Any cons to having ECT power on all the time?

It may not decrease 0-60 time, but it holds gears longer. I find it much more enjoyable to drive with ECT on and I have seen no change in mpg either in the city or on the highway. There are just fewer gear changes and the response feels more predictable to me.

 

Also, like someone else mentioned, they could have made the ECT mode standard with an ECO button but probably chose to do it the way they did for EPA reasons.

 

The other option someone else suggested on this forum was to drive the truck in manual shift mode. After 12 months and 30,000 kms of driving and having the ECM reprogram done, this has been the best suggestion to manage drive characteristics and shifting IMO.

In town flip it over to M and row the shifter if you want or just leave it, and on the hyw i leave it in 5th under 120km/h! Do some testing and you will see with the cruise on at various speeds, manual shifts changes have no impact on RPM.

I still think the tranny programming is flawed to even require this type of manual input but its a relatively minor gripe on an otherwise awesome truck. This is a liveable option short of trading it in for a MT.

My 2 cents after some seat time!

 

Is the engine still learning with ECT on you think? I enjoy driving with it on but I feel like sometimes when I slow down from 50-60 mph to a red light it downshifts hard like it's not used to having so much range to play with.

 

My ECT is activated before I pull out of the driveway. It feels like a turd otherwise.
Usually in S4 or S5 also. 6th gear is fucking useless.

 

0-60 is the same because when you mash the gas with/without ECT from a standstill it goes to redline the same way.

Normal driving in ECT vs just D there is a big difference in how it shifts. Non ECT is basically the way Hondas drive with Eco mode on and ECT in Toyota is like Honda in normal mode.

 

Hi folks. Great thread. Here’s my experience so far.

Have my 3rd gen Tacoma for about a month now. Only 1500 km ( 1000 miles) driven so far. My daily commute is about 20 km - 50/50 city and highway. Lots of hills. Lots of traffic.

Not a fan of driving in D for my drive to work. Gets to 6th gear quick but to keep the speed maintained I find I have to use more gas peddle, tranny shifts down and then you’re on top of traffic. Off gas. High gear again. Then back on gas.

I’ve found driving in S mode in 5th gear is perfect for my commute. City driving S mode 4th gear is spot on. D is fine for longer distance highway driving with no traffic. Truck has plenty of power. Step on the goes and it goes.

I also get better gas mileage driving in S (not D as originally posted. Edit. Sorry) for my work commutes. I know I don’t have a lot of mileage on the truck yet but it’s what I’ve noticed so far. On a 200 km highway trip I averaged 12L/100KM. That’s about 20mpg. I get about 13-14L/100KM for my daily commutes. Decent. As good or better than my 08 RAV4 before I traded it in.

Haven’t tried the ECT mode yet. Will try after next fill up and check out the L/100 km.

Your mileage may vary. Pun intended.

 

Hence my comment about the Placebo effect....

 

You obviously don’t understand what ECT is for. It does not create more power, it simply holds gears longer. Wide open throttle is wide open throttle no matter if the truck is in ECT or not.

 

I barely use ECT on my 2018 Sport Taco and this is my daily driver. I have used the ECT a handful of times to experiment and didn’t get used to the high rpm shift. I’m very happy the way this V6 truck behaves and handles. I also get 22mpg - that’s just icing on the cake!!!

 

The response being closer to what I expect is not the same as placebo effect.

 

I would think that with the transmission having to shift less while in ECT, as opposed to the back and forth in D, it would overall be better for the transmission. I personally live in a mountainous area and can’t stand the 4-5-6 dance. It is constant. However, if I turn on ECT it is like driving an entirely new truck. MPGs also improve quite a bit. I am also light on the pedal most times.

 

^^^ This exactly. I know “it shouldn’t have to be this way”, but it is. Took me at least a year to get my pedal foot and the truck synced up. No real issues with the AT anymore, and I don’t use ECT. Actually like it now in a weird way. It’s the driver that needs the ‘learning’ more than the transmission in the Taco.

Anyways......after training my brain and foot, I get smooth power delivery and predictable shifts. I totally understand why some folks would give up, but I didn’t, and I’m glad.

 

You will burn gas faster thats about it.

 

I agree on the learning / driving training. A little more gas, a little sooner than I’m used to with my previous vehicle (RAV4) and driving with the AT is much better - especially on the highway.

 

Except most people who use ECT all the time report getting the same or better fuel economy. If you drive more aggressively you will burn more fuel, but not if you drive the same as usual.

 

Yup, that's my experience.

 

So you basically use a combination with ECT and S mode. I am thinking towing about 1200lbs, the ECT and S3/4 should work for me.

 

Update. Decided against trying the ECT for daily driving. I just put it in D and drive. The auto tranny works pretty good IMO. I agree with Stocklocker - you just got to learn how to drive it. Give it gas when it needs it. The auto tranny seems to like more RPM to work well. Gas mileage is as good or better than driving in S mode.

Your mileage may vary............

 

I discovered the ECT button about 2 weeks after I got my truck. I activate it before I leave the driveway and always use “S” mode. I do feel a difference when ECT is off, truck feels sluggish. Haven’t noticed a difference in fuel economy. If there’s a difference it’s been minimal.