ShiftSense Pro - transmission shift controller for Gen3 Tacoma

SSP can only keep transmission in lower gear than the truck's own computer. The difference is probably that it is staying in 5th, so not needing to shift down to 4th, whereas according to original programming, it stays in 6th for a while and fails to provide enough power, then freaks out and jumps straight down to 4th.

 

I agree it holds 4th too long under normal driving ( maybe ¼-1/2 throttle). I had actually grew accustomed to driving around town in S4 as most speeds in my hood are under 40mph. Bump up to 5th if over 40. Same on freeway in stop and go. Hit ECT when I need that boost off the line or driving through the mountains.


On the freeway I usually cruise around 70mph so again for me it holds 5th too long and I found I was either hitting 65 then feathering throttle to engage 6th or I’d manually bump it to 6th. Then re-engage when in town or slowed.


Installation was as others stated 5-10 mins tops if you read up on it and watched the video prior. Tucked it under Q-whatever charging port but I don’t have Q so it fit nice and snug. No need for zip-ties except under lower dash trim.


I like it and think it’s definitely worth the scratch. For me the biggest point I’d change is the 6th gear upshift point.

J

 

Just installed mine and it feels really nice, will find out more tomorrow on the way to work..but very easy install...great product.

 

My SSpro is for sale if anyone is interested. only about two weeks old.

 

Got mine and very easy install. But I'm not very impressed. First of all, it has to be in S mode to work, and it does change the shifting a little but I drive everyday on the interstate at speeds around 75mph and the thing stays in 5th gear, not using 6th which i know effects the MPG's. If you use cruse control, like I do, it still shifts up and down to maintain speeds on hills and inclines, so I'm not to impressed. Besides, to me all this does is turn the S mode into a D mode which I already have!

 

I just fucking can't with this....

 

Explain please

 

Fixing to install mine; but after reading your post guessing I will have the same issue as that's really been my only complaint is the 75 mph back and forth crap... Just had dealer do the latest update with little to no change. I could see it being hard if a person were trying to drive 85-100 but 75? And don't get me wrong I love Tacomas (this is my 4th one) but the other 3 were all manual so I really never struggled with this; even my 2 04"s with 4cyl and 33's didn't seem to have this issue, but again manual trans...

 

What were you expecting?
No it won't fix your ed..

 

It has to be in S mode to work??? Holly shit are you serious?! It's like I didn't read anything at all, on this thread or the product page... I just thought it was a magic box that worked somewhere along the lines of Harry Potter magic.... Besides that he already has "D mode", so now he has like double D mode. Fucking double D mode!!!!!!!!!!!! And your MPG may be affected???... I mean who in their right mind would have thought that? I was fully expecting to hold the shifts longer, thereby increasing the RPM, thereby engaging the Harry Potter magic, and thereby making my MPG go somewhere North of 30... I mean WTF?!?!

 

Can I ask you why you bought the ShiftSense Pro to begin with?

It sounds like you bought it without understanding what it does or what your needs are.

 

Reading...apparently something that is hard to do.

 

I like me some Double D Mode!! Oh, we're talking about transmissions... damn!

 

6th gear on AT is too tall, and struggles to provide enough power to even cruise at high speeds. 5th on AT and 6th on MT are pretty much equivalent. You really don't lose out on much if 6th gear on AT is not being utilized.

 

You're right on!

I know we've discussed it a few times, but its buried pretty deep in this thread so i'll expand on it a bit more...

Many users may not see 6th gear very often. With the SSPro, the 'minimum' upshift speed to 6th is 72mph (and quite a bit of R&D went into that placement). So it will avoid shifting up to 6th if you are less than this speed. If you are above 72, it shifts based on the throttle (pedal) position and demand. If you are light on the throttle you will see the upshift, but if you get back on it at all it will drop back to 5th and will hold 5th until you lighten on the throttle again. Based on our data-collection, this engine is much happier operating in 5th gear in this speed range instead of 6th. It actually sustains less 'load' in 5th than in 6th because it is in a more efficient RPM placement, which is all-around better for performance. Difference in fuel economy is negligible.

As it turns out, the final-drive gear ratio in 5th gear in Gen3 Tacoma is actually identical to the 5th gear ratio on the 4.0L gen2 Tacoma. That truck only had a 5 speed transmission, so that was it (and most people never gave it a second thought). The 4.0L also had significantly more torque in this RPM range as well. In the gen3, 6th gear is actually a second-overdrive gear and is about 15% higher yet than 5th gear. I have to wonder what Toyota was thinking in placing such a high-ratio 6th gear in this truck behind a 3.5L engine with no bottom-end. Considering the amount of aerodynamic drag and the steep gearing, 6th gear becomes almost totally unnecessary. You will see SSP upshift if on flat or descending, but any other time on slight grades, the truck is not really able to sustain it, so the hold of 5th becomes necessary. If you are above 80 mph, you may notice it holding 6th longer, but that is only because the RPM is 'starting' to get back up into the torque-curve a bit more.

Just because 6th is available, doesn't necessarily mean it is always necessary to use it. And most of the time, using it at speeds less than 70mph you will find it constantly shifting 5/6/5/6/5/6 because it is not able to hold it... Eliminating this was one of the primary goals of the SSP, which means holding 5th is the preferred.

 

Also, We've gotten quite a few questions about turning off the dash display which shows the S shifts. This pop-up display can be disabled by going to page 97 of the owners manual.

While in park..
1) scroll over to settings, press select
2) select 'pop-up display'
3) unselect 'shift position'.

It will continue to show the gear-selection in the bottom left corner, but wont pop-up each time. And actually, I would encourage anyone to do this. I know with myself, when the pop-up is turned off I'm more inclined to just feel out the shifts of the truck instead of being hyper-aware of the gear-selections at all times.

 

Would there be any chance at all of getting custom programming with 6th gear turned off entirely?

 

i used to use s-mode, and shift my truck manually,, up and down to suit my needs ,, to shift it, when it should shift, but i had to control it,, now the sspro shifts, like i would shift,,, so now i dont have to do that anymore,, put it in s-mode and leave it there with sspro engaged... it was worth the price... no complaints...

there should not be a 6th gear on these trucks,, worthless,,,

 

Not at all to defend Toyota but - the 6th gear double over drive really comes into play when driving at 40-45 mph on a flat road no wind with no stops and starts . The damn truck could get 35 mpg if driven like this for a long time but who can do this is the crazy thing . I believe the 6th gear was for the EPA test and that is all .

 

My only complaint so far, is that it holds 4th gear too long around town.

Past that, havent had it on the highway yet, but holds gears better up overpasses and doesnt downshift to 3rd all the fucking time