diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplate.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplate.java
index d462f283e..450c5991e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplate.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplate.java
@@ -157,23 +157,24 @@ public class RedisTemplate<K, V> extends RedisAccessor implements RedisOperation
 			conn = RedisConnectionUtils.getConnection(factory);
 
 			boolean existingConnection = TransactionSynchronizationManager.hasResource(factory);
-			preProcessConnection(conn, existingConnection);
 
-			boolean pipelineStatus = conn.isPipelined();
+			RedisConnection connToUse = preProcessConnection(conn, existingConnection);
+
+			boolean pipelineStatus = connToUse.isPipelined();
 			if (pipeline && !pipelineStatus) {
-				conn.openPipeline();
+				connToUse.openPipeline();
 			}
 
-			RedisConnection connToExpose = (exposeConnection ? conn : createRedisConnectionProxy(conn));
+			RedisConnection connToExpose = (exposeConnection ? connToUse : createRedisConnectionProxy(connToUse));
 			T result = action.doInRedis(connToExpose);
 
 			// close pipeline
 			if (pipeline && !pipelineStatus) {
-				conn.closePipeline();
+				connToUse.closePipeline();
 			}
 
 			// TODO: any other connection processing?
-			return postProcessResult(result, conn, existingConnection);
+			return postProcessResult(result, connToUse, existingConnection);
 		} finally {
 			RedisConnectionUtils.releaseConnection(conn, factory);
 		}
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultSetOperationsTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultSetOperationsTests.java
index 8d591b467..22558f4dd 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultSetOperationsTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultSetOperationsTests.java
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
  * 
  */
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
-@ContextConfiguration("RedisTemplateTests-context.xml")
+@ContextConfiguration("StringRedisTemplateTests-context.xml")
 @ProfileValueSourceConfiguration(RedisTestProfileValueSource.class)
 public class DefaultSetOperationsTests {
 	
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultValueOperationsTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultValueOperationsTests.java
index f8c538c27..6ab0cfac1 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultValueOperationsTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/DefaultValueOperationsTests.java
@@ -27,7 +27,9 @@ import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.data.redis.RedisTestProfileValueSource;
 import org.springframework.test.annotation.IfProfileValue;
+import org.springframework.test.annotation.ProfileValueSourceConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
 
@@ -38,7 +40,8 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
  * 
  */
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
-@ContextConfiguration("RedisTemplateTests-context.xml")
+@ContextConfiguration("StringRedisTemplateTests-context.xml")
+@ProfileValueSourceConfiguration(RedisTestProfileValueSource.class)
 public class DefaultValueOperationsTests {
 
 	@Autowired
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/SessionTest.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/SessionTest.java
index c5757030f..76cae91b4 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/SessionTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/SessionTest.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.dao.DataAccessException;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.RedisConnection;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.RedisConnectionFactory;
+import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.StringRedisConnection;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.core.RedisCallback;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.core.RedisOperations;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.core.RedisTemplate;
@@ -36,18 +37,19 @@ public class SessionTest {
 	@Test
 	public void testSession() throws Exception {
 		final RedisConnection conn = mock(RedisConnection.class);
+		final StringRedisConnection stringConn = mock(StringRedisConnection.class);
 		RedisConnectionFactory factory = mock(RedisConnectionFactory.class);
-
+		final StringRedisTemplate template = spy(new StringRedisTemplate(factory));
 		when(factory.getConnection()).thenReturn(conn);
-		final StringRedisTemplate template = new StringRedisTemplate(factory);
+		doReturn(stringConn).when(template).preProcessConnection(eq(conn), anyBoolean());
 
 		template.execute(new SessionCallback<Object>() {
-			
+			@SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
 			public Object execute(RedisOperations operations) {
-				checkConnection(template, conn);
+				checkConnection(template, stringConn);
 				template.discard();
 				assertSame(template, operations);
-				checkConnection(template, conn);
+				checkConnection(template, stringConn);
 				return null;
 			}
 		});
@@ -55,8 +57,6 @@ public class SessionTest {
 
 	private void checkConnection(RedisTemplate<?, ?> template, final RedisConnection expectedConnection) {
 		template.execute(new RedisCallback<Object>() {
-
-			
 			public Object doInRedis(RedisConnection connection) throws DataAccessException {
 				assertSame(expectedConnection, connection);
 				return null;
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplateTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/StringRedisTemplateTests.java
similarity index 73%
rename from src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplateTests.java
rename to src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/StringRedisTemplateTests.java
index 8f803ec9f..3b310d747 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplateTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/redis/core/StringRedisTemplateTests.java
@@ -25,28 +25,38 @@ import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.data.redis.RedisTestProfileValueSource;
 import org.springframework.data.redis.TestCondition;
+import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.RedisConnection;
+import org.springframework.data.redis.connection.StringRedisConnection;
 import org.springframework.test.annotation.IfProfileValue;
+import org.springframework.test.annotation.ProfileValueSourceConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.ContextConfiguration;
 import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringJUnit4ClassRunner;
 
 /**
  *
- * Integration test of {@link RedisTemplate}
- * 
+ * Integration test of {@link StringRedisTemplate}
+ *
  * @author Jennifer Hickey
  *
  */
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
 @ContextConfiguration
-public class RedisTemplateTests {
+@ProfileValueSourceConfiguration(RedisTestProfileValueSource.class)
+public class StringRedisTemplateTests {
 
 	@Autowired
-	private RedisTemplate<String, String> redisTemplate;
+	private StringRedisTemplate redisTemplate;
 
 	@After
 	public void tearDown() {
-		redisTemplate.getConnectionFactory().getConnection().flushDb();
+		redisTemplate.execute(new RedisCallback<Object>() {
+			public Object doInRedis(RedisConnection connection) {
+				connection.flushDb();
+				return null;
+			}
+		});
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -90,4 +100,15 @@ public class RedisTemplateTests {
 		tpl.exec();
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void testStringTemplateExecutesWithStringConn() {
+		String value = redisTemplate.execute(new RedisCallback<String>() {
+			public String doInRedis(RedisConnection connection) {
+				StringRedisConnection stringConn = (StringRedisConnection) connection;
+				stringConn.set("test", "it");
+				return stringConn.get("test");
+			}
+		});
+		assertEquals(value,"it");
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplateTests-context.xml b/src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/redis/core/StringRedisTemplateTests-context.xml
similarity index 100%
rename from src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/redis/core/RedisTemplateTests-context.xml
rename to src/test/resources/org/springframework/data/redis/core/StringRedisTemplateTests-context.xml