Friday anti Manual Transmission thread.

So.. I live on top of a pretty big 1000ft hill and I believe the slope is 22 degrees or so. The speed limit is 25 and the truck is incapable of going up at speed limit in 3rd... and can only do it in 2nd gear...

So fast foward to today... I was stuck going behind the mailman who was crawling at 15mph... it was too low for second gear... truck started to stall out... and refused to let me shift into 1st... I had to stop... drop it into first and peel out to get going... very painful...

later on the same day... (happy friday all) I had to remove a tree that fell on that same drive blocking our only way in and out of the neighborhood after all these storms in cali...

The truck would NOT go back up the hill... I tried 1st at 2000rpm and slipping the clutch and holding the hand brake then releasing... (stalled) then 2500 (stalled) started to smell the clutch. Ended up backing up 1000feet down the hill defeated... and went back up where it was less steep.

That's all cool story bro. An automatic would have given me no issues here.

 

You kept stalling out on a slope? Is this your first manual?

Have you heard of our lord and savior the 2lo mod?

 

It wasn't just a "slope" it was a VERY significant slope. I drove the truck in SF with no issues. My hill is just too much for it. And yes I have heard of the mod, and thought about it today.

 

Damn, get the angle off your inclinometer if your truck has one. I'd like to know how steep we're talking here.

Edit: Nevermind you posted it already haha.

 

Addressing your first problem, about not going into 1st gear while in motion: Did you try rev-matching? I'm not too familiar with M/T Tacomas, but I've been driving M/T most of my life, including other Toyotas.

 

Actually good idea, I'll check next time I am on it, Neighbors said that the neighborhood is illegal by todays standards but got grandfathered in since it was done in the 70s...

 

I think it has a lock out after a certain speed.

 

My Maxima was like that, but I could still rev-match and get it to go in.

 

OP, is this your first manual?

 

8th

 

Uphill or down?

 

Is there a physical lock-out on the M/T? (I’ve never heard of this, but the Nanny state ..is.. expanding it’s powers.) If so, there must be a way to disable or bypass it.

Mods, mods, mods. Now I have to get an inclinometer.

 

22 degrees man that is a serious climb. Did you see those riders breaking he chains on their bikes on those Tour de France climbs last year. Some of those climbs were 24 percent. There is a power line trail I run once in a while here that has crazzzzy step climb, I don't know the actual degrees but all you see is sky. I use the low range and my 6 cylinder/auto goes up that climb fairly easy if the traction is good. I wouldn't try it in 4H because I sure wouldn't want to back down that thing. I have a video of it on Youtube I'll see if I can find ithttps://youtu.be/6KBiH7Qe8yk

 

Down lol.

 

https://youtu.be/6KBiH7Qe8yk

 

It is … the tree truck broke down and had to be towed out …. But the street was still blocked. Which is when I stepped in

 

This is what happens when you mate a manual transmission to an engine that needs 4600 rpm to develop torque. The transmissions AND engines being produced today are designed for sports cars, not trucks. And it's not just Toyota. I've driven more manuals in my lifetime than automatics, but I'd not touch a truck or SUV made in the last 30 years with a manual.

There is a reason none of the full size trucks today even offer a manual and haven't in years. Even big trucks and buses stopped using manuals 40 years ago.

 

I'm with you on this. I'm 3,500 miles in with my M/T and the more I'm driving it the less I'm impressed. It's almost at this point, I accept it because it's a manual and they'll soon be gone. It's definitely not worth bragging about.

 

Converters are superior in many ways. Tugging stationary objects is 100% one of them. Offroad recoveries are a lot easier in auto's as well.

I chose auto for the 3rd gen because of water crossings, auto is best due to it can shift without risk of the clutch hydro locking. I hated commiting to a gear while in water.