anyone else’s 6MT feel slow?

let me explain,

in 1st/2nd gear the engine loves to rev but even with the throttle at full boar in first gear, it just doesn’t… go anywhere?

i don’t want to rev my engine up to 5k so i shift at 2500 or so in both 1st and 2nd gear. wondering what 6MT manual owners have felt about acceleration?

for context: i only use normal mode. i’m a pretty moderate driver. 32 inch ATs, stock otherwise.

 

I’ve heard that boost doesn’t come on fully until you’re into third gear (per the OTT crew) By the way, you should tune it

 

yeah. i’m going to. i definitely don’t notice any boost in 1st gear but again as mentioned i’m not drawing it out very much.

i’m curious how the automatic drives. i’ve never driven an automatic Taco ever.

 

Why not? What's the redline?

 

like 5700 or something like that. but man, it just doesn’t feel right lol. and it doesn’t shift any smoother the higher RPM range.

i’ve been driving stick for a decade, learned how to drive on a stick (2005 Cavalier baby!) and man the 4g 6MT transmission is just weird.

 

I hear ya but its a 4cyl turbo. Its just not gonna make much power below 2,500 rpms. It doesn't have the displacement or the rotating weight for that. It needs boost

 

yeah i get that. i love my truck, i’m probably coming off as too bitchy- just wanted to get other peoples’ perspectives.

 

It makes 317lb-ft of boost at 1,700rpm. Plenty of low end power.


Just need to get out of first and second gear to utilize most of it.

 

Should have gotten a V8..4bangers need to be wrung out..jmho...I redlined shifted my old 3rd gen manual and while many hated that engine I had zero issues with it..

 

Yes. Feels slow. And I also daily a 29 year old Sambar... so that's saying something. (I also daily a 23 Bronco Badlands 6-speed and that feels like a rocket compared to this. I don't hate the Tacoma, far from it. It's just feels slow.)

 

Yes I've noticed that too. I think it is as @Gmak621 said, the stock tune doesn't build much boost in 1st and 2nd gear. Why? OTT has speculated that it's a marketing decision by Toyota to gimp the non-hybrid to widen the gap between the hybrid and non-hybrid powertrain. Maybe.

I plan to get the OTT tune soon which restores power in 1st and 2nd.

 

@Nicholijack it makes 317 lb/ft of boost at 1,700 rpm.
Not sure what lb/ft of boost is but it sounds like a lot so i don't know what your problem is

 

The MT engine has a different stock tune and hp/tq curve than the same engine paired with the automatic. Peak torque on the MT is around 2800rpm not 1700.

 

I'd prefer a v8 option, but these 4 bangers with the snail attached have oomph on the low end.

 

Maybe it feels slow off the line, given the near granny-low 1st; but 2nd will put you back in the seat, and merging on the highway in 3rd is definitely not slow.

 

I've driven manuals for decades, and only have 600 miles on this truck so far. I'm still getting the feel for it, but yeah, first is way too low on these trucks. I'm already to the point where I'm taking off in second every time. First is definitely much too low and short for the street. You basically barely get moving from a standstill and need to upshift. The rest of the gear ratios seem fine otherwise.

 

You know what I’m saying

 

I'm guessing that first is geared as sort of a crawler? Whatever the case, I'm usually in 1st for a long second prior to shifting into second. Once I'm up to 15 mph or thereabouts I throw it into third. Have had the truck for about a year now and the gearbox have behaved consistently throughout. It's weird that you say you have too little power in first and second. I feel like I have too much!

 

A large gear ratio (e.g. granny gear or crawler gear) will increase, not decrease, acceleration so it's not the gearing causing the perceived lack of power. It's the engine tune that is pulling power in 1st and 2nd.

OTT looked at the engine code and found the evidence. There's not much to debate as to whether the detuning in 1st and 2nd exists. The question is why Toyota put it there and what would be the consequences of removing it.

 

I thought we were talking about speed. A granny gear isn’t fast, because you run out of gear before you build any real speed.

If we’re talking about power, there’s no lack of that. It pulls like a dump truck in 1st.