Anyone drive their auto in 5th gear?

for about the last week I have been driving my truck in 5th gear. I swear I'm getting better mpg's! And the drivability is so much better. I had the tsb done last week and thought I would try 6th gear again but quickly went back to 5th. My commute is a mix of city and 70-75mph hiway 50 miles one way. I'm averaging 19 mpg per tank of fuel where as before I was getting about 18-18.5 just curious if any one else has/is doing this. I think if Toyota would put 4:30 gears in from the factory everyone would be a lot happier with their truck.

 

I used to pre-tsb.
I'm going to put 2,000 post tsb miles on mine in D before I start messing with it.

 

I've had my truck since February and currently have ~4500 miles. I just took it on its first road trip this past weekend: Denver to Grand Junction via I-70 over the central Rockies. The whole time I was either in S4 or S5, didn't bother with 6th gear. Speeds were 75-80 MPH in the open areas, 65-70 ascending/descending the passes. MPG was 18.1 westbound and 19.4 coming back, which was better than I expected and I am pretty happy with how it performed. Seems to me they could've omitted 6th gear from the tranny and there'd be no noticeable difference other than less hunting. From now on, I'll be using S5 on the freeway. Haven't had the TSB done yet, will probably wait until 10K service.

 

I drive mine with ECT always on, S4 in the city and S5 on the highway and love the way it runs like that.

 

Stick mine in D, no ECT, 70 mph on highway and whatever the speed limit is in town and averaging 25.1 right now...less than 1900 miles on it. Why play around? Drives great as it is.

 

yep i use to before the TSB update came out. drove it in S 5th and it drove well. after TSB no need to anymore

 

That must be one straight, flat road.

 

Imagine what the truck would be like with a 10 speed transmission.

 

I can't even.

 

very rarely do i use 6th gear. most of the time in ECT mode when not then in S mode and never have a use for 6th. 6th gear on a long flat drive with a tail wind....

 

Yea, run it in S5 all the time in town.

 

No reason to

 

I use S5 a lot. Whenever I'm over 40 - 45 mph whenever I think to switch to it. Sometimes I just drive in S mode full time.

 

If everyone were to call Toyota and tell them about their problems of not being able to use six gear. We might be able to get our trucks regeared for free.

My automatic jeep does not do this !

 

Don't think people realize that the more gears you have, the more shifting will occur. I have tested the Silverado 5.3 V8 with 6 speed auto and even that shifts like crazy.

 

Wait until you see reviews of the 10 speed auto co-designed by GM and Ford coming out soon. It will be shifting at all times. It even has an indicator telling you in real time what gear it will be in. The 2016 Tacomas aren't meant to only cruise in 6th gear. 6th gear is "bonus" gear you only get to use if conditions are right for it. Gearing ratios of the gen 3 and gen 2 5-speed auto are similar, but the gen 3 has that extra final gear to help with MPG when cruising on flat roads/down etc.
To me it seems like the gen 3 auto shifts to smoothly that I wouldn't even notice it. Each one I tested was that smooth. I see people complaining about the needle jumping to 2400 RPM at 80 mph when on my 2002 Tacoma I am about 3,000 or more RPM going 80...and my truck feels like it is about to explode lol.

 

Wish I could get mine to stay in 5th gear, going on flat roads.

 

The 4.30:1 would be an outstanding ratio with the AC60x transmission.

 

4.30's would be nice but 4.88 would be da bomb.

 

I experimented with it a bit, but I found no real improvement. I've been pretty happy with my transmission overall. I do have the delay from park to drive, but I've gotten used to it and I'm waiting to see more reports of MPG changes on the TSB before I get it. I'll make a decision on the TSB before my 10k service.

I do find myself using S4 on downgrades a lot to keep from speeding up too much coasting down hills, but I usually just shift back to D.