2004 Es330 - Gas And Transmission Relation

[nagwani]

2004 Es330 - gas and transmission relation

is there any? since I moved to 91 I cant feel any transmission related issue like lag etc. Shifting is smoother. But I am also driving in 4th gear. I dont use D anymore

[bkchig]

I use 93 and it runs better. I ran 89 (regular in TX) and the engine just didn't perform the same.

For some reason, the car seem to shift smoother while in 4D (0nly in town driving)...I guess the computer likes to shift into OD (5th gear) a lot sooner and at a lot lower rpm. I test drove a 2002 es300 and the transmission shifted like a 10-year-old Honda accord. The sales guy told me they revised the tranny for '04's. Trust me, just be glad they fixed it from the 02's.

The reality is, Lexus has the typical Toyota (Japanese) tranny feel. It's not the smoothest like the Europeans, but hey, it won't break down like them…After having a VW for almost 3 years and fixing it every quarter, I’m so glad I have a Japanese car now.

[steviej]

actually I find the actual shifting of the tranny to be extremely smooth and quiet.

steviej

[iammikey]

I used to switch between 87 to 91 Octane, but I am convinced that the car runs and shifts smoother with 91. When I drove to Seattle last month, I filled the tank with 93 Octane and my car has never run any smoother than that.

[jragosta]

2004 Es330 - gas and transmission relation

is there any? since I moved to 91 I cant feel any transmission related issue like lag etc. Shifting is smoother. But I am also driving in 4th gear. I dont use D anymore

I don't see any difference between 87 and 93 octane.

Just what mechanism do you think accounts for smoother shifts with higher octane? If the engine derates itself slightly for lower octane, you have a bit less power with 87 octane, but just how does the transmission know that? And why in the world would the transmission shift smoother just because the engine has a tiny bit more power?

It just doesn't make sense. Sounds like the placebo effect to me.

[bkchig]

I agree with jragosta...the octane doesn't affect the shifting of the tranny. I truly think the engine runs smoother with higher octane...but hey, if it says to use 87 (regular), then the Toyota/Lexus ECU must have been tuned for that rating. It will not hurt you car by using 93...just your wallet. (in my case, my wallet)

The tranny is a different story. It's the computer that controls the shift points...and for some reason, the new auto 5spd tranny from 2002-2003 had issues. They corrected it in 2004 with new shift points and gearing. Finally took the time to look this stuff up. Hope this helps.

[amf1932]

They corrected it in 2004 with new shift points and gearing.

No way.......There are still many, many complaints concerning the '04 ES transmission shifting. In fact, this problem also affects most cars in the Lexus model lineup, including their Flagship, LS430. ;)

[bkchig]

Well, like I said before, it's drives like a typical Japanese car. The tranny doesn't shift as smooth as the Bimmers (and high-end Audi's), but it's one heck of a dependable car. You definitely can't say that about VW/Audi.

[amf1932]

The tranny doesn't shift as smooth as the Bimmers (and high-end Audi's)

My car shift's as smooth as any car I have ever driven, and I have driven everything from Rolls Royce's to Kia's. The problem is with the idiosyncrasies that these transmissions exhibit under certain conditions.

[SW03ES]

The increase in smoothness probably comes from driving in 4 instead of D.

In my experience the 330s shift harder than the 300s, I always assumed it had something to do with them trying to re-gear it to compensate for the throttle lag.