Frustrated with my 6 speed

I had a 99 Ranger V6 5 spd with a 3" lift and 33's. Compared to my 14 Taco TRD 6 spd, the Ranger felt like a tractor. Long, slow pulls, no real sense that you were in gear, etc. The Taco 6 spd has really impressed me. My last car was a Scion xA, which shifts incredibly precisely, and I don't find the Taco sloppy in comparison. A bit slower and clunkier, but it's a truck.

 

it took a while to get used to, but this transmission is so fun to drive. pair it with a TRD short shift, knob, and the TRD exhaust and it turns heads, sounds great and is just heap's of fun. for slow driving just tip the gearshift towards gear and let it fall in as/when it pleases, or rev it high and it can shift as fast as most any car if your timing is on.

rev hang was foreign to me at first now i dont notice it t all.

throw some hard duratraks on it in winter and i can drift sideways on command, and keep wheelspin through 3rd gear if the conditions are cold. (traction control switched off first things first)

keep it in a lower gear and hang high in the torque peak, and you can drop the gas and snap heads back, none of that auto-matic stumble while it decides which gear it thinks you may need, and the ensuing engine groan/scream all too familiar with autos. pull from 10km/h to 100km/h in 3rd gear and tell me that doesn't sound and feel great. (again, TRD pipe)

driving that thing is the best part of getting around town. i feel disconnected from road and drivetrain in an auto.

anyhow i could go on...or maybe i have

 

i love my 2013 6speed trd offroad i sold my 2007 auto cause it was boring lol. expedition overland seems to love their 6speed trd they go everywhere just saying

 

After driving my old dodge trucks with the NP420, non-synchro in 1 and 2, and 1 being granny, the Tacoma six speed is easier, but no where as much fun as Subaru WRX 5 speed...I also like the gertag six speed in the jeep wrangler better.

 

I was with a friend back in the 80's, 'racing' against a Ford Premier in a Holden Special Stationwagon with 3OTT, and as my buddy dropped the clutch, lots of wheelspin from the lights and as he slamed it down into second the lever broke and he just casually handed it to me and said, "here hold this" as we cruised in neutral down the street completely embarrassed.... Took us a couple of hours to fix it, as it had broken off cleanly inside the column and we had to wait for a friend to bring us another lever.....

 

My 6sp MT does not give any problem.

It took a little getting used to after driving a 5sp MT turbo diesel hilux, but I think the 6sp shifts with no problems.

However I think the drop in RPMs between 5th and 6th should have been greater.... but that's just my opinion.

 

Yeah 6th gear on the MT is just too high. It's crazy that the auto gets away with a taller 5th gear than the 6th in the MT.

 

Strangley they get the same highway mileage humm. It by the way is lower geared not higher and I can run mine in 6th towing.

 

auto gets like 2 mpg better on the highway... bastards.

 

Tacoma 6th gear is .85. FJ was .79, both Aisin transmissions. Makes NO SENSE.

 

My experience with this is the exact opposite. I sold my last manual Tacoma in 2 days including the time it took to meet at the bank for the cash, and it went for significantly more than bluebook (although I probably should have asked for more). Manuals are still in demand. I understand many don't want to deal with them, but I and many other people are still glad Toyota offers them.

Sure I wish they would have done some things better with the 6 speed (biggest two gripes are gearing and rev hang) but in the end I would buy the manual again.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

This ^^ I couldn't agree more!

 

If you tow it makes a great deal of sense. The highway fuel mileage for the auto and the 6 speed are the same so much for the big saving with a deep O/D I like not having to change gears all the time with a camper behind me. The higher you make the O/D the more you'll have to down shift.

 

I would not suggest 2-redline, 4 or 5 for the purpose of smoother driving for the guys behind you.

2nd gear starts are a practice I use SOMETIMES with the granny 1st. But 2nd is a little tall to start in all the time. Usually if I come to a dead stop, like at a stop light I will start in 1st unless on a down grade to save on clutch wear and PITA factor. depending on traffic flow, where I live now I fairly regularly have to accelerate into traffic and I will skip 2-4-6 since I don't usually come to a complete stop.

I don't believe he means slow down literally, but when you are behind a manual vehicle in traffic and it comes to a gear shift it appears to slow down since most people are still accelerating. I myself have almost been rear-ended by people not aware of this. And I have heard many people comment on vehicles "slowing down" completely unaware that they are seeing them shift.

As far as shifting without the clutch. With syncros its not that it is necessarily going to cause a problem, if done correctly and the same as if the trans did not have syncros it will not hurt. But if the rpms are not matched and the syncros have to do their "job" in that scenario it can be very hard on them and you may or may not feel it until its too late. It is good practice to NOT shift without the clutch except in emergency. It is a good skill to have if you need it. I have had to drive hundreds of miles without clutch a few times when slave, clutch master or throw-out bearings have failed in my trucks and in friends trucks for different reasons.

I must have got a good 6spd because my truck works well. Its clunky from time to time but over the last 23k for the most part it has been good. That being said, my 1985 with 270k shifts like a dream and my wife dislikes the 6spd in my truck.

 

The 6spd is the best towing transmission Toyota has made so far! I love mine for towing! going forwards at least, backing up can be a PITA because reverse is stupid tall.

 

I've never had any issues with the current 6 speeds or any earlier toyota manuals (if they weren't already damaged in some way). Not sure where all the hate comes from but got a pretty good idea. Its a truck. A short shifter will help if you're more used to sport cars but it is still a truck. Krog totally right, current 6 is great to tow with. I pull several trailers with mine and love it compared to an auto. I do avoid backing up inclines with a load, reverse is pretty tall. For OP, sounds like you got it used, have it checked out. If you're really having issues like you say could be some damage like worn syncros (Don't shift a syncronized manual without using the clutch unless you have too! Syncros are not designed to match gear speeds under load!!!) If it checks out fine you may have to adjust the nut between the steering wheel and seat.

 

That was what I was going for, just not sure I said it the right way.

If your shifting without the clutch like it had no syncros then your gears are matched speed already and it will not hurt it. The problem is it is hard to tell because the syncros will make it feel that way if you are a little off (if you feel like you have to push it in to gear you are being hard on them) and they are not designed to soak up the spread like that. It is just best to USE the clutch at all times when you have the option with a truck or car that has them to avoid damage. If you want to learn to do it properly, for an emergency try it in a old car or truck that no one cares about.

This is awesome. I am going to have to remember that

 

Bought my 11 new and so far I don't have any complaints about the six speed. It shifts more like a tractor than a sports car but as long as I stay patient its all good. Will be interesting to see how the clutch and throw out hold up though.

 

When I bought my 2007 I went manual because that's all I'd ever owned or driven really. And I liked driving manuals. After a week I was thinking maybe I made a mistake. My biggest issue was the RPM hang. It seemed unpredictable and it was really counter-intuitive. I still have the truck though and I've generally gotten used to it. Still don't really like the way it shifts though. The problem is almost entirely just starting out in 1st, and sometimes the shift from 1st to 2nd. Subsequent shifts after I get moving are usually fine. And I've found to some degree it actually shifts smoother when you do wind it out a little.

I'm strongly considering getting a new 2015 Tacoma this year though, and I think for the first time in my life I'll be getting an auto. I'll still have the Impreza if I want to drive a stick.

 

If your towing heavy, use 5th gear (direct); when not towing the FJ 6th gear would give better mpg - for most of us most of the time.

Apparently The FJ got the .79 6th gear instead of the .85 in the Tacoma because it has a 3.91 rear end (with the manual, automatic gets the 3.73)as opposed to Tacoma 3.73. All other gears, including reverse are the same ratios in both manual transmissions.

Ratios in the automatic are the same in the FJ and the Tacoma.