3rd gen manual trans characteristics.

without some kind of tuning solutioni would have sold mine. i was fighting to drive it like the OP and i don't pay for that. got a Pedal Commander and that kinda saved the day for a while but the fight and weird driving dynamics continued until i removed that and installed just the OV tune.

i have the OV tune for linear throttle control, a URD short shifter, and it's got a pretty narrow window for driving right but i enjoy that. i really do love the challenge of driving a difficult vehicle smoothly. especially MT's.

 

Overall I’m happy with the truck when I remember its a truck, I came from a Audi TT with a manual before this which shifted so smooth. Completely different vehicles, i just had to learn how this one drive. I shift around 2800 rpm around town. The motor has a lot of rpm hang 1-4 gear and even more when cold outside. I just hold the clutch in and wait for the motor to match around the rpm its suppose to, this truck seems a good canadate to double clutch but its a lot of work. After warm a lot of it goes away so drive easy when starting. 5th gear i dont ever use, its special situations and towing. I’m a 4th gear to 6th gear kinda man myself. I think 5th is more of a towing overdrive gear. When shifting to 5th from 4th its the only shift in the transmission i feel you have to shift like lightning.

 

Like others have mentioned, it definitely takes some getting used to and I can definitely understand where you're coming from because mine is a 17 and after a year of ownership, I'm still "learning" how to drive it, I also get the hurky jerky movements at times especially right from the gate, if I let the clutch out too fast and barely give it gas it'll jerk, if I balance it, I still get a jerk, and then if I barely let the clutch out and give it gas out of first, I'll smoke the clutch and the truck will launch, it's the craziest thing and I've been driving MT since I was 16, I'm now 32. What I have learned with this truck is that it loves to be reved up past 3k rpm, you'll find it shifts and acts way better if you don't baby the throttle and just push it, yotas especially old ones are known for this, perhaps it helps their longevity or maybe not but either way it's more fun. As for passing on the interstate I actually have a lot of fun driving because if I'm in 6th and i need to pass I drop it 4th and if that's still not enough I say fuck it and drop it to 3rd and step on it and she'll fly, morale of the story, drive it like you stole it don't baby it.

 

I can roll mine around just fine. Smooth as butter 99% of the time. I will admit the gap from 1st to 2nd is steep but not ridiculous. It's worth noting I don't drive mine aggressively though. In fact I drive it very lethargically but at the same time I'd say I keep it higher in the revs than most. On average I'm between 2.5-3k rpm even if I'm just cruising along at the same speed. Past 3k before shifting nearly every time. My only complaint is reverse is way too tall but I have yet to tow anything heavy so it hasn't actually been an issue.

 

Maybe you have sand in your transmission..........

J/k. That doesn’t sound normal for sure, may need to get it checked out.

 

My truck is Early, I got it delivered to me December 2015, but it took them like 2 months to actually get it to me. I don't remember the build date...

I didn't have any of this issues in my ranger or a 97 wrangler, it any other trucks/cars I've driven... This truck just seems off. Glad that's it's mostly not isolated to me, but even my GF (who is competent at manuals) and her dad (whose a car junky) absolutely hate this thing and refuse to drive it.. I can't find a nice spot on the clutch, it's either soft and slips or grabs really hard, jerks, and falls on its face.

I've even tried to slip it a bit to get the truck rolling, and maintain RPMs and once it's rolling decent lean into the gas hard and let the clutch grab, and it'll loose all RPMs I tried to keep.

It's also stupidly inconsistent, one second the clutch grabs harshly, the next stoplight it doesn't at the same position...

I give up lol

 

so what's the next step? master tech diagnostics? as in an actual master tech and not the dealer runaround?

 

I'd like to hear what the clutch feels like with the accumulator bypassed. My warranty is still good for a while yet so it won't be me...

 

If your clutch is misbehaving, grabbing/shuddering, etc it could be a sign of contamination. If you've gone thru sandy/muddy water in a bog or beach or something, and had to operate the clutch to change gears while you're in deep water, or depress the clutch pedal to re-start your truck, all that garbage suspended in the water can get in between your clutch plate/pressure plate/flywheel and ruin the clutch. Not sure if that's happened with you.
Only problem I can say I've had w my 6MT was the sticking in gears problem, the one they put out the TSB for. I bought the parts and did the TSB modification myself; my short writeup is here on TW. When it first happened I thought maybe I was low on lube so drained it and also looked for metal debris in the oil--finding none, I replaced it w Redline MT90 which is a GL4 lube as specified. I haven't noticed it being a shifting challenge, and I have driven MT vehicles exclusively for 45 years now. I have found transmissions that felt like stirring a broomstick in a bucket of gravel, but this transmission seems to shift positively, you can feel it happening rather than it feeling slushy and vague.

 

I think this guy could do it. DO NOT click that spoiler tag. Don't do it!

Spoiler

 

Eye bleach needed.

 

Fuck... can't un-see that.

 

OK, OK, I spoilered it for you poo-says lol.

 

Dude, I'm the last one anyone would call a fun cop on here.. but jesus that was bad lol

 

I just couldn't believe I actually found a pic on GIS with "transvestite mechanic"

 

Is that trophy winking at me?

 

Damn she musta painted them shorts on


Guys, that’s someones DAUGHTER. Sure, she looks “strong”, but that’s no reason to call her a tranny.

 

My '17 only has 5500 miles on it. I noticed that it was tight when I first got it. Much like a Harley until you break it in! It took until around 3500 miles before it shifted smooth, and easy. Mine now shifts great.....even got to be careful not to do a hole shot off the line.

My '10 Jeep Wrangler was a rough shifter from the get go....and stayed that way until I traded last May for my '17 Taco.

 

My truck seems to have plenty of power; I can easily spin the tires in first, even in a straight line. In normal driving i use 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th. Shifting is at 2500 to 3500 rpm most of the time; but on freeway entrance ramps I like to go to the redline sometimes.