2012 Lexus LFA engine

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
NOTICE
■When encountering flooded roads
Do not drive on a road that has flooded after heavy rain etc. Doing so may cause the
following serious damage to the vehicle:
●Engine stalling
●Short in electrical components
●Engine damage caused by water immersion
In the event that you drive on a flooded road and the vehicle is flooded, be sure to
have your Lexus dealer check the following:
●Brake function
●Changes in quantity and quality of oil an d fluid used for the engine, transmission,
differential, etc.
●Lubrication problems of bearings, joints, etc.

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2-1. Driving procedures
Ignition switch
■Starting the engine
Sit in the driver’s seat and firmly depress the brake pedal.
Turn the ignition switch to the
“ON” position.
The current gear will be displayed
on the meter as a blinking symbol.
Pull both paddle shift switches at
the same time.
“N” will be displayed in the gear
indicator.
The indicator light on the steering
wheel illuminates in red.
Press the “ENGINE START”
switch.
After one press, the engine will
crank until it starts or for up to 20
seconds, whichever is less.
Continue depressing the brake
pedal until the engine is completely
started.
STEP1
STEP2
STEP3
STEP4

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
■Changing the ignition switch positions
“LOCK”
The steering wheel is locked and
the key can be removed.
“A C C ”
Some electrical components such
as the power outlet can be used.
“ON”
All electrical components can be
used.
■Turning the key from “ACC” to “LOCK”
■Default driving mode
AUTO driving mode will be automatically se lected each time the engine is started.
(  P. 1 0 4 )
Push in the key and turn it to the “LOCK”
position.

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2-1. Driving procedures
■If the engine does not start
●Repeat the procedure again. If the engine does not start after a few tries, the
“ENGINE START” switch may be malfunctioning. Have the vehicle inspected
by your Lexus dealer.
●Check to make sure that the brake pedal is firmly depressed and that “N” is dis-
played in the gear indicator. (If the brake pedal is not depressed or “N” is not
displayed, the engine will not start.)
●The engine immobilizer system may not have been deactivated. ( P. 5 3 )
●In order to protect the engine, the engine may not start when the engine coolant
temperature or the engine oil temperature is below -13 F (-25C). In that case,
a buzzer will sound and “Temp low Engine cannot be started” will be shown on
the meter. ( P. 3 2 7 )
■When the steering lock cannot be released
■Key reminder function
A buzzer sounds if the driver’s door is opened while the ignition switch is in the
“LOCK” or “ACC” position to remind you to remove the key.
■After reconnecting the battery
If the gear indicator is not displayed when an attempt is made to start the engine,
the engine is not yet ready to start. Depr ess the brake pedal for several seconds and
wait for the gear indicator to appear.
When starting the engine, the ignition switch
may seem stuck in the “LOCK” position. To
free it, turn the key while turning the steering
wheel slightly left and right.

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
CAUTION
■When starting the engine
Always start the engine while sitting in the driver’s seat. Do not press the accelera-
tor pedal while starting the engine under any circumstances.
Doing so may cause an accident, resulting in death or serious injury.
■Caution when driving
Do not turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK” position while driving. An accident
may result if the engine is stopped while driving.
If you must turn the engine off while the vehicle is moving (due to an emergency),
turn the ignition switch on ly to the “ACC” position. (P. 355)
NOTICE
■To prevent battery discharge
Do not leave the ignition switch in the “A CC” or “ON” position for long periods of
time without the engine running.
■When starting the engine
●Do not race a cold engine.
●If the engine becomes difficult to start or stalls frequently, have the engine
checked immediately.

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2-1. Driving procedures
■Starting off control
The ASG does not have the creep function of a conventional automatic transmis-
sion. The vehicle can be driven by selecting 1st gear or Reverse and depressing the
accelerator pedal.
■Maximum speed for each gear
To avoid over-revving the engine, do not exceed the maximum speed for each gear
as shown below.
mph (km/h)
*: Always observe the legal speed limit when driving on public roads.
■Gear shift control
To ensure safety and driving performance, the following restrictions exist:
●Gear shifting with the paddle shift swit ches may not be possible under certain
driving conditions.
●Even while driving with a gear manually selected in SPORT, NORMAL, or
WET driving mode, the gears may change automatically under certain driving
conditions.
●If the paddle shift switches are operated repeatedly in a short space of time, a
temporary restriction of gear shifting may be activated. In this case, “Transmis-
sion pump overheat Shift rejected” will be displayed on the meter. ( P. 3 2 7 )
●Gear shifting with the paddle shift swit ches may not be possible when the trans-
mission fluid temperature is low. In this case, “Transmission temp low Shift
restricted” will be disp layed on the meter. (P. 3 2 7 )
GearMaximum speed*
151 (83)
276 (123)
3103 (167) 4135 (218)
5172 (277)

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2-1. Driving procedures
2
When driving
■When the gear indicator flashes
This indicates that gear shifting did not complete properly after the paddle shift
switches were operated.
Operate the paddle shift switches again. If the indicator does not return to normal
after a while, contact your Lexus dealer.
■Buzzer that sounds when the paddle shift switches are operated
In certain situations where gear shifting with the paddle shift switches is rejected, a
buzzer may sound twice.
■Reverse warning buzzer
A warning buzzer sounds to notify the driver when Reverse is selected.
■Reverse selector switch operation
Always make sure that the vehicle is completely stopped before selecting Reverse.
If the vehicle is in motion, Reverse may not be selected even if the reverse selector
switch is operated.
■Notes on switching driving modes
●When pressing the AUTO driving mode button, always release the accelerator
pedal. It may not be possible to select AUTO driving mode if the accelerator
pedal is depressed.
●When the driving mode is changed to AUTO driving mode, a gear shift may be
automatically performed according to driving conditions.
■Automatic cancelation of driving modes
When the engine is stopped, the currentl y selected driving mode will be canceled
and AUTO driving mode will be selected automatically.

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2-1. Driving procedures
■Shift speed
●When the driving mode is changed, the shift speed levels will be set as follows:
●Shift shock increases as the shift speed becomes faster.
■When parking the vehicle
There is no P (Park) setting for the ASG. When parking the vehicle, set the parking
brake, select 1st gear or Reverse, and ch eck that the gear indicator shows “D1”, “1”
or “R” before stopping the engine.
●Approximately one second after the engine is stopped, the vehicle will enter a
parked gear state.
If the vehicle fails to enter a parked gear state, a buzzer sounds and the gear
indicator flashes. Select Neutral and then follow the same procedure again.
●Make sure to stop the engine. Opening the driver’s door without first stopping
the engine will cause a warning to sound and Neutral to be automatically
selected after 5 seconds. Even if the driver’s door is not opened, a warning will
sound and Neutral will be automatically selected after 90 seconds.
■ASG operating sounds
●Even when the engine is stopped, operating sounds of the electric oil pump may
be heard. This is normal and does not indicate a malfunction.
●As the drive train of the LFA is designed to be especially responsive to acceler-
ator pedal operation, a sound may be heard from the transaxle when driving at
low engine speeds. This does not indicate a malfunction.
■Customization that can be configured at your Lexus dealer
The sound pattern of the reverse warning buzzer can be changed.
(Customizable features P. 383)
Driving modeDefault levelAdjustable range
AUTO 2 
SPORT 5 1  7
NORMAL 3
WET 1