4.0 / 6-Speed Opinions

I am really starting to enjoy my 6 speed. At first I thought it was a mistake. Have had many standard transmissions over the years. My last was in an 03 accord. That was a very, very good transmission. So I was a little disappointed at first with the clunkiness and strange gearing of the Tacoma 6 speed. I have since gotten used to it. I have 2600 miles on the truck now and it is starting to smooth out and shift more like I would expect it to. Some of this is probably me getting used to it, the rest is the tranny starting to break in. I recommend it to anyone who prefers a manual. Its not a bad transmission just gotta get used to it.

 

I think part of the clunkiness is due to the drive-by-wire we have. Something to do with a small delay between your input and the ECU, on top of Toyota's fuel tables. I wish I could see how it would be if we had a throttle cable instead.

 

I'm in the same boat. Now that I've gotten used to it, I actually like it.

I just hope my TOB is done being a little bitch.

 

Have they changed to a new transmission with the newer trucks? I have an '09 X-Runner had grinding issues from 1st-2nd at high RPMs. I tried AMSOIL and Redline only to have the 5th gear synchro go at ~62,000 miles. Toyota corporate paid for half of the new tranny but the new one is about 15 months old with about 20,000 miles on it and the 1st-2nd shift is crunchy in cold weather.

 

I experience some 'clunk' too sometimes. Not enough to really worry about but I am glad it isn't just me. Wasn't something I was used to.

 

I love mine. People who complain about it not shifting smoothly, quite simply don't know how to drive it properly.(no offense). It's a little stiff and clunky at first, but once you get familiar with it, you can't beat it. I have a 98 manual and it shifts 10x worse than my 08. Other than a sports car, I've never ridden in a vehicle that shifts as smooth as my 08.

 

I like it but I agree with some of the complaints. I did put a URD short shifter and did the cheap clutch pedal mod and it improved the feel. Going to change tranny fluid to MT90 this weekend and hopefully shifting will be a lot smoother. The gear ratio's for 1st, 2nd, and 6th sucks but it's a truck, not a race car and I hate driving automatics so I wouldn't trade it for an auto.

 

That's a hell of a blanket statement if I've ever seen one. Every vehicle I've owned has had a manual transmission and I've driven Chevy, Dodge, Pontiac, Toyota, and even a Kia and didn't have transmission problems. My '91 Celica was the first car to ever require a clutch replacement (~170k miles) and it was because a power steering hose leak contaminated one side of the clutch and made it slip.

The 5th gear syncrho in my '09 X-Runner failed without warning around 62k miles. I fought back and forth with Toyota Corporate as they tried to blame it on my driving until we got the transmission out and I had them put some calipers on it and the clutch had more than 80% of the friction material and no signs of abuse.

Toyota paid for the transmission, throwout bearing, and the labor and I paid for a new clutch disk I didn't really need as it was a "wear item". I have found the Redline MT-90 or AMSOIL make for smoother shifting in the cold and get rid of the high RPM 1st-2nd gear grind, but I'm leaving the Toyota fluid in this transmission while it's still in warranty seeing 2nd gear is already getting crunchy again.

 

It sounds like some people don't like the high gearing of 1st gear. Wouldn't that be very useful for off roading?

 

^^and towing??

 

With the 6 speed, you can lock it in 4L, and you can easilly creep without using the gas, starting in 3rd gear. That's low. I do it about every month.

 

I like 1st gear being tall. I just wish there wasn't such a large RPM drop between 1st-2nd. But it's not a race car and does not need a close ratio six speed. I do wish they would have put a sporty transmission in the X-Runner considering they billed it as being a sports truck, limited payload, limited towing, and they praised it could pull the same G's on a skid pad as a 350z.

 

I had a 2005 4.0 6 speed Access Cab.
I thought it was fine all the way around.
Reverse could have been lower, when backing up a trailer...
It had 78,000 miles on it when we got hit and totaled last month, never gave me any trouble.
I replaced it was a leftover 2013 4.0 auto Double Cab; which also seems to work very well.

The last auto I owned was a 1967 GTO Judge.

 

i pretty much LOVE this 6 speed matched up with the TRD shortshift/shift knob and TRD exhaust.

worst thing about autos (well one of the worst) is the kickdowns. if i want to roll around at 2900 RPM in third, that's up to me, and jam it up to 4500+ RPM instantly, without all that stuttery downshiftiness, so be it.

that and the downshifting on gradual hills drives me nuts about autos.

 

This is what I do. 2nd is good for getting around most of the trails, 3rd if you gain some speed, and 1st if you're in something really tough or climbing something really steep. Don't even need the brake for descending most hills. I think I've hit 6th in 4Lo, which might get you up to 25mph.

 

How good would the 4.0 MT pull a 3500# boat out of a steep ramp in high range. Is the ebrake trustworthy to hold on a ramp while loading if in neutral.

 

http://www.xr-underground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54790&page=2

Post #42 and on. Getting it adapted back to 4x4.....takes a little more work. Luckily I know a guy.