Replace 6th Gear

OK tried doing a little research here but i dont think i found anything for what i was looking for.

I dont know about you guys, but 2500rpms on the highway seems a little absurd.

my previous car was a Honda Del Sol that i swapped in a TypeR motor and Tranny with the lsd and final gear at 4.8 when driving that on the highway i was sitting at 3900rpms at like 70 mph, granted its still a light small car and a 4 cyl (and rev limit was at 8k haha) so i still got like 30 mpg, but i had read about being able to swap in a lower 5th gear from one of the base models to get better highway rpms and was able to keep the crazy high 1-4 gears from mine..

kinda of a best of both worlds situation. Since there isnt really any other models of our 6spd does anyone know if something could be possible like this for our trucks so we could get better cruising mpg.

 

Yeah it'd be nice if Toyota had put in a more highway friendly 6th gear. Why they didn't, I have no clue. Annoys me that a 5spd auto theoretically gets better mpgs than I do. I'd still rather have a clutch though

 

Gone are the days of power hogging automatics they can tolerate lower revs so they can be geared higher. If I was just driving my 6 sp. With nothing in it or behind it I would like it to be geared higher but for towing it’s fine where it is.

 

You could just do the 7th gear mod

 

it is the opposite with the 4 cylinder 5 speed combo, they get about 2mpg better than the automatic, i cant understand why the 6 speed is like that, they should use the 5 speed in the V6, way better tranny. I love my stick shift, would drive a clutch over an auto any day of the week

 

They make more money on the automatic, there's your reason they gear the stick terribly.

 

Good point. I just figured America was too damn lazy to have a third pedal. Too many other things to keep them distracted from driving anyway.

 

I call pure conspiratorial bullshit. You need to get out of Boulder, brother.

It amazes me how many people rave about their iPads and quad core processors, LED flat panels, and smartphones, Gore-Tex, silnylon and polyester spun fleeces .. yet still bag on the automatic transmission, completely oblivious to modern technological advancements in automotive engineering. The fact is the modern automatic transmission with lockup torque converter technology is a highly sophisticated and efficient machine.

Hey by all means drive a stick. All I ever drove from the age of 18 to 39 were sticks. Our Subaru still has a stick. But the 2nd gen v6 Tacoma with automatic is an engineering triumph. No, Toyota doesn't purposefully hobble the 6-speed to make extra money.

Chances are our next Subaru will be an automatic too .. CVT to be exact. The 2012 Impreza is getting 27/36 with the CVT. It gets 25/33 with the stick. The tide is simply turning. Did you really think modern technology wouldn't change the way we shift our cars too?

 

Automatics started to become”intelligent “in the late 80’s and have gone steadily uphill from there. They are tied into engine management and follow all the operating parameters to a “T”. 6 and even 7 spd’s are common place and there is no one out there that can out shift an automatic any more. Lock up converters have all but eliminated converter slip and they can tolerate lower RPM’s with out lugging. The only reason I drive a 6 spd. Is because I’m an old fart and highly resistant to change not because it’s better.

 

Yet they 'Hobbled" the 6-speed stick as you say. The 5-speed stick for the I4 has better highway gearing than the 6-speed, why is that? They could simply change the 6th gear ratio and get 3mpg more, yet they don't.

And lot's of people here hate their automatic with cruise control so I don't see it as an engineering triumph.

 

I think i will stick with my manual transmission. Advancement in the auto matics, removing the trans dip stick is not an advancement ( just like the removal of the servicable fuel filter), thats a way to cheap out and help burn up the trans if you have a leak, so you replace it for 2 grand plus rather than a 2 dollar seal.

 

To revive a old thread, is the best way on the 6 speed to get better gearing is to change the diff gears to match the auto or??

 

I seem to recall the window sticker on the 6 speed refers to 6th gear as "overdrive". Not exactly what I was expecting.

 

yeah I'm a little bummed that my buddies auto gets better mpg than my 6spd but thats life and I wouldn't trade my stick in any day. Love that sob

 

All V6 except x-runners have same axle 3.73. Automatic's 5th gear has more overdrive that manual's 6th gear.

Question - the FJ's 6th gear has more overdrive than the Tacoma's - don't have any idea if parts will interchange or how high the labor/parts would be to swap.

 

OK here is the deal you cannot pull a heavy trailer with the auto O/D it will shift in and out of lockup and back a forth from 4 to 5. Yes it is a great trans no doubt about it coupled with engine management it is very efficient. The gearing on the 6 spd. will pull a load in 6th because of the lower gearing it is a truck transmission and geared accordingly. The fuel economy towing maybe a little less with the automatic but in the long run if you want to save fuel the auto wins but the 6 is better at towing. Personally I like to be in charge of the trans not have it do what it feels is correct.

 

That is apples and oranges what could you tow with the Honda? How much fire wood could you haul? How did it do off road? I get a pretty consistent 20 MPG with the 6 spd. but if you like to compare my VW TDI got 50 MPG and wouldn't haul s#@#%

 

I've had 4 vehicles with automatics out of about 30. And 3 were my last 3 tacoma's. Two 05 double cabs I specifically wanted that way and one 96 that just happened to be really clean at a good price I bought as a temporary rig. I had an 05 extended cab 4 cylinder 5 speed that I loved. But when it came time for a double cab I drove my brother in law's 05 6 speed for a week to see how it was compared to the 4 cylinder. First was too low IMO for a stock truck and 6th wasn't enough of an overdrive. I love manual transmissions but in this truck I really prefer the auto. Not to mention I get nearly 22 MPG out of mine. If it were geared differently I would have a manual in a heartbeat though. Maybe they'll change it up a bit with the 3rd gen. Cafe regulations aren't going to be too kind to the current manual's gearing.

 

Back to the thread.
Ive never heard of anyone making a different 6th gear.
I think a lower 1st gear & a higher 6th would be a great idea for someone to produce. We could drop them in when we do a rebuild. Anyone have any info on that?

 

this would be amazing. I wouldn't mind if first was so low that on the street you start in second and it would be nice to have a taller 6th just for the fuel economy.