Hameed

I have a 99 GS400 and one thing about the transmission that I hate is that whenever I am taking an on-ramp onto the highway and I want to accelerate fast, the car is never in the right gear at that instant. It downshifts and ofcourse there is the sudden acceleration that accompanies that. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that feels good.

However what feels even better is if if you have the tranny in manual mode and have the gear in 2nd or 3rd (depending on your speed of course), then you mash the throttle on the on-ramp - the power delivery is so much more smoother - no sudden jerk as the auto downshifts (as it does not need to because you are controlling it manually, and it is in the right gear).

So my question is - is it safe to use the e-shift a lot? This won't cause more wear and tear on the tranny in the long run?

Anybody with insights on this? I did a couple of searches on the forum for this, but did not come up with anything conclusive. I guess this question is for owners who bought their GS new in 98 or late 97 and like to use the e-shift feature. Any problems with your cars guys?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

If you're shifting more than the auto would by itself then I guess you're wearing the tranny more. I find with e-shift I don't necessarily shift more often, I'm mainly using it to stop it shifting into a higher gear than I want.

You're also putting more wear on the engine (and using more gas) because most likely you'll be running it at higher rpms than normal, but I've yet to hear of any damage EVER to a Lexus V8.

I think the biggest risk of using e-shift a lot is wearing out the buttons on the steering wheel - I've heard of that happening!

mooretorque

Bit has again summarized well. Since the tranny is electronic, you can't do anything with e-shift other than vary your shiftpoints (up or down) and hold a given gear longer than the CPU would at part throttle. In the very long term, higher revs = more engine and transmission wear, but since there are Lexus V8s out there with 200-300k miles on them that have never been "opened up", I'd say that the drivetrain is up to it.

Rev it high, let if fly!

///MDex

Ditto x3

Not that we are the total populartion of GS drivers, but I can't recall any kind of transmission failuers being discussed here. I think the tranny is over engineered for its use, add to that the meticulous care and (early) service schedules we follow, and you're bound to be just fine.

Hameed

Thanks guys. I think I said something different than what I meant. I don't e-shift a lot. I meant that I do it on on ramps to highways and sometimes from a green light, and then after I have reached my cruising speed I would change it back to auto mode.

I have also noticed that once I get the e-shift up to 5 and then slow down and come to a stop and not bother shifting down via e-shift - the transmission shifts down anyway when I move off again from a stop.

So I guess the explanation you gave - mooretorque - makes perfect sense here - the e-shift just varies the shift points and holds a given gear longer than the CPU of the transmission would at part throttle.

Cool!! Here's to faster and smoother acceleration on on-ramps!!! Long live e-shift!!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Yes, the e-shift number is the *maximum* gear the tranny will go up to, but it will go from 1st up to that gear. So M-3 is 1st thru 3rd for example.

No, e-shift doesn't change shift points or hold a given gear longer. That's the PWR and SNOW modes that do that.

gs400998

I use the power mode instead of normal if I want a different shift-program thus don't use the e-shift. IMO, I think a lot of transmission failure at TL Type-S forum maybe dued to driver shifting their A/T manually and frequently. Don't get me wrong that if Honda/Acura provide such manual shift feature on their A/T, Honda should provide a durable A/T.

elclassico

i heard on a forum of a guy who used e-shift all the time 100%. and has never had a problem. i myself use the eshift every know and then, i guess i believe in wearing out the electronice of it maybe, but not the tranny. in these times of mucho gas prices i havent been using e shift too much, i also have noticed settining it to normal increases gas milage. anyways im sure your fine, thats why its there to use it! take care!

mooretorque

So, Bit, are you saying that even at part throttle e-shift still shifts as if you were in automatic mode?? Or possibly my explanation was confusing. By "varying shift points", I referred to using the tranny as I do when I gate shift, holding a given gear at a given (partial) throttle setting to higher rpm than the ECU would left to it's own devices and picking my own shift point.

When I gate shift, the car will bounce off the rev limiter but doesn't upshift; as I recall, the IS300 loaner I had a while back would do the same thing when in e-shift mode.

DrewGS4

You guys want hear something funny.
When I first got my car, I thought the e-shift was pretty cool allowing me to downshift into the lower gear. For about a week I had no idea that there was a upshift button behind the steering wheel.
I was dissapointed ...because I would have to put the shifter out of M to bring it up a gear. Needless to say, I was quite upset about the design. Then everything changed when I found clublexus.
Now I can't think of possibly living without e-shift. I feel sorry for the GS430 guys who do not have the e-shift function, quite a awesome feature.

mooretorque

drew, don't cry for this particular 430 owner.....i came out of a manual tranny, so the only thing odd to me about the gs was the shift pattern and my left foot continually missing the clutch.......oh, right, there's not one (does make me feel foolish every once in a while, leaving a light, then letting off the gas and pushing in non-existent clutch......old habits, and all)

now, if e-shift were a real smg like M3's............

DrewGS4

I know, there is no substitue for the real deal. I too miss my manual transmission on my old prelude, integra. The e-shift is nice subtle feature that can put me in the right gear without taking my hands of the wheel. It puts me in the right gear when I feel I need to punch it without looking like I am trying. This is helpful especially when there are people in the car. If I downshift from the shifter, than it looks like I am racing...but when I do it from e-shift no one really knows, especially when I am stalking my prey in the rear view mirror coming up hard.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I think we're in agreement. I'm saying that while the tranny will NOT by itself go above the max gear selected with e-shift (or by gate shifting), I believe it will shift through the gears up to that one the same as in D. I could be wrong, but that's my experience.

The revs can certainly go higher than normal in the top gear set in the e-shift setting, because it can't shift any higher, including bouncing off the rev limiter over and over if you so choose (definitely not advisable).

elclassico

while accelerating, does it still upshift? or do you need to let go of the gas as you shift? i have driven a gs that wouldnt switch while accelerating, as soon as you let go of the gas, it shifts?? i trhink thats normal?

mooretorque

I see now that we are. And gate shifting, of course, functions the same way (no surprise).

Yes, it will upshift w/o need to lift.

I occasionally can catch my ECU electronically pondering that same way, accelerating and then getting an upshift when I let off (ECT-i is too smart for it's own good, sometimes).