How do you drive 5 speed manual?

I can't say I have experienced your issues...especially since I don't own a Taco...yet. However, someone mentioned earlier that it is the same transmission as the Chevy Colorado, and I have been driving one of those for about 5 years. You can get into first gear, but you'll have to double clutch it and you want to be going slow. (less than 10 miles an hour?) If you are going faster than ten, it would be worth lugging it in second because the lower torque curve, especially on the 2.7, will get you going.

While I can't speak of the 2.7 and 5-speed pairing, I know that transmission can be frustrating. It also can be lots of fun though too double-clutching and shifting without a clutch into any gear.

 

I'll lose big time since I bought it only 8 month ago. May have to put up with it for another gear.
Frontiers get crappy gas mileage, even with 4 cyl. engines. Might as well get a full size truck.

 

I've driven tons manual transmissions from many different makers - they're all a bitch to put into 1st when moving. That's how it goes. Luckily it's not something that you should need to do that often. Cars are a little easier than trucks, but even my Subaru was a pain sometimes.

Learn to space yourself better in stop and go traffic. It'll cut down on the amount of shifting you have to do. Better to idle along in 2nd than gassing it in 1st.

 

Perrrrfect!

Keep it and learn how to drive it. They are unique. My 2011 6spd is similar to what you described, but it's getting better.

 

Have you tried double clutching into first gear? I do that sometimes on my six speed. Don't really need to go back into first until I am stopped, but sometimes I do it anyway.

Push clutch in, shift to nuetral, release clutch, rev engine to bring input shaft speed up, push clutch in again, shift to first. As long as you get the rpms close, it will shift much easier because you arn't relying on the syncro to bring the input shaft speed up.

 

I love my truck and it's manual trans. I have been driving a stick as a daily driver for three years now, and I have owned my Tacoma for almost one year. I went from a Kia Spectra 5 speed and I must say, it was a lot more fun and easier to drive but you are talking about cable shifting FWD car and a RWD regular gear box truck so there is going to be a difference.

Stop and go traffic, you have to space yourself a little bit more. I cruise in 2nd as much as I can then just put it in neutral if traffic is coming to a stop and stop in neutral, then put into first to take off. I can use second down to around 10mph before it really doesn't like it.

As far as the blower chirp, my 2010 does it too, when it gets warmer I am going to try to fix it. Sucks, but all vehicles have little problems. Not trying to defend Toyota, hell my Kia had a water leak in the rear window seal so bad it had to go in and have the interior pulled out and the water sucked out, seal replaced, and it was a 2008! Nothing is perfect, try to make it work until you like it or until you can replace it.
Best of luck!

 

In stop and go traffic, I find it best to hang back about 5-7 car lengths and just let the engine idle in 1st gear. By the time you catch up to the person in front of you, they start moving again and you don't have to take it out of gear. This doesn't really work with more than one lane because people see an open spot and automatically pull in thinking that the lane must be moving faster when it's not.

Speaking of the 5 sp., is it just mine or do others have these two issues?

1) Every once in a while it's hard to find 3rd gear. It's not significant and always goes in easy, but sometimes it causes a fraction of a second pause that lets the RPM's to drop below the ideal catch point when letting the clutch out.

2) Stick vibrates pretty significantly when cruising and you let off the gas. This seems to happen more often in 4th gear than the others.

 

I have the same set up as the op and he is right on the problems of which he speaks. But it should be a non issue,, solution,,run first up to 3000rpm,,clutch in, don't shift,,coast up in the stop and go, you never have to leave 1st gear then, particurly in heavy city traffic. Double clutching works also.

I like mine.

mark

 

Well, I'll be the "d-bag" and say what everyone else is thinking..............

Who the hell buys a 4cyl truck? Hippies who want better gas mileage? I forgot..... You only need a 4 banger to go pick up your manpons on the way to get your pedicure.

Sorry. I'm just tired of seeing you bitch about your truck. Go buy a Prius and quit complaining.


Bring the rain............

 

Haha....I agree. I want them to put a v8 in the tacoma.

 

I don't see why they don't. The 2nd gen Tacoma is about the same size as the 1st gen Tundra.

 

OK, I just want to thank the OP for the most fun evening commute I've had in a while. I read this post, and I have I have a 2011 2.7 4 cyl 5 speed, with the 4.10 rear end because it's a 4x4, same as the OP. So naturally I had to "stretch" out the engine and tranny a bit, which is something I don't usually do in the interest of saving gas.

I drive about 20 miles of stop-and-go every morning and evening on the way to work. This evening, I paid a little more attention to my shifting and downshifting technique.

I shift effortlessly from 2nd down to first at about 8mph without thinking about it. That's just my basic stop and go heavy traffic downshift point, though I had to look at the speedo and tach to see what it was for purposes of this post. Typically I shift by ear. For fun I did an easy 15mph downshift from 2nd to first, and then a little later, just for giggles, I did a 25mph downshift from 2nd to first. Later in the commute, merging from one highway to the other, I downshifted from 4th to 2nd - that's actually a pretty common need in these little trucks, as is the 5th to 3rd freeway passing downshift. So the truck can do what you want.

The thing is, many (most?) folks who learn stick never learn good downshifting technique -- it's not something your driving school teacher really covers.

The first rule is anticipation. A proper downshift is while you're still decelerating, in anticipation of the acceration to follow. For example, downshift into a curve, before the apex, so you can accelerate out of it.

The second rule is throttle control. Your "garden variety" downshift is done the same as upshift - ease (or release!) throttle, clutch, shift. This pushes the synchronizers in the transmission very hard, and beyond a certain speed difference, they simply can't force the gears to catch up to the engine speed. This is what OP is experiencing, and it always bugs me when I'm riding with someone who shifts this way.

Instead, the proper downshift is brake, clutch, throttle blip, clutch.

The throttle needs to cause the engine to gain between 1000 and 2000 rpms, depending on the gear. For the tacoma, the 3rd/2nd downshift is closer to 1000 rpm, and the 2nd first downshift is closer to 2000 rpm. Since you're decelerating, a good throttle blip will go a little *higher* than the desired RPM (but only by 100-200 rpm) so you can ease the throttle through the clutch release. (You're downshifting while still decelerating, remember?)

So back to those shift points - the 15mph shift starts at about 1500 rpm, blip to around 3500, and ease while releasing the clutch.

Similarly, the 25 mph 2nd to 1st downshift starts at a little above 2500 rpm. Clutch, throttle blip past 4500 - say 4800, and quickly ease the clutch back out as you're easing the gas to match the engine speed and further ease into engine braking.

Advanced technique is to brake with the lower left part of the right foot while blipping the throttle with the upper right part of the same foot. (this is the so called "heel and toe" braking.)

Synchros are your friends. Without them, you can *try* to jam into any gear at *any* speed and the transmission will not prevent you. But the resulting gear gnash surely will, unless you've carefully matched engine speeds. My 74 alfa romeo had a burnt 2nd gear synchro - that was common in those models - so I always double clutched the 3rd/2nd downshift. But there's no need to double clutch a Tacoma - just use the throttle. That 2.7 is willing, and will happily do what you want.

Disclaimer: following the advice in this post may lead to increased driving joy and decreased gas mileage. objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. beware of unmarked obstacles and sudden blinding dust storms. stove burners may be hot enough to burn.

 

bump. I can't stand to put that much work on a single post without seeing at least one reply.

 

Holly crap. Can this engine even handle that many RPM's?

 

Ha ha. That's what my GF (now wife) said when she was riding with me in my '78 Ford Fiesta which had no tach, and all shifting was by ear. That was a fun little car.

Anyhow redline is 5500 or 6000 (don't recall off the top of my head) and 25mph in 1st with 4.10 rear is right around 5000.

 

Excellent post BJMoose. Double clutching & heel-toe shifting is a lost art & a very useful skill to perfect. It's especially useful if you're haulin ass in a sports car, or slowing down on snow-covered roads.

My '10 2.7 5spd prerunner (4.10 gears) feels very similar to many of the 20+ manuals I've owned since '84. Going into 1st at any speed below 5mph is difficult & requires the synchros to work extra hard, & it's easiest to slip it into first just as you're coming to a stop.

Otherwise I just wait until I'm stopping to engage 1st, or anticipate traffic accordingly so I don't have to jam it into 1st. I try to never lug it in 2nd either (bad for the engine) but feather the clutch until I'm @ 10mph. If the engine is shuddering due to low speed/high gear then you're putting unnecessary stress on connecting rods & other engine parts which is not good.

Reverse is better than in my '95 5 spd 4runner, where I couldn't engage reverse without going up into 5th first, otherwise it would grind.

Honestly the clutch throw & late engagement is the hardest thing for me to get used to in this prerunner, but it's becoming 2nd nature now.

 

Great write-up bjmoose. Not only are auto's killing manuals, but synchros are killing the art of double clutching. Makes for faster smoother shifts though, which equals more fun!

 

all great info, but I think the hang-up that we are refering to is not an issue of when to shift or how to rev-match, that's pretty self-explanatory. The problem is slowing down in 2nd gear, say when you are coming to a traffic light, and then the light turns green, now you are coasting along at about 8mph. At this point you have two options, leave it in second (or put it in second if you are allready in neutral) and lug the engine, or attempt to get that bastard into first. The issue is with the clutch fully depressed, getting the truck into 1st gear (which is what you want around 8mph) means overpowering the lock-out that is built into it, or as i stated in my previous post, having to kick the god damn shifter to get it in gear.

 

op... not my experience. all my toyotas have needed a double clutc to get in reverse and first is low because its a 4cyl truck.

 

It's easy.

1. Clutch in.

2. blip gas until about 1800 rpm.

3. lightly ease off gas off

4. while rpms are still dropping, (prolly around 1600, roughly) throw shift lever from third to second

5. clutch out.

6. gas on to accelerate.

The whole thing takes less than a second. It'll be jerky first few times you do it. Just takes practice, you'll get the feel; it'll become smooth.