Chronic S-Mode User

2018 TRD/OR/LB - I really dislike the automatic transmission on my TACO. It upshifts to early, then downshifts, then upshifts etc., etc., you get the idea. Accelerating onto a highway is particularly annoying as it waits for permission from Japan to downshift. Then it grabs 2 gears lower and shoots up to 5500 rpm. Consequently, I have gotten into the habit of using S mode, almost all the time. I almost always use it to downshift through the gears when coming to a stop. Love that engine braking. I use it when accelerating from stop about 50% of the time. I always use it on highway entrance ramps, keeping it in 4th until I reach cruising speed. I always keep it in S-mode once on the highway to deal with long grades (up/down), e.g. I-81 in Virginia. I generally dislike ATs anyway. But the TACO setup is the most annoying I've ever driven. Wish I bought a manual. Although I've been told the manual is not available in a LB.

That said. I was wondering if chronic use of S-mode is likely to cause transmission longevity problems?

 

I use "S" in certain situations. Out of my driveway I put it in "S" as shortly out of town I'm climbing and descending the mountain. Other cases would be town driving under 45mph or if I'm behind a slow ass driver. I highly doubt anything bad will come out of using "S" frequently. We use it in our Camry all the time as well.

 

Use the ect mode it will help .. or ov tune will fix all that silly shifting .

 

Had the TSB's done on my 2018 Tacoma. It was only a short cure. Soon the auto trans went back to its old ways. I use S4 and S5 exclusively. I also use ECT. That way I get performance at least as good as my wife's 2015 AT Tacoma.

 

I've used s mode everyday for 3 years, it won't hurt a thing.

 

I do most of my driving in S mode

 

No it won't cause issues. I use it to go down hills or approach traffic with my trailer.

Two bits of advice:
1) this engine loves high rpms. It feels weird but if you let it wind up it will really show you what it can do

2) ov tune is awesome.

 

May actually be beneficial to transmission longevity if it hunts less and the engine runs at higher rpms (which means higher ATF flow), at the cost of fuel consumption. I lose 1-2 mpg shifting myself all the time.