You can go the easy route and just slap smaller 6" X 4" chunks in strategic places on the outer skin by removing the water shield and the door speakers but the best way is to remove the window glass module (held in by bolts and rivets) and gain unrestricted access to the inner door. Consult the FSM on how to remove the door module and glass

I did a patchwork of about 10 rectangles on each outer door skin and several strips along the bottom of the door cavity. Just make sure you don't cover any drain holes with the damplifier material. This by itself gives you that door close thunk but while your in there Id recommend adding a complete 100% cover of the interior panel. I used Damplifier Pro and Luxury Liner Products from Second Skin. It will add maybe 15 lbs to each door but I've had no issue with product sag or door droop in over 11 years of ownership so the door hinges appear to be sturdy. The Luxury Liner is a bit thick and does make it difficult to get the inner door panel on easily but some strategic cuts and shaving of the liner will do the trick. The results are worth the work IMHO as the doors and floor pan are the nosiest things on the G

 

Thanks for posting that!

 

Bore me with the details, all I was able to find was fanatics debating between the VQ and the J.

 

Both are incredible engines. I'll sing the VQ's praises all day but the J in my dad's truck is approaching 200k miles and has pulled trailers it had no business towing. I'm talking two full pallets of melamine that made the poor trailer squat so hard the axle was in danger of failing.

I'm impressed the thing hasn't sent a piston through the hood and to the moon; or the transmission hasn't just disintegrated since it has never been serviced. Just a brute of a unit.

 

if you want to do it right you will need Upgrade the Flex Plate Torque converter and valve body and clutches added line pressure to make it shift better only helps a minimally..

 

Not.
The only time the flex plate upgrading should be considered is when getting close or over 300ft lbs TQ
Clutches? Only performance companies change these and I suspect they just go with a better desing OEM style clutches.
Torque converter upgrade is not needed, the OEM one has proved itself just over time it has been shown to lock itself due to usage and abuse.
Valve bodies experiences differ across the board. Bigger holes provide more volume, stronger springs provide a bit more pressure however not much can be modified there.

I dont mean any disrespect with this comment but 1/3 of what you stated is unrealistic. The goal here is to document factual info and not re-design the entire trans, just because they share many things with other autos doesnt mean factory components are all garbage and upgrades are the only way.

 

I dont know which threads youve been reading but I was referring to the 04 to 08 TL's

the transmissions were crappy just like on my 15 Q40. Guys back then did lot more experimenting with their trans than just whine about them like is being done here LOL

I guess mixing a quart of Type F fluid to the magical honda trans fluid helped with their shifting..Im sure nissans magical fluid would probably benefit with mixing a quart of little higher weight trans fluid. If you all believe the bull**** these automakers tell you about the speciality and specificity of their namebrand trans fluids than you deserve to get fleeced by dealers LOL.

Well anyways I only have 60K miles on mine and after I go over a 100k I'll add half a quart of lucas oil not the stop leak crap but their other product for better shifting to my trans.

Want to know more keep reading those thjird gen Tl's cause those guys did something about their trans cause the early ones were failing instead of just whining like the G37 guys in here...

 

I come from the Honda world. That problem you talk about affected 98-04 J series vehicles and it was because that was the birth of the J. Honda did not have anything in the line with as much torque as the J brought. Almost every Oddy that you would see had a blown trans along with your typical accord. The TL would fall right inline.

Over time Honda built better transmissions with better friction discs bigger converters and better programming.

If you Mix a concoction of fluids and it works it's because of fluid contamination, the mixing of fluids gives better friction to weak clutches. Meaning I could do the same with glue.

The trans on early Js will eventually fail again since this issue is unsolvable. Granted a rebuild will get you another 80k but will never be solved.

The issue we are talking about is completely and though mixing of fluids might do "something" all folks are looking for is better response from the transmission not added friction.

 

the transmission can handle around 400 ft lbs of torque with no issues proven many times over!
the question was ways to improve the shifting of the 7at
increased line pressure is what a tune does to makes you feel like its shifter faster and better but has no affect on flare up's which is common and shift lag which still happens
unless you have driven with a upgraded transmission over stock you wont see the difference
1 factory flex plate is garbage its been known to crack even with no mods on cars
2 upgraded clutches for better performance and reliability
3 valve body will make the transmission shift firmer
4 A upgraded TQ Convertor hooks up way harder and you can feel the increase in power when it shifts
Factual information is what I'm posting thanks!! my transmission is upgraded
is it for everyone NO but this is what i have done!
once your transmission goes its a no brainer to upgade it

 

well I had an adventure since the last time i posted here. MY ecm blew a couple ignition coil transisters and ive been down for two weeks. I had my ecm repaired by an outfit in florida and the car drives great.

You all are approaching this throttle and trans shifting response all wrong. It has to do with the spark of the ignition coils. I have immediate throttle response with no lag...all I feel is the trans downshift when I hit the gas pedal.

I dont want to answer all kinds of questions just that when I had the shorted coil circuit repaired by this outfit the car responds on a dime as if it was a gokart.

 

My apologies Chuckie. What I meant to say was that your reccomendations are essentially the last things to try that are proven if your goal is concentrated on power. The reality is the thread is asking for a list of upgrades and things to make the trans shift better.
Upgraded clutches and pressure will introduce harsher shifting at different throttle angles which is what you would want specially if slipping is a concern however it's a list that needs to be followed to obtain "better" shifts.

If slipping and power are your goals and concerns go right ahead, what you commented is exactly what I would follow however if under 300lb tq it's unnecessary. Hear me out. Flex plates dont break under standard operation. They break on hard launches, increased pressure shifting, and all of the above while over normal fluid temperatures.
With your comment it means that I would have to spend $2k to obtain it. As we are slowly discovering the VR transmission is yielding even better results. Results that dont include replacing clutches, and already come with a bigger TQ. for 1/2 of the price.

In conclusion what you posted is what anyone who has performance in mind should do for strength and longevity of their V36 7at transmission not something you have to do to make it shift better.

 

Im convinced that this is a progressive issue and hear me out.

What happens over time is the mix of all these issues at once:
Deterioration of fluid
Leaks without the inability of checking levels (as you know how interesting this process can be)
Mix of oil and coolant over a radiator failure
Adaptation of throttle angles
Electrical inconsistencies
Engine maintenance

A simple incorrect fluid change will have folks running great at first due to better fluid only to not notice they're running insufficient fluid over time that can lead to premature wear.
Engine maintenance issues that force the individual to change their driving patterns, either getting harder on the throttle or backing off from it more.
Small leaks or slight contamination from the oil cooler unknowingly.
Now this is all on folks that would drive their vehicles like normal drivers

Any performance mod will change the throttle angle until the TCM adjusts to the command however what if there are other variables? We've seen a handful of folks stating they get better shifting upon better grounding? We know that our battery grounds through 1 single 4ga wire that overtime can be over looked, this is the ONLY battery ground in a voltage heavy car what if the issue with IPDMs not allowing the alt to charge 14v at all times contributes to this as well.

You can remove and replace with better components however even then we have seen folks with issues. You dont hear them as much due to drivers acceptance after they've dumped thousands when all they wanted was better/smoother shifts.

If it was a problem from the start I would understand however this problem seems to manifest over 60k miles and over, many things will happen and deteriorate from that point.

I hope I dont come off as a **** but nobody has found the issue. We have found improvements overall however too many variables and many umbrella comments that dont point to an answer.

 

I have an update. The cars incredible,probably like how it drove when new. I bought it in january with 57k. I dont have any throttle lag when i press the pedal and the trans shifts crisply and quickly in all modes. It isnt expensive to have the ECM repaired...it only cost me 250 dollars and its been the best mod I could have done for performance.

 

Tatus, I'm an electronics engineer. The destroyed components in your pic are diodes, not transistors. Obviously, your ECU was definitely damaged, and needed repair.
I can assure you your belief that having your ECU repaired fixes known 7AT shifting issues is completely wrong. Those output devices being damaged in your ECU have absolutely ZERO to do with the 7AT. I can assure you, the 7AT shifts just fine some days, and poorly others. People have been experiencing and complaining about this shift PROGRAMMING behavior since these cars were brand new. You don't think every ECU was damaged when new, but yours is somehow better than new?

There's a difference between degrading performance, and just poor shift logic programming. The 7AT in these cars performed poorly, occasionally, when new, and it was noticed by most people when their cars were brand new.
My Q60 7AT can be very good on some days, and terrible on others. There is a certain hill in my area that even with 40% throttle the 7AT has always gone to a super high gear, and even going to 80% throttle it won't downshift on this hill. At 30mph, it goes to 4th or 5th (1400RPM) WHILE ACCELERATING. It even makes the engine emit a deep, bogging sound just like if you had a 6MT and shifted to 5th but went WOT. It will do this the entire way up the hill, not gaining any speed. I need to use a paddle downshift on it. It is such an aggressive and poorly timed upshift, that it is mind boggling it does this every single time on this hill. I bought the car with 20K miles, it now has 51K miles and this has been occurring the entire time I've owned the car.

The main complaints for the 7AT are about the TCM programming....not other unrelated issues due to aging of the transmission. Those manifest in other ways, such as slow, sloppy shifting, shift flares, etc. Poor TCM programming is simply the TCM going to a tall gear too soon and being reluctant to downshift unless the throttle is really pushed down further than you would expect in other cars (like my 5AT Titan, which shifts flawlessly for 13 years and never done a trans service on it).

 

I'm betting this behavior is due to the conservative shift logic designed to squeeze the last MPG out of the engine while minimizing any pollutants. Many have reported that a reprogramming of the transmission logic helps with this however; the shift logic draws information from just about every sensor on the car and cannot be modified as a single entity and achieve total success. Also at play here is I believe the G is an adaptive system. If you baby drive it for long, the shifts become softer and the acceleration curve changes to soften hard acceleration. I have noticed this when I do work on the car and leave the battery disconnected for a period of time, the driving manners are totally different. I believe that given this car's pedigree as a luxury sport coupe, the focus is on luxury and comfort first and performance secondary. Short of a major code overhaul, you never going to change the manners of the car to any great degree. I like the car; its an easy drive and filled the bill when my commute was two hours each way but I'm looking for something with more edge and bite for my next ride.