[Ted C]

One thing about this car that is driving me insane is how the 8 speed tranny behaves in stop and go traffic. The tranny just doesn’t seem to know to downshift when the driver lets his foot off the gas. Even when I am going at crawling speed, the thing shift up to 4th within about 4 car lengths, and when the car in front stops, I HAVE to slam on the brakes and because the thing is still in 4th or 3rd, its not a nice docile stop. Putting it in sport mode doesn’t help. I was so annoyed that I shifted to manual mode but it also seems the car doesn’t like to be left in first when you go past 2,500 rpm. The thing would probably overheat if I run it at M1 for long periods in stop and go traffic.
Even my brother’s Honda Accord with a 4 speed auto drives better in stop and go. That car would downshift when you let off the gas leading to some engine braking and nicely slow the car down.
Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same way?

 

[F'n around]

I haven't had any problems in traffic like that. It is one of the reasons I always buy an automatic, so I don't have to worry about shifting in traffic.

 

[pc1990]

I know what you mean...The car is also big with a huge engine which could lead to these issues. IDK...I still love my F though

 

[lowrider]

I believe that's because of the tuning done by Lexus to achieve the MPG ratings that it does. Have you tried running in Sports Mode? For me, I'm very unhappy with the general responsiveness and drivability of my F when it's not in Sports Mode. It's now rote for me to push the sport button after I start the car. Once I do that, all my unhappiness goes away

Lou

 

[infinus]

Change to the display that shows which gear your in, pull the left paddle while in auto mode and you'll notice the number of dots on your display changes this will still leave the car in auto but it will only go up to however many dots you have, so for example if it shows 1 . . . your in first and the maximum gear it will use is 4th.

This does default back to 8 after a while and I cant recall how long it takes. Also like mentioned before you can use sport mode also since this holds gears longer.

 

[doublexl]

i have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. never once have i found the transmission anything but perfect. it likes to move through the gears as fast as possible but that has no effect on how it stops. if you are crawling through traffic, you should barely even have to give it any gas. it shifts around 1500rpm on light throttle input, and wont downshift unless you go below around 1100rpm, or unless you are cruising in a high gear and mash it, in which case you would go faster.

to me this just sounds like your right foot is way too heavy, and you need to be more progressive and gentle with the pedal input. this car has alot of power, and it does not take much of the right pedal to get it moving quickly.

 

[ennigmasoul]

I see where you're coming from but I would say that generally I have fixed the problem by just releasing the brakes or giving just a little gas because the F will idle along at around 15-20 which is generally good enough for stop and go traffic. With this much torque and exceptional brakes it can takes a little bit of finesse to get it all smooth. Play with it bit, good luck!

 

[abyars]

I have no issues either? Its meant to be a docile luxury car when in normal mode IE a Lexus. Mine is smooth as glass when in traffic and I just cruise along. It never fails to amaze me how docile it is and then how brutally insane it can get with a press of a button. I do agree with Infinus as I do the same thing sometimes when in traffic and just pull a paddle when I want to string it out a bit but not normally. I am sure its just different driving habits between us though. Good Luck.
Andy

 

[Ted C]

Thanks guys. will try to be smoother with my right foot. Anyhow I had the chance to drive my friend's Mitsu Evo MR and that double clutch tranny really doesn't like stop & go traffic. I could not believe how clunky it is when you just give it a little gas from standstill so I shouldn't complain about the F.

 

[Guilhem]

In stop and go traffic, I leave the car in auto limit the gears to 2 or 3. The Snow mode can help a bit aswell

 

[Shinobi-X]

Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same way?

As others have stated, you may want to consider your typical driving style-- not necessarily changing it, but just being aware of how it affects the cars behavior.

Given the tranny is adaptive, and I do a good amount of city style driving, the car has adjusted to my inputs rather nicely (auto-mode, normal). At least in traffic, I'm typically light on the throttle and coast a good bit, and haven't experienced any abnormal issues from the gearbox.

The consequence of this, though, is if I try the same thing on the highway, and stab the throttle a bit, the car attempts to keep it smooth and hold gear, as opposed to pulling immediately (as it would in power mode).

This makes for a smoother more fuel efficient drive, but is almost the opposite of what you're getting. Do you typically drive 'spirited' or with a heavy foot?

 

[brn2drv]

That's strange... I haven't really experienced that in my '08 Evo MR that I just sold, nor in my '08 IS F that I just purchased.