Shifting Sweet Spot

What is the best spot to shift for my 2.7L? I usually shift around 2500rpm.

 

I wind out 1st to 3k or 3500 the rest of the gears I shift at 2-2500. It's really clunky if I don't

 

Sounds right, because you have a distinct advantage over the larger heavier Gen 2's.

I shift at between 2,000 and 2,500.


Greg

 

I did the same with my access cab, first gear was really clunky if I didn't. Can't say anything for a first gen 2.7 manual since the transmissions are different. I bet they are smoother though, the first gen manuals were better than the 2nd gen manuals by a long shot.

 

Aren't they the same transmission? I took the chopped shift lever off my 17 year old gen 1 and it fit perfectly on my 2012 gen 2.

 

Nope, they are different according to gearcruncher.

 

A heavier shift knob helps with smoother shifts also I've noticed. I had an aftermarket one on my 2011 and it helped a lot.

 

sweet spot for what?

MPG?

Feel?

Drivability in traffic?

Regardless of which it is (which may have varied answers) it should always be at enough RPM to avoid lugging the engine in the next gear. It won't take but once or twice of doing that and you'll know exactly what to avoid.

In terms of driveability, if you had a dyno chart with the torque curve (one around here somewhere?) you'd want to shift at an RPM that did not let the next gear fall out of that curve.

Feel can be improved in a number of ways. Heavier shift knob, synthetic fluid, proper clutch pedal adjustment, etc. A shorter shifter, but one that leaves the original fulcrum point, can actually make shifting harder. You may be changing the distance your hand moves, but the actual 'working' part is moving the same distance as it was, so you'll disadvantaged your leverage. But they do look cool.

MPG? Read some hypermiling sites. And still don't lug the motor, but barely above that threshold.

 

I used to shift 1st to 2nd around 2500..engine would lug if I shifted at 2000.every gear after was around 2k tho

 

I have thought about this question for the last few days while driving my 2.7. I would say anywhere between 2,500 and 3,500 depending on what I am doing, with the higher RPM shifts for those times when you are moving out into high-speed traffic. Going beyond 3,500 it's somewhat diminishing returns as far as the added acceleration you get.

Going four to five is somewhat of a special case with this truck as I generally will just hold fourth until I reach cruising speed, whether that's 45 mph or 75 mph. You're only going down from 1:1 to 0.81:1 when you go 4-5 so the rpms don't get super high even at 75 in fourth.

 

With my 4:88 gears I shift anywhere from 1200 to 4000 RPM depending

 

I don't think I've gone over 3K rpm's on purpose, but I've babied all my Toyotas and hope to be well over 300K miles when I'm all done with her.

 

Me too! It's rare when I go past 3,000 but it does make for pretty rapid acceleration when you need it if you go a little past now and then. I bet the automatic lets it wind out more than most people do with the manual.

 

It depends on my mood sometimes but I generally follow the owners manual. It says 15mpg in 1st, 25mph in second, 40mph in 3rd, 60mph in 4th. That equates to shifting at 2500rpm which works just fine in normal situations for me.

A few times a month I run it up to around 3500-4500 rpm just to blow it out. It's actually quite amazing how these gutless wonders start pulling right around 4000rpm but it makes sense if you look at the horsepower and torque curves. They make max hp and torque above 4000rpm and with a redline at 5500 I highly doubt it hurts the engine to run it up there a few times a month although mine has never seen the 5500rpm limit. 5000 is as high as I've taken it and I've only done that 2 or 3 times. I've got a 2004 4X4 SR5 and I want it to last a long time.

I don't even bother with 5th gear unless I'll be cruising above 50 or 55mph.

 

I've noticed with mine that they do pull fairly well in 2nd and 3rd when you wind them out. 4th too but to a lesser degree. I'd bet just about all of us are never using more than about 100hp the way we drive these trucks.

 

I have found the smoothest spot for me is right around 3000-3200

 

I shift at redline because race truck

 

2500 rpm typically. just to share for no reason: loving my '81 oem leather knob



(worn but feels so comfortable)

 

3-4k'ish as a guess. I shift by ear/feel, not by tach.

 

Yeah but sometimes I have the radio too loud for my ear to do much good as far as hearing the engine. I have become addicted to streaming Internet music through the Entune system.

In reference to Toyota "recommended" shift points, where did you see that in your manual? All I find are maximum shift points that equate to redline on the tach. I am surprised that they're not saying to go into 5th until 60. That would mean cruising at 55 mph in 4th. The only time I do that is in hilly terrain where I don't want to keep shifting back and forth from 4th to 5th.