truck drives @1000rpm once get up to city driving speed ...is that normal?

I hear what you're saying. You should be able to drive the truck in D though. The issue really isn't that the truck cruises at 1k it's that it does not down shift when it should. It will stay in that higher gear way too long. It's unfortunate that they manufactured such a thing.

 

Again... I don't think this is normal behavior.

 

i was having that issue really bad when i made this original post. truck just wanted to drive at 1000K. friggin hated it!!! .. now after the tsb and reflash.... the truck doesnt lag and dead pedal out near as bad. accually drives really well now holds gears longer. after i got the relash..... i made a point to drive this truck like i stole it so the AI doesnt adapt learn to drive like a pussy. maybe it worked.

 

That's what overdrive gears do, drop revs so the engine uses as little work as possible. The problem is if the transmission left to think for itself, it's going to choose fuel economy over power and response. Instead of D, think of it as Economy mode because that's what it is. If you don't want it in economy mode, use ECT or S mode. If you want to stay in D and have it drive like an older truck, consider buying an older truck next time.

Not trying to be an ass but newer vehicles are going to change in or require modifying driving habits or selecting modes to the situation you find yourself in.

The TSB reduced the aggressive climb to the OD gears but it didn't eliminate it for D. The truck will still drop to the lowest rpm possible if you let it.

 

I was thinking about this the other day. If toyota just labeled tjings differently there wouldnt be as many complaints about the way it drives. Call it economy mode and put some stupid green graphics in the info screen maybe put a picture of a leaf or some other hippy bullshit. Then call ect mode sport mode and put the button on the steering wheel, or better yet make it an old school toggle switch under a flip up cover so you feel like youre doing something dangerous.

 

I completely agree, D mode should light up an ECO indicator on the dash or any time the truck gets to gears 5 or 6. If people want something more aggressive, choose S4 mode or ECT to keep the light off. If they did that I'll bet there would be a lot less complaints.

That's exactly how I think about driving the truck and for me it drives just fine.

 

update on my truck!!!! got the auto trans tsb update and my truck is driving WAY better now . happy with the performance! the tsb made a huge difference. my main complaint was it raced to overdrive and wanna bog at 1000K rpm when on gas ... it never goes that low anymore while on the gas.. and hold gears way better... really enjoying my truck now. thanks for all the info TW

 

Agreed! I drive mine in ECT Power mode until I'm on the highway and just cruising. Then I switch out of power mode, and get the performance I need, and the economy I want.

 

Blame the government for setting up mileage goals. These engines power bands (hp and torque), are high on the rpm range. You want power, just press the accelerator.

 

Exactly! This behavior is almost entirely driven by CAFE standards and it will keep getting worse. That being said I have found that the TSB eliminated the dead petal feel for me and it feels like it downshifts quite quickly when I press the pedal to accelerate. Personally I like being able to drive around town in 45-50 mph traffic and get 23-24 mpg. But if I want to burn gas and have fun putting the pedal on the floor makes the truck go relatively well for a daily driver. If you really want a beast you need a Raptor or similar but except your monthly fuel bill to at least double.

Cruising at 1,000 rpms if I understand things correctly isn't just the Atkinson cycle it has also cut off the fuel delivery. The OD gearing is using only the truck's momentum to turn the engine. I believe this is why the engine doesn't lug. As soon as you push the gas it goes to 1,300 rpm or so when the engine relights.

I think about half of the wining about the transmission is legitimate and the other half is from people who want a modern engine/transmission combo to drive like a 1993. A 6 speed gearbox is most certainly going to shift more than a 3 speed gearbox. It isn't 'hunting for gears' it is choosing the best gear for the power requested/required and keeping the rpms as low as possible for fuel economy. If you don't want that behavior use ECT or S4/5. Again, I personally like it. I can use the truck as a daily driver and get reasonable gas mileage to and from work but I can also off road on the weekends or haul a refrigerator across town. Something I couldn't do with a Camry and probably not with a Ridgeline

In any case I highly recommend the TSB. It is a noticeable improvement.

 

ok, im getting jealous.... I am averaging 13.3-12.2 mpg in the city/highway.... I do not drive aggressively, in fact my friends call me old man cause I dont speed. I reset during my highway drive and was getting 19/20. Ive heard some ppl averaging around 25 on the highway even with Ko2's. If im gonna run at 1000rpm I want good gas mileage. What is everyone getting on your gas mileage?

 

did you get transmission fluid checked and tsb????? if u havent get on it... my truck drove like total shit pre TSB..... now it way better.... as far as gas milage.... on highways and good roads out of the city a bit in honolulu...im getting good gas milage...18-19+ at least... yea sometimes it says 25 mpg when i turn of the car.. noyt sure how accurate that trip meter is. pre tsb my truck always wanted to drive around 1000k. it would friggin upshift alot like 1300K to just bog out at 1000k.... dead pedal out hard ,,, now it NEVER goes that low if on the gas at all.. holds gear sway better, finally felt like normal tacoma . for my truck... if its driving at low rpms yes its getting really good gas milage. im accualy pretty surprised how good the mpg is in my TRD off road AC 4x4.... is as long as your not sitting in traffic

 

I average 21.5 to 22. But most of my driving is highway.

 

Well at 55 mph mine sits at 1500 rpm. If I do under 50 it sits at 1000 rpm. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. I am getting around 18. 5 mpg city and 21.4 highway. Where do I go to see if my truck needs the TSB done. I will test out S mode to see what results I get

 

look up the trans tsb on the top of the 3rd gen ''sticky threads'' see if you vin# is on the list. if your truck is on the the list dont hesitate go get it done, check the atf fluid manually too

 

You are right. I just tried S mode today and what a major difference in acceleration. I was doing 45 and put it in S4 and the rpm shot up to 2500-3000 and stayed there. I have not monitored my gas mileage but I suspect with this truck being in S mode you will take a hit on mpg. It looks like S mode is going to do the trick for me. Also I hear people talking about ECT well it states in owners guide that ECT should be used for towing or mountain climbing.

 

Try just driving it in ECT PWR mode. Makes mine very nice to drive, and no noticeable hit to MPGs.

 

That's how it gets 28 mpg