6 speed manual any good?

You can't start in second, or third, or fourth in an automatic. You can in a manual.

With a manual, you can feather the clutch in a higher gear to reduce torque and prevent slippage. This is useful if you want to produce traction instead of a deeper hole.

Granted, it's not the greatest thing in the world for the clutch plates - in fact, it can be pretty rough on them - but it is a level of control not afforded to drivers of Ze Automatics.

 

Sure

In this scenario , on snow , I would turn the 4wd dial

 

I have driven an automatic, but none of them ever started in anything other than first. It's a feature I've never heard about.

The Tacoma manual isn't so much a 6speed as it is a 5speed with low. I use third to start sometimes on ice without too much effort.

 

see!! WHippersnapper

 

i loved the 5spd in my 04 and thus wanted another manual, but if i did it again i'd go auto. The 6 spd is clunky and really kills you with highway mpg above 65 mph. But its still more fun to drive haha

 

Did I say that? No, I said it accelerated faster than I expected, and I had to hit the brakes quickly. I guess you're having trouble reading.

Explain how an auto can start in a higher gear than first. Every auto I've ever driven started in 1st, and shifted up as RPMs allowed it. Shifting the lever only sets the HIGHEST gear it will go to. It does not lock it in that gear like a manual.

You haven't driven on snow in a 2wd vehicle have you? Being able to start off in a higher gear with reduced torque helps keep you from losing traction.

 

I love my 6spd, first of all I prefer a manual, much more control of the truck/car in the snow. Here in NE when we get a lot of snow, putting the truck in 4wd is a necessity but leaving the truck in third gear and just taking back roads home really makes a difference, I use 3rd or 4th as a engine brake, instead of applying the brakes I leave it in 3rd and just let off the gas to slow down. Much more control, then apply the brakes.
As far as shifting smoothness , its OK, is it a GT Mustang or Porsche or Vette....hell no but its a truck. Toyato could spend a extra couple of hundred to make it better, for sure.
Our 2009 Subie has a manual too. MJEFF
Other

 

I get to chose the gear not the trans this neutral thing sort of confuses me too with a stick I can push the clutch in instant neutral why bother with shifting into neutral? Using the gears lets you use the engine breaking to slow down yes you can do that with a automatic but it’s like right of way unlike a clutch that you can let out slowly and maintain traction. The automatic has benefits starting from a stand still but I like to be in control of the gears I have the advantage of knowing it's slick the automatic doesn't.

 

You can control your gear selection in an auto

 

Explain this. I've had autos. All of then would like you move the gear selector, but it didn't lock it in gear like a manual. It still let the transmission shift based on RPMs. Unless you put it all the way to L and it only has 1 option.

So please, tell me how you can control an auto so it stays in 2nd or 3rd.

You can't. You have *limited* control of gear selection in an auto and that's the point we're making. Unless we're talking about one of those hybrid auto/manual ones.

 

Explain this start in 2nd with a manual please. If I put an auto in 2, it still starts in L and moves up to 2 when the RPMs match. It doesn't start out in 2 like the manual will.

The bolded part is key. They downshift when not needed, or don't when they should. I just don't like autos in general. If I need to accelerate to avoid something, or merge I want to drop a gear and hit the gas. Not hit the gas and wait for the truck to decide to downshift.

My wife was hit by a semi when her auto didn't downshift in time to accelerate out of the way.

Traction control? Really? If you want to rely on that, and put your faith in it working all the time like it should be my guest. Our Rav has it, and it's nice in certain situations. It's also worthless in others. Being able to control your vehicle and know how to drive would be better. I don't drive like it's going to save my ass when I take her car.

 

If you're not a "manual guy" I don't think that I would recommend this particular 6 speed.
I am a manual guy and didn't like it on the test drives, although I could get used to it.

I found that 1st was too deep for a normal take off and that 2nd was too high to start from there.
Some truck transmissions have a 1st gear "granny" and a second gear that is deep enough for a take off gear. Not this one, IMO Getrag (trans brand) could have selected the ratios better.

There is also a weird throttle (idle) control that I would probably try to disable if I owned one of these.
Maybe the 1st - 2nd gear blues that I had could be cured with larger diameter tires.

I did like the overall "feel" of this transmission. It is a true light truck tranny and being able to crawl rocks in 1 Low must be nice with it.

 

He's gotcha on that one OZ










It would be a boring place if we were all slush box lovers

 

I don't have a particular opinion about which transmission is better, but I will tell you with 100% certainty that the old automatics in 60's Fords (nicknamed the "green dot" transmissions) would go P, R, N, D2, D, L. Really weird, but D2 was for snow and rain, and would in fact start the car in 2nd gear. The nickname came about be cause the actual "D" was noted by the green dot next to it in the shifter. I have this transmission in my '65 Mustang (C4 transmisison). I honestly do not know if the new automatics do such a thing, but at one point, they did.

I'm a manual guy normally, but I personally did not like the 6 speed in these trucks. It felt really sluggish and just generally "off" to me. And the highway mileage was a big deal to me. I do think both transmissions have their quirks, and the auto is not perfect, but it is a very good transmission.

 

I drove a manual for 14 years prior to getting an auto in my Tacoma , the ability to drive in snow is more driver related than transmission related

 

Someone above said it right in this 4 year old thread rehash, if your not a manual lover you probably wont be happy.

Both have their merrits, I love my 6spd, but wish the highway mpgs were comparable to the auto. That said if you want to go with large tires, the manual will handle them better with less effort... easy to change shift points etc...

Auto vs manual snow starts. Manual can more easily do a snd gear start... if you are lucky enough to have snow so light you can do a 2nd gear start without spinning or stalling i commend you. usefullness in majority of other situations is minimal... wheels spin, trac kicks in a limits power to 1000-1500 rpm (so as not to stall truck) and spins both wheels.. maybe the truck moves maybe not. Auto.. trac kicks in in first limits power more capably than the manual making a first gear take off like a second gear manual take off.. Advantage: neither really...

Manuals have more gear control... well auto can select a gear but i believe it just limits the top end. Manual can lock in the specific gear (duh)... the audo will still limit decents, also of not trd auto gets DAC and HAC.. manual doesnt need.. end result, manual prevents ownshifting from 2 to 1 if you get on the gas, reality... you can probably spin your tires in second if its slipery enough to warrant locking in a gear.. just stay off the gas.

4wd - in snow again, ive found this manual is difficult for less experienced drivers. heavy snow makes it harder to start off slowly. The autolsd in place in 4wd on all 4 wheels works well, but it also puts strain on the engine making it easier to stall. once you know what it'll do its ok, but slow careful maneuvers are a little easier in the auto.

I will say having driven both, the traction and various nannies function better in the auto. They have more control. take a corner too fast in a mt and kick the back end out the truk will develop turrets/parkinsons and beep/brake you back into line as much as possible, but ultimately, it can only limit power so much so as to not stall the truck.

An experience driver, with experience in both the tacoma manual and auto will be capable in both in the winter. If your comfortable with manual trans and can take the time to get used to the tacoma quirks, the manual is excellent as well.

 

She was going around a tight corner on a highway when he crossed the line. Little Mitsubishi POS. Neither of us will ever own one of those again, but it's just one more little reason why I prefer a manual. If I drop from 6th to 4th and mash the gas I *know* the sumbitch is gonna MOVE!

Wish they still had the automatic kick back on autos, but sadly they don't it seems. I have the floor the rav and watch the RPMs spike before it drops a gear. I sometimes play around with dropping it out of D first, but that doesn't seem to always work. No guess work with a manual.

Also, no issues with the cruise control like many with the auto have complained about.

 

I'll give you this one. Man, it's frustrating. Even after the ECU reflash.

 

Really?? I thought that fixed the issue?

 

Our C350 starts out in 2nd if you have the trans setting to "Comfort" otherwise it starts in 1st in "Sport" mode.