Hey guys, wondering what the usual shift point rpm is for your truck under 'normal' acceleration. Reason I ask is I've got the 6spd, and have talked with other guys around, here all with autos. They all claim 1 usually 2 mpg better than I'm getting. That does back up the EPA mileage where for once the auto beats the manual, with 1 mpg better city and highway. Would like to see where the auto is usually shifting vs. where I am on my own. Wouldnt give up my 6spd for anything, but when I try not to hammer the gas, would like to see where the best efficency is.
Hey guys, wondering what the usual shift point rpm is for your truck under 'normal' acceleration. Reason I ask is I've got the 6spd, and have talked with other guys around, here all with autos. They all claim 1 usually 2 mpg better than I'm getting. That does back up the EPA mileage where for once the auto beats the manual, with 1 mpg better city and highway. Would like to see where the auto is usually shifting vs. where I am on my own. Wouldnt give up my 6spd for anything, but when I try not to hammer the gas, would like to see where the best efficency is.
In most modern automatics after acceleration (to approx. 3000-4000 RPM) the transmission will automatically up shift (increasing fuel economy) even if you take your foot off the gas to cruise. For example, you’re cruising down the street in 3nd gear and take your foot off the gas to slow for a stoplight, before you reach the light it turns green and you apply the gas a second time. The transmission is already up shifting to 4th (to keep engine rpms low and fuel economy high) while your steeping on the gas. I think all Tacomas have an electronically controlled throttle, thus most people feel a long hesitation before the power kicks in to get the vehicle moving. Part of the reason the autos also do better is because of the long gear ratios, I think the autos 5th gear is higher than the sticks 6th.
Torque converter design and fluid has also changed to give better efficiency in driving and performance.
As a side note, I read a while ago that people with automatics were experiencing a ‘jump’ in the drive train as they were coming to a stop. There are two main reasons. The Tacoma was designed to take advantage of engine braking at low speeds, so if you’re accelerating to the top of second gear then step on the brakes fairly hard. The transmission will not take into account the severity of the braking and it will remain in second gear. When you stop the transmission shifts into 1st (usually about 1.5 seconds after coming to a stop) and the amount of braking force that it takes to stop the wheel from turning feels like the vehicle is trying to lunge forward. Which bring me to the second problem, the rear drum brakes are also not as powerful as the front disks, and thus it takes more brake pedal pressure to keep the vehicle from moving. Some high torque vehicles (like the Chevy 3500 with the Allison transmission) stay in second at a stop and only shift down to first under heavy throttle manipulation. The lower torque engines always shift down to first because the problem is much less pronounced and it gives better off the line performance.
The lightweight of the Tacoma doesn’t help either.
I have the automatic. Test drove the six-speed...still sometimes wish I had gotten it... Anyway, I find the automatic to be very aggressive in upshifting, much more so than I would be myself. I think this, and the point about the fifth gear being pretty steep, is probably the reason. For example, my transmission will stay in top gear, going up a moderate grade, at about 1100 RPM, but if I were "in charge" I would have downshifted (conditioned by many years of driving no-torque Hondas).
I have the automatic. Test drove the six-speed...still sometimes wish I had gotten it... Anyway, I find the automatic to be very aggressive in upshifting, much more so than I would be myself. I think this, and the point about the fifth gear being pretty steep, is probably the reason. For example, my transmission will stay in top gear, going up a moderate grade, at about 1100 RPM, but if I were "in charge" I would have downshifted (conditioned by many years of driving no-torque Hondas).
You can still be "in charge" by pulling the shift lever from "D" to "4" and then to "3" if you'd like. Or you can push down on the throttle pedal more too.
I test drove a 6-speed before I bought the automatic, and IMO the auto is so much nicer to drive. I bet the auto would out accelerate a stick because it has no lag between gears.
I have to say that I agree with SuperBusa on everything. I have the 6 spd and I do like it, but I miss my automatic when I'm sitting in traffic. I think especially on larger vehicles, the auto tranny is the way to go. I think you drive vehicles with an MT. You cruise in vehicles with an AT.
The only reason I didn't get the auto (I didn't want the 6spd) is because I had to get a TRD package to get speedway blue. Because of that, it put me at about 2k over-budget. The only way I could make a decent dent in that was to take the 6spd.
Still...I am much happier with a blue 6spd MT than I would be with a silver AT. Silver looks nice, but I just had to have the blue.
As far as mileage, the 5th speed gear is taller in the AT than the 6th speed in the MT. At 60 mph, an AT equipped truck's engine is turning 1777 RPM. An MT (non-X Runner) is turning 2098 RPM. An X-Runner is turning 1998 RPM.
Sonny
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2005 Speedway Blue Tacoma Access Cab PreRunner V6 6spd w/TRD Off-Road #2 (FOR SALE)
1997 Toyota T100 2WD SR5
Still...I am much happier with a blue 6spd MT than I would be with a silver AT. Silver looks nice, but I just had to have the blue.
Speedway Blue is definitely a nice color. I would have got it, but my car is a similar blue. Went for Radiant Red instead -- Hot Taco.
One thing I noticed when I test drove a 6 speed was there was more noticeable mechanical noise ... probably from the manual tranny gears or something ... as compared to the 5-sp auto tranny. Either that, or that truck had the ticking engine noise. The truck I bought seems really quiet mechanically.
My truck is so quiet that I can actually hear the rear tire tread flexing and digging on the pavement when I take off or go around a corner.
You can still be "in charge" by pulling the shift lever from "D" to "4" and then to "3" if you'd like. Or you can push down on the throttle pedal more too.
I test drove a 6-speed before I bought the automatic, and IMO the auto is so much nicer to drive. I bet the auto would out accelerate a stick because it has no lag between gears.
Yes, you can manually shift in a regular auto tranny. However, I hear that "gate shifting", as its called, is one of the worst things you can do to a tranny, aside from doing a Neutral Drop.
Yes, if the further you push on the pedal, the higher the hsift points are, but I need to cut a hole in my floor so my pedal goes down further!
Yes, you can manually shift in a regular auto tranny. However, I hear that "gate shifting", as its called, is one of the worst things you can do to a tranny, aside from doing a Neutral Drop.
I don't think if you shifted the auto manually will hurt anything if you do it right. Obviously, you don't want to pop it down to "2'" when you're going 70 mph or something nuts like that. The computer is probably setup to protect itself from move like this I would suspect. The owner's manual talks about shifting it manually too.
Just lift off the gas pedal and move the shift lever around to shift manually. I've tried it some and it works great.
Hey guys lots of useful info, thanks. But can any of you you guys answer one of my original questions? "what the usual shift point rpm is for your truck under 'normal' acceleration"?
Hey guys lots of useful info, thanks. But can any of you you guys answer one of my original questions? "what the usual shift point rpm is for your truck under 'normal' acceleration"?
That's kind of hard to answer because the auto tranny shift point all depends on how much acceleration the truck is going through, and how far down the gas pedal is. The computer looks at all kinds of stuff to determine when to shift. The harder you have your foot in to the gas pedal, the later it’s gonna shift ... might go all the way to red-line before shifting.
If I just take off from a stop light and accelerate what I'd concider "normally", I think the tach is around 2000 or 2500 when it shifts from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. By the time I'm in 3rd, I've started to let off on the gas and it might shift into 4th around 1800 or 2000 rpms.
Hey guys lots of useful info, thanks. But can any of you you guys answer one of my original questions? "what the usual shift point rpm is for your truck under 'normal' acceleration"?
Sorry I`m usually going by those guys too fast to ask them
Normal? Mash gas `till I`m 5 over the speed limit then set cruise quick to stop me from going any faster
Question for 4.0 V6 Auto owners
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