How are you supposed to drive uphill?

First time taking the truck out of town today, 4 hours of uphill/downhill single lane highway driving and I think I have popped a few gray hairs.

Going uphill the accelerator just does not respond. Halfway down...nothing, 3/4 down...nada. 4/5 down and suddenly RPM jump from 2500 to 4500 in a sudden jolt and feels like I'm driving a rocket ship. What is this? I've tried ECT power too and it helps a bit but when ladies in Kia minivans are passing me going uphill...like am I doing something wrong here?

There is no linear power delivery, it's just either going 5 under the speed limit uphill or preparing for lift-off. No inbetween.

 

Welcome to the 3rd Gen. get the shift sense pro or OVtune. Otherwise you have an under torque motor and horrible gear spacing. It’s all in the name of higher fuel mileage.

 

I think this is what Mat from ovtune said, that 6th was designed that way. Any input upto 30-40% throttle does absolutely nothing, and then you are a sling shot flying up the highway. I could have totally misunderstood him.

 

And just to let everyone know, it doesn't make any better fuel economy

 

One observation I’ve made in almost 2 years of ownership is that the ECU doesn’t respond to slowly or gradually pressing on the gas pedal. It does respond to sudden stabs of the pedal. When you want it to down shift, try quickly pressing the pedal a half inch or an inch or so and I’ve found it responds much faster vs. gradually pressing the pedal down.

Edit: I live at 4500 ft and regularly drive to 9000+ ft and have found there is plenty of power to pull 70+ mph up the hills, just got to get above 4000 rpm and let ‘er rip.

 

Put it in sport and shift yourself so you can control the down shifts.

 

Trade it in.

 

I guess I don't notice it much. I've never been a soft pedal person. Lot times if my speeds slow an I'm on hills shift till 5th.

 

Take it out of drive and use S3 and S4. That's what they're there for and it makes all the difference.

No different than my 4th gen 4Runner with the 4.0 V6.

 

Push in the clutch*, drop a gear or two, jam the throttle, away you go!

*Requires a three pedaled beast, which is becoming a rare thing indeed...

 

No big problems here... need more power to pass or get up a hill? Push on the gas a bit harder and it downshifts and does what it needs to do... I dont mind the higher revs (and I mean 3-4k) as the power band for these engines is in the high range = 278 hp at like 6k rpms. Just rev the damn thing

 

Turn ECT on and press the gas pedal harder

 

You need to understand how this truck works, if your climbing hills, you need to shift it manually,use the midrange rpms for power. The engine has 2 intake systems and when they both kick in and it downshifts, it's like warp drive. It took me a while, but I now always shift manually and no clutch is the best of both worlds.

 

Welcome to The 3rd gen. Pedal response sucks

 

Exactly why I don't like computers or automatic transmissions.

 

Got to be above 4k to feel the power

 

Love the just put it in sport mode comments and shift it yourself. My F150 never had trouble climbing steep grades going through West Virginia mountains but my taco can doesn’t even like going up 200 ft of the escarpment near my house. If it didn’t suck so bad people would be buying the OV tune and bitching how bad the power train is. Lot of times just cruising and I can press the Excelerator pedal a good 35-40% before the truck even starts to slowly increase above my cruising speed. Shit drives me nuts. I also hate how coming from a stop light, if I want to beat someone to pass quick to be able to get over or something I have to floor the damn thing having the engine scream looking like a douche bag, just to get around a somini van or Corolla or civic

 

If you use the cruise control it'll end up down shifting and revving at 5-6k.

I don't use CC on uphills, and I've found that you either go at hills at over 75 and stay on it making sure you're just over 3k rpm and it does okay.
Also I'm not sure if it's me giving up or maybe the AI trans has "learned" something but the constant shifting seems to be happening a bit less.

 

This truck needs a CVT from Honda that is beefed up for durability. That shifter in the Honda is perfectly matched to the power train.

 

I towed my old Camry from 2500 elevation to 10,000 through Colorado into New mexico rocky mountains.I used the ETC option and I never once had trouble. But, i never got to 70 MPH I kept it at a cool 65. I also got a whole 10 MPG for most of the trip.