Factory 6MT Concerns

You can tune the vehicle, not the spinning box of gears….there are tons of us here with tuned manual trans trucks. The tune does the same thing to the manual truck as it does to the auto, without the auto shift point programming since there’s no auto. It tweaks how it reacts to the pedal, how the ignition timing and variable valve timing works, etc.

Huge difference in the way it drives even though you’re still whipping around the same mechanical box of gears with the same fixed ratios.

 

Yes..... and?

It's a popular "mod" and gets discussed on here quite a bit. Again, so what?

You like your truck with stock mapping? Good. I believe you.

I like my truck with non-stock mapping.

Not sure why a guy wouldn't just scroll along.

I realize that I just gave you what you wanted, but meh...

 

The tunes you've ran are the ones I'm interested in. Did they help with the sluggishness at lower rpm's and lite throttle? I'm generally happy with how my truck drives, and really happy with the MPG's I'm getting. Between 21 and 22MPG's, 55mph rural roads and in town. This is with a 2 1/2" lift all around and 285/70/17's. Very happy with that. Did you have any MPG changes with either of the tunes? Which tune did you like better?

 

So trying KDMax was just a sample driving around for 30 minutes or so. Then I did OTT on spicy, and it felt like a stock truck in comparison. Not stock Tacoma (since stock sucks), but like it could have come from the factory that way. OTT on super spicy felt the same as KDMax to me. Only reason I went with OTT was the advertising and experiences of others make it seem more polished, so I chose it.

Performance at low rpm still sucks. If I throw it into 2nd gear especially slightly uphill at 10 mph, it really does not want to move. Similar to stock. I can not even fathom people starting in 2nd gear with this truck.

MPG has only been tested on OTT but despite others saying theirs is better, mine is not. I have ran the OTT on both 265/65R17 and 265/70R17 tires, and both of them got about the same mpg. Definitely no boost like others say they got. Not sure what the deal is there. I also drive 70-80. My mpg around there is about 16.5. Same as stock.

 

Thanks. I was hoping they'd do better in the lower RPM's. Those lower rpms is typically where I like to be, and where I get the best MPG's. When I drive 75-80, most freeways have a 75mph speed limit, I'm lucky to get 17.5. Can't fix that 6th gear ratio. Seems like the truck drops a MPG for every mph above 70. With both 5th and 6th gears being overdrives, you'd think Toyota would have widened the ratio in 6th. I think that would have helped MPG's at freeway speeds. Thanks again.

 

Yeah I hear you on the low RPM performance in that scenario. The leap in gearing from 1-2 is going to be pretty hard to overcome, since that shift cuts your RPM in half. I can't remember what the RPM in 1st is at 10mph, but lets say you do what most of us do and shift in the 2000-2500 range when driving normally... that drop puts you at 1000-1250RPM, and this engine balks at that unless you're just not needing much torque (slow accel, flat or downhill without any kind load). It still feels kinda artificial though, because all of a sudden you'll get more torque at around 1200-1300.

 

yeah, apparently going with a tune that switches to otto cycle helps. I don't know anything about that though. I think OVTune does that. I'm not really up in the know, I just know I don't have much low end torque at all. That's why I'm regearing, mpg be damned.

I don't like the double overdrive. I do sometimes like that I can cruise in 5th on more crowded but moving highways, but that's the only useful time for me to use it. Otherwise I'm in 6th for cruising and 4th for passing (or 3rd if necessary). Oh well. the tune definitely makes the truck more enjoyable to drive regardless, but it isn't an end all be all fix. Maybe I'd like OVTune better, but I'll probably never spend the money to find out. I've seen plenty say they like what I have better than OV, so I'm hesitant to experiment when it costs money.

 

Yeah, this is why I shift at 4000 or more anytime I can. Makes the next gear much more bearable. And for my expectations, this works fine. Where I end up irritated is taking a right turn or something that slows me down but is too fast to go down to 1st for. Then especially if after the right turn it's uphill, if I floor it it just does not want to speed up quickly at all. Then I get to 3 or 4000 and the power kicks in and takes off like a turbo.

For me the "fix" is always shifting at high rpm, but i still end up in scenarios like the right hand turn that you simply just have to struggle through because there is no fix. I'm hoping 4.88 minimizes the effect of those turns more than how it is now.

 

Thanks. Maybe I'll keep looking at a tune then. If it makes the truck more enjoyable to drive, and doesn't hurt my MPG's to much, it'll be worth the money. If Toyota still offered the 6mt that was in the 2 gens, I had one of those too, you probably wouldn't have to regear. It didn't get to 1/1 until 5th. 6th was the only OD. I think that's why people think the 4.0's were more torquey. The linkage in the 2nd gen wasn't as good though, made it a little difficult to drive as well.

 

@MOC221_ I dig the avatar.... cracks me up whenever I see it!

 

When I first got my '16 OR M/T, I had to change my driving technique considerably to mitigate the quirks of the 3rd gen's drivetrain setup.
Starting out on a steep hill, especially when turning onto a cross street was something that annoyed the ever-loving shit out of me.
On any other M/T I've ever driven, including trucks with wimpy little engines, you could let the clutch out to the bite point with your right foot still on the brake, then move your right foot over to the gas, feather and go. The footwork was simple to learn, and in no time you could adjust to pretty much any vehicle. The '16 Tacoma was different, however. If you did what I described above, the RPM would be just above idle when the clutch became fully engaged. The truck would try to move, nose over for 2-3 seconds while the RPM crept up VERY slowly, then somewhere above 1000RPM you'd start to get SOME torque. This can be very dangerous in traffic, as it feels like you just lost 2 cylinders. Go ahead and flat punch it, same response. Add to that, the accumulator delaying clutch engagement.
I will say that later Toyota calibration revisions helped with the problem, but didn't eliminate it. Since my '19 sport has anti-rollback, is tuned, and has a modified accumulator, I no longer encounter that specific issue.
Yeah, I could have partially got around it by using the hand brake with my '16, but I've never really gotten into using it that way.

 

I'm thinkin' an accumulator mod is happening in the near future.... I just need to decide which way to go with it.

 

I mean, like tuning, it's not a "must do" mod.. but I find having the clutch reacting how I expect it to, WHEN I expect it to, is much more pleasant lol.
I've done the accumulator mod both ways (removed on the '16, dremeled on my '19), and I prefer the latter because it looks stock.
Either way will net the same results.

 

IIRC it was the 20 MY that got the pedal and shift improvements.

Between my 17 and current Tacoma, I had a 2000 Ranger with the 2.5L with 5sp and a 2004 Ranger with the 4.0 5sp. Bought both for cheap, cleaned them up a little, and sold both with profit to use as a down payment for my 22 Tacoma lol

 

I'm leaning more toward having an unmolested appearance FWIW.....

 

At least for the truck. hahaha!

 

This is a PITA when cruising parking lots.. 1st is too low and people look at you because they think you're revving at them and 2nd is too high just about to stall sometimes.

In normal driving, I've found shifting around 3500 to be optimal for me. For spirited driving it's gotta be 4K to maintain the momentum.

The wonderful thing with the tune is that passing power in higher gears is a lot better (4th and 5th). Before tune, it was down to 3rd and mashing the pedal, it was nearly impossible for a linear power pass in 4th at freeway speeds. There's a hill I go through about once a week and before tune I would have to downshift to maintain speed. Now, I can row through the gears building up to speed in a smooth linear line and hold that speed in 6th with ease. This is where IMO I think the increased gas mileage comes from, more sustained lower RPM's.

It will be a while before I can attest to the mileage increase. I avereage 300 - 400 miles a month so i'll give it some time to see if my average increased from the last two months.

 

I find it strange that people have such a bad experience with the MT. I love it. SO much fun to drive, even stock. I now have the sprint booster and it makes it even funner. Maybe people aren't revving high enough? The transmission feels 100% better if you rev to 3500 as compared to 2500. Be rough with it, it makes it smoother...

 

Stock is fine with a lot of people, me included.
If you know how to drive a stick shift your good, yes things can be made to get from A to B faster....
But longevity is a better option to some.