (and you can downshift to first thru the gate if you're going slow enough for the computer to let you).

doug_999

I have to tell you, while I never took it to the track, I would bet that my former 2000 540ia stock with sports package would take the GS430 from 0-30 and probably up to 60. Car and Driver test results also confirm this. From 60 however (and maybe even 30 even though C&D doesn't say so), the GS430 does seem to have a bit more pull.

Vs. a GS400 however would not be a comparison, I choose not to lease that car in 2000 due to its slow 0-30 times. The 540 is/was so quick it was hard to start off smooth sometimes.

The fact is that the cars are two different animals - the 540 is more sport and the Lexus is more luxury. I enjoy the change but do miss my 540 sometimes.

Now how do I get rid of this loose steering in the GS430?

RealMarty

Swap the stock steering ecu for the L-Tuned version. Won't make the steering quicker, but it eliminates the play and give you more steering wheel feel.

ACDinan5

The two cars are so close in performance it would probably boil down the the launch. Auto vs Auto that it. The 6spd would IMO probably take off a bit harder plus the short gears probably help it a lot as well. When 6spd guys drop 3.15 rear end, the car transforms into something else.

One key reason I didn't get the GS430, and I was pretty damn close, was the steering...didn't feel as connected to the road. The feedback wasn't as precise as the 540's. The GS had Stage2 LTuned, if memory serves me right. Plus the salesman was an idiot talking so much trash about other cars. If he actually could admire the strengths of other cars, I may have actually overlooked the steering response issue, but also the car was over $63K, I thought for another $5K I would invest in the M5 (not much of an investment actually cosidering how much they depreciatedd). Come February, my 540 is going away and I will be shopping around. Perhaps I should drive my buddy's GS more often, or even trade for a day.

doug_999

I agree regarding the road feel in the steering - I also miss the sounds of the motor. However... my new GS430 stickered only $3K less than my 2000 540ia did and yet leases out almost 25% cheaper. Plus I now have a real stereo and a nav - somethings my $57K 540 didn't. So everything in life is a tradeoff.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i thought gs430 has the ltuned ecu already?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Hehe, not again. The answer is NO IT DOESN'T. RealMarty and I proved it in tests on his car.

ACDinan5

What are people typically paying on a GS430 lease? Assuming ZERO down.

RealMarty

Bit,

Glad to be talking to you here. Kinda hard to believe that the ecu story on the GS430 is still not clear after our highly scientific test.

Give me a call and let's set up a time to get together.

Marty