Sweet Spot? (6-speed owners)

Hey, I just picked up my Tacoma this past Saturday - I've already made my n00b intro thread and all but I have some quick questions regarding the driving nature of this new beast.

As the title of the thread implies, is there a "sweet spot", RPM-wise, to keep the truck while driving for the best compromise of acceleration/fuel economy (LOL)? For example, in my '02 Mazda Protege it's best to cruise at a minimum of 2500 RPM and I typically shift at 3500 RPM or higher (in lower gears). From driving the Tacoma for a few days I'm having some trouble finding a good cruising engine speed and good shift points. I'm no stranger to manual transmissions but the Tacoma is my first manual truck and is VERY different from my Protege for obvious reasons. The Protege has a 7.5 lb flywheel, an aggresive clutch (so it grabs about 1.5" off the floor) and doesn't hit peak torque until around 4000 RPM whereas the Tacoma's torque is nearly instantaneous (being a truck and all). Maybe it's just the big 4.0L V6 that I'm not used to but it sure does roar when I take it up to 3000+ RPM before shifting. It almost feels like it doesn't want to go that high.

All that and I have to get used to the high engagement point on the Tacoma as well.

 

Congrats on your new ride. Normal accelerating usually shift 2000-2200, exception; short 1st gear 2500+ to 2nd. Downhill lie can even lower. IF you want to hear her roar, can also rev her out more and just skip gears w/o much economy impact. Cruising bewtween 1500-2000 will give you the best fuel economy, and beat the low sticker rating. Once your over 65-70 (in 6th) ecomony drops quick.

As for the clutch pedal, it is long compared to a small car (we also have a Mazda 3s 5spd). Probably makes the engagement feel pretty high. There is 5/8" wasted travel that I and others have easily removed to improve feel. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/4838-cheap-free-mods-23.html#post378699

 

depending on my mood, i'll shift anywhere from 2k-3k. Most often 2500.

I find that crusing 2500 to be a good balance between MGP and power. Any lower, and you have to give more gas then necessary, and higher and your just wasting gas cruising.

 

Awesome, great advcie guys. I guess I kind of figured the shift points would be lower considering engine redline is 5500 RPM so relative engine speed is the same between both. It's just weird because I don't feel I'm moving all that fast in the Tacoma as it's much more insulated from the road than my Protege. The gearing is also much longer. That fact that I can cruise just below 2000 RPM in 4th going 40 mi/hr is something new to me. The Protege sits at 2500 RPM in 4th going 40 mi/hr. It's only a 5-speed so I actually cruise at 3500+ RPM in 5th going 70 mi/hr! Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing the Tacoma in any way whatsoever, it's just very different from what I'm used to and not in a bad way

 

Well that 5500 rpm limiter can be changed ya know.. (Mine is at 6200 for the street, 6400 for the strip).

 

I can shift it at 1500, if i want to be very economical, usually in the 2000 range. First is pretty deep on these trucks, I shift out of it fast unless i have alot of weight. Even then unless its a steep hill, I barely notice. I love the 6sp, and the low first is great when you need it. If your not careful you can leave alot of rubber behind with first.

 

I imagine this is with some sort of tuning? I'm not stranger to that as well and I've seen a lot of references to URD's MAF calibrators but I'm pretty sure they don't have that option. It's funny, the MAF calibrator URD uses is actually made by the same company (or so it appears) that makes what we Protege owners call an air/fuel controller for my car. Split Second is the company name. Just a little cutting and splicing into the ECU harness and that's it. I just don't currently have any plans for doing any of that to this truck.

Either way, I'll try to stick to the 2500 RPM shift point and keep cruising around 2000 RPM and see how that goes. If I'm still a little jerky I may try the clutch adjustment.

 

Correct the URD MAF Cal is tne Split Second device.

My truck is tuned with the APR X-1 (all plug and play, no splicing whatsoever), superior to all other tuning devices available for the 1GR motor.

 

Tempting, very tempting. Any links? The hard part will be convincing the fiance' but if it's PnP then I already have some leverage.

 

Hate to bump my own thread but it's now been nearly two weeks and I still can't seem to get this clutch. It's like it catches 1/4" from the very top and just happens to have 6" of movement. I'm beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the clutch or if someone screwed it up before I took delivery. It did have 275 miles on it when I picked it up. I've driven many, many cars with standard transmissions (working at a used car dealership at one point) and none have been this hard to work. I'm just curious if anyone has any suggestions.

 

its a tough transmaission to get used to, I had a 6spd and ended up trading on an auto, I didn't like it

 

i had a 6sp and didnt like it either and traded for the auto now i have a 2.7 with a 5sp and love it!!!!

 

Love the 6spd. had a dodge 1500, tacoma much better all around

 

Yeah, it's hard to get used to for sure. I got about 8K on the clock and I still goof it somethimes.... wait till your clutch starts squeaking... omg... drive me batty

 

It is tough to get used to. The first gear is a little jerky if you don't do it just right, other than that, it just takes a little getting use to. My other 6spd is the total opposite of this truck so I have to re-adjust everytime I switch off between the two.

 

Wow, lots of activity in here lately. Well I just passed 1000 miles and I'm getting more used to it. I'm horribly slow at shifting for the time being but it's the only way I can shift smoothly. I have no doubt as experience is gainied that I will get faster. For me, the key point is making sure not to start adding gas until the clutch is nearly all the way out; very much unlike my Protege.

As someone mentioned above, there's always a funny 15 minutes transition period when switching between vehicles...