Do you offroad your 6MT?

How many of y'all actually offroad your manual trans Tacoma? I'm looking for some pros/cons from real world experience.

I know real rock crawling would be tougher in a manual. Anybody doing that specifically? I'm not buying a Tacoma to rock crawl, just asking though.

 

Situational and depends on drivers needs/experience/comfort level for sure, but manuals allow for more controlled descents and ascents, while automatics tend to be better for low-speed crawling.

Biggest difference for me is that a lot of technical situations I have one hand on the wheel instead of two because I am shifting up and down as needed.

https://jalopnik.com/when-and-when-not-an-automatic-is-better-than-a-manua-1793574126

 

Man. All the time: or at least as much as I can. Actually prefer it and feel like I have way more low range control. Had an auto before and thought I’d never like a manual Offroad.

But now that I’ve got the feel for it and have re geared; going slow through the tough stuff, this thing is so controllable.

 

For me the only thing that I think is a big deficiency is when I am stuck in a rut or something and needed to shimmy back and forth. Reverse it geared to go backwards at 50 mph or something where I wish it was geared more towards how 1st is.

 

It sounds like you are talking about true crawling versus what most consider offroad? There is a true crawling thread that is pretty epic, but well beyond me:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-true-crawlin-thread.613915/

Folks there might be able to give a good answer to your question.

For the offroading that I have done, the MT has been stellar. About 7/10ths of what the stock setup can do. The lower gearing, control, and Austin Powers u turns have been great for me. Note that 5.29 gears on an AT are just a bit lower than the 4.30s on the MT.

MTs have the Clutch Start Cancel button that folks on ledges and such really appreciate.

ATs with the OVT GearLock tune would have close to MT control over the transmission.

For fun, MT on the left and AT on the right. Stock except for 265/70R17 tires:

 

Yeah. That makes sense. I’ve ground the gears trying to do that a few times. Trying to go into the gears too quickly.

 

FWIW, I go wheelin with a 6MT in my 2nd gen. I like it because it gives me all the control I'd ever want with gear selection and honestly makes it easier controlling it on descents. With rocks, you really just have to know what line take and commit to it.

 

@Shellshock

 

The 2LM really helps with that, or at least gives you options.

 

Is it cool to drive a manual, sure. Is it more efficient, no.

Auto offers far superior control vs a manual (with very experienced driver). Don’t let anyone tell you different, OP.

 

2LM is worth it.

 

you rang?

 

What is that?

 

Off-road with a manual. Insert your experiences.

 

2Lo Mod. Grab it while the end of the first batch is on sale:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-2wd-low-range-for-the-3rd-gen-tacoma.614743/

 

Mod that doesn’t engage the front differential, just the transfer case. So you can have front steering in low range.

 

And, high range for those of us that don't get in the dirt often enough.

 

That ^

plug and play. Worth every penny.

 

I agree with this. I prefer manuals on road, but the auto really offers more advantages off road, including letting you just enjoy the scenery and situation more instead of coordinating a bunch of hand and footwork.

Only disadvantage of the auto in the Taco is that they have been known to overheat when crawling in high heat for long periods of time.

 

I don't really "rock crawl" but I have done some off-road and gone up a few places where I've done a little damage to the lower body area of my truck (since I never got around to putting on armor since the truck is my DD and I don't want the armor all the time). Personally, I like the feel of the MT more than the auto, and I've been driving one so long it takes no additional thought for me even in obscure situations. I did get into a little bit of mud once where I was able to get moving again just by doing the reverse/first rocking without getting out into the mud, and the only time I've done anything where I smelled the clutch was backing up my driveway (with the truck probably a little overloaded) but never while being off road.

As for the mention of superior control... I think it is more subjective than that. I feel more out of control in an automatic (I can't say I am more out of control but I feel more and that does affect how one drives). I've never been in a situation in my MT that I couldn't handle and I've never been in a situation where I ever though "it would be nice to be in an AT right now"

So for me, real world experience I've done something that I can only do in a MT once, but I have no account for what I would have had to do in an AT and if it would have made any difference. I think it mostly depends on the driver preference (I'll never knock someone who chooses to drive an auto).