Squid and His Solara

by **Squid** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:14 pm

Hi all
My name is Bryan, but I go by Squid,
I recently bought a 2004 solara from berlin city dealership in Gorham NH, it has 18000 miles on it, The owners used it as a summer car, and now its mine!

It is a 2004 as I said, it is the V6 SE model, The metallic blue with the dark grey interior,
I love the car, it feels great and drives like a dream. It was everything I was looking for in a car.

Before I got the solara I owned a 1999 Ford f150 which I loved, it was an XLT sport 4x4, when I traded it in it had 180000 miles, starting to have a little transmission problems, the exhaust seals where going and she was just starting to head down hill, so I decided to trade her in and invest my money on a more reliable car rather than repair my truck

Before the truck I had a 1990 geo prism, which I BEAT the crap out of, and loved it. The only reason I got rid of that, was it would not make the bi monthly trip from Castine Maine (college) to Amherst MA, (parents house) that’s why I got the truck

A little more about me, I am a Engineer at a power plant in up state VT, I live even further north VT, Saint Johnsbury to be exact, im about 30 min from Canada, not that I go often, but its there.

For fun, I Coach Ultimate Frisbee at the local high school, I am a SCUBA diver, master certified, rock climber, road and mountain biker (ride fixed geared bikes on the road) and I Hike and camp a bit. Most of my life is work and Ultimate.

I found this sight when looking into learning more about my car and the ins and outs of her. So far I am Really impressed with the whole sight, and everyone who posts. You are all really well informed, and very respectful to each other. I really enjoy reading all the posts and looking at all the pics of your cars!

I will post some pics of my car when I get a chance.

But first of all, I would like to ask some simple questions that might seem dumb, but I would rather ask then pay a large repair bill!

I have the sport shift option on my solara, Is it ok to use it all the time? I tend to because it is a lot of fun, but if you think it is a bad ideal please tell me and why you think its not so great. Or vice versa. Next time I go to the shop I plan on asking.

Thanks again

Squid
:roll:

by **woa_its_j3ff** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:24 pm

welcome man. you seem like a pretty busy guy. made a smart choice, you'll love the lara, get the rsb, drop, tint, rims, maybe a few other things here and there like the cp-e, and you're all set!!

sidenote-- always wanted to learn how to scuba. ill be taking lessons later this year from my gf lol

enjoy your stay and can't wait to see pics.

by **Squid** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:36 pm

i tought for 4 years while at college at maine maritime, it was 8 hours a day in the pool between and after classes and about 2 to 4 hour in the ocean everyweekend year round, its a blast! good luck, if you have any questions about it e-mail me!!

by **NeFaRiOuS_SLE** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:04 am

Welcome to SolaraGuy! Just be sure that your questions are a bit researched by the search function first, since there ARE some issues that have been discussed many times and usually frowned upon to be asked again (e.g. How do I shift out of park?)

As far as using the tiptronic a lot, it shouldn't harm anything as long as you don't redline it.

by **kingkakyle** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:10 am

NeFaRiOuS_SLE wrote:Welcome to SolaraGuy! Just be sure that your questions are a bit researched by the search function first, since there ARE some issues that have been discussed many times and usually frowned upon to be asked again (e.g. How do I shift out of park?)

As far as using the tiptronic a lot, it shouldn't harm anything as long as you don't redline it.

it keeps u from redlining by shifting itself lol
also i belieev pxl jeff almost always uses it because he dislikes the laggyless
so i dont think there should be a problem
WELCOME! :bday:

by **Akfahad** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:25 am

welcome!

by **Sebas007** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:49 am

Welcome SG !! You'll find a lot of info in the aftermarket forum. RSB is a must !!

I've a '06 SE V6 (all Gen 2 V6 has the same tranny no choice on this...)and I'm using the "sport shift" no matter how its called. I used it all the time to control the power. It will only limit the higher gear you want it to go.

When taking off a stop, I put it at 1st gear when it comes near redline I shift and so on...in this way it makes act more like I'm controlling it.

If you take of from a stop displaying 3 in your dash...it will do 1-2-3 like any auto tranny. But the electronic control and tranny are made to act in this way. No problem ! Some more info...

http://www.pressroom.com.au/press_kit_detail.asp?clientID=3&navSectionID=13&categoryID=1000&kitID=32

SEQUENTIAL-SHIFT FEATURE FOR RX330

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new multi-mode intelligent five-speed automatic transmission has boosted the drivability of Lexus RX330.

RX330’s combination of VVT-i engine, electronic throttle and five-speed automatic transmission optimises driveability, acceleration feel, shift quality and fuel economy.

The RX330 multi-mode transmission can be driven as an automatic or used to shift gears manually, with the sequential shift.

Moving the gearshift lever from D into S mode activates the manual shift.

In the S position, moving the gearshift lever forward up-shifts the transmission and moving the lever rearward will down-shift.

The transmission’s electronic control unit retards the ignition during manual down changes, to ensure smooth shifting.

The gear position indicator in the combination meter automatically switches to the S position when the manual mode is selected - to display the relevant gear.

Features of RX330’s five speed Super ECT (electronically controlled transmission) include a super-flow torque converter, which was computer modelled to determine the optimum blade shape and curvature, for maximum efficiency.

In automatic mode, the transmission’s electronic control unit does the thinking for the driver.

The ECU can deduce if the vehicle is travelling up or down hill, and hold gears accordingly, to provide better acceleration uphill and increased engine braking down hill.

It can also deduce - using information on vehicle speed, engine revolutions, throttle opening angle and accelerator pedal angle - the optimal shift points to suit the manner of driving.

The ECU will introduce torque converter lock-up earlier if the vehicle is cruising.

DRIVE TRAIN (Lexus RX330...same engine/tranny as your Solara V6 minus 4WD)
Designation: U151E

Description: Five-speed (including overdrive 5th), intelligent (torque-activated), adaptive, multi-mode electronically controlled automatic with sequential function, with flex lock-up superflow torque converter and engine torque compensator (during gear changes), N to D anti-squat, self-diagnosis, fail-safe and limp-home modes.

More Toyota tranny info here...
http://www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/html/Toyota/Toyota_Transmission_Gear_Ratios.htm