How does the "S" mode work in automatics?

My good old sedan, a Volkswagen, has a mode called "Tiptronic" where you tell the ECU you want "gear 3" or whatever, and it will put you in gear 3 as long as it will neither underrev nor overrev the engine. If it's going to do one of those, it's going to switch you out automatically.

The "S" mode in the Taco seems rather different. My experience so far is that, let's say you put it in "4", then the transmission algorithm pretends that the highest gear is 4, i.e. it's welcome to downshift to 3 / 2 and does so generously if you step on the gas (unlike my Volkswagen), but will not upshift to 5 / 6. Is this right? The manual doesn't seem to be very clear on the details of how "S" mode works.

If this is right, then, what does "S" mode gear "6" mean???

 

S mode only shifts up the gear you have it set on

 

Correct.

And 6 is 6. It's a part of S mode (which is "sequential" mode) because if you're operating in manual mode there may be times you want to go into 6th... long flat higher speed freeway stuff, for example.

 

All the above


I only use it in neighborhoods to keep from speeding. Automatically sets to 4 and I keep it there.

 

Limits the gear to which the transmission can up shift to.

 

I'm glad you asked this OP. I was wondering the same. So you dont "shift" in S mode, like you would a manual (minus the pedal)? You just pop it to the gear you want, then the transmission wont go higher? if you slow down, it automatically downshifts?

 

It's not anything like Tiptronic (2008 Passat owner here). Tiptronic is more like a manual transmission without the clutch. You can operate "S" mode like that, but I've found it's kind of pointless. Th truck will shift as it sees fit still. As others have stated it's more useful as a limiter. Set the top-most gear you want to be in and let the transmission do the rest. It's more useful when towing or off-roading. Off-roading I'll set it to first or second gear and leave it. That way I have a little sumthin'-sumthin' if I need to get out of a hairy situation. Towing is probably best leaving it at fourth or fifth; conditions dependent.

 

As said, limits the highest gear it will shift to.

What situations you choose to implement that is up to you.

Never put it in "S6", I'd be curious if that is even possible.

 

Page 199 and 200 of the owners manual.

 

You can select S6, but might as well be in drive if your leaving it in S6 for very long. I put it in S6 sometimes when towing and I’m going down a long…not too steep hill, otherwise I’m in S4.

 

Seems overly complex.

I just put the automatic into OD and let the transmission work the gears.

If I want/need to stay out of OD, then I place the transmission lever in "4". The transmission can work the lower gears as needed.

But then again, my truck is just a 2nd Gen w/o all the fancy gadgets.

 

The only time that I use "S" Mode is to downshift the engine when descending down steep mountain passes.

 

For driving around town, sometimes (when I remember) put it in S mode 4 or 5 depending on how bad traffic is. If traffic is particularly heavy, where you seldom get over 30 mph, I use 4 to limit the amount of temporary shifting, and 5 if traffic is on the lighter side. I do use D most of the time, and ECT now and again for extra zoom when I figure I might be using on ramps or other acceleration situations.

 

Very helpful when driving in snowy hills.

 

Mine will downshift to a lower gear if a slow my speed, or come to a stop. Once you select the S mode gear, it will stay there until you wind the motor up to a point, that it will shift to the next higher gear until it reaches 5th....at least that the way my trucks automatic works.

 

My truck, there is no S6 only to S5. If you want to use 6th gear, you need to put it back in drive. Dealer told me toyota did it for a reason, they don't want you towing in 6th gear.

 

It's the exact same thing; no more complex than you putting yours into 4. Instead of having all the different gears on the shifter you select the highest gear on the cluster. That's the only difference.

 

Are you sure about that, have you tried it? I didn't think there was an S6 either because...what's the point, but I got curious and went out to check and lo and behold...

 

Yeah, even spoke to the dealer about it on my last service visit, and thats the way it works...cannot shift further to an S6. Transmission is programmed imo, excellent no complaints with this truck. When you really think about it...why would you ever need S6 when there's 6th in drive?