5 speed auto or manual (Tacoma)

[tbrown78]

Originally Posted by nightman

I have the 5 speed auto v6 also. When you shift to D you are in 5th gear or overdrive. slide to the left to 4th gear back to 3rd, 2nd then low or 1st gear. Use D for speeds maintained over 40 mph othewise use 4th gear for city driving under 40 mph. hope this helps.

5th gear and overdrive are not the same thing. Overdrive is a unit with a planetary gearset which turns the drive shaft faster than the transmission output shaft. Sometimes the overdrive is an additional gearbox which is mounted in the driveline. Normally the final drive ratio is 1:1; but the overdrive makes it less (e.g., 0.87:1). The overdrive can reduce gas consumption at sustained high-speed driving, engine noise, and engine wear. Also called "overdrive transmission." If you drive in 4th you eliminate your 5th gear and the overdrive. And the only time I wouldn't use "D" is if I was heavy pulling or hard offroading, where the jumping between gears can cuase the tranny to overheat. If you only use "4" in the city your gas milage will suffer.

[nightman]

You are correct about the overdrive vs 5th gear. But I treat it the same way as overdrive because in 5th gear at speeds between 30 & 40 mph the tranny will shift & hunt between 4th & 5th. Just feels right to me

[kbshadow]

Thanks a lot for all the help.

My other has a button on the shifter and a lite on the dash called overdrive lockout.

This can do the same thing only more fun.

You guys explained it a lot better than the manual.

Thanks again.

kbshadow
stockton Ca