Is manual trans on a 3rd generation lovely?

Yeah I was a little surprised, maybe it just felt like it with the stiffer SR5 springs

 

I wondering why I didn't take a picture...

 

Pros to a manual for me>>
Lower gear ratio = better for 33s and or Off-road type stuff (you generally should re-gear the auto trans with larger tires)
Cheaper for me by about 3k when I bought mine new
Doesn't have a smart key-fob / not as susceptible to keyfob relay hacks as far as I know
Doesn't have a lot of extra annoying electronic stuff I dont want to fix down the road (less things to go wrong)
Easier to change the transmission fluid vs the auto (not a big deal either way)
Better for certain situations in sand if your towing or working it hard (this gear oil in the trans can take more abuse then the ATF for extreme situations)
You choose the gear not the auto-trans hunting for gears (though I can't speak much past what I hear)

Cons for me>>
Slower off the line
Can't shift gears doing water crossings (you can but it causes damage)
1st gear is pretty low on stock tires
Preferable to buy a short shifter (cost me a 100$ for a URD one)
Can be annoying for certain off road situations that will force you to change to low range or your driving style (can take more skill/experience)
Squeeky clutch pedal but half the time I dont notice it

In theory, the Manual being the simpler of the 2 options should be more reliable by a small margin?
Less to go wrong at least and as someone who does all my own repairs I went this route.

 

I just don't have a lot of points of comparison for manuals. I guess my dad's F250 had a much longer throw. It doesn't really bother me, in any case. Glad I went with a manual for the reasons I listed.

 

After purchase.........




You are already sold on this Tacoma thing, it's a crappy time to buy a truck, but needs change, get what you can. Then take pictures.

 

Haven't heard this before, can someone explain?

 

Would I save any money if waited until next spring or more? When I bought my WRX new, I bought it out of state and had it shipped to my house. Granted there aren't too many choices in the WRX line, but I'm probably not super picky on appointments as long as the basics are there, and it's not some off the wall setup that will devalue it's later resale.

 

I first heard this on a Ronny Dahl comparison video where it was Manual vs Automatic.

From the sounds of it, water/silt can get into the clutch plate area and it wears really fast if this happens.
Main thing, don't push in the clutch if the water is sitting high enough to get into all those bits.

Best to stall the vehicle, if safe, then shift gears (as you can do this without pushing in the clutch) and then use our clutch start cancel to start the vehicle in gear and keep going(I'm told the starter is made for this).

In the end, I suppose the easy way to avoid all that is carefully chosen gear selections before crossings.

 

I've been reading and reading on the virtues between the AT and MT. I can't choose and have made myself quite ill the past few days. My dealer keeps showing my ATs that are arriving soon, and they are all perfect - except for the gearbox. I don't want to wait 6 months.

I think I'm out; I think I'll buy another WRX and just rent a home depot truck when I want to pull a camper to go camping. Ridiculous how difficult this is... Buying a vehicle should be fun, not a reason to be taking pain relievers every 6 hours.

 

it’s still their best 6speed tranny ever.
The gen2 version has even worse first and OD gears. Also the 3rd gen has a stainless sleeve on the quill. I’d trade for one in a second. Rev hang sucks but still a better way to go than the auto. Also AISIN clutches are pretty damn good…

 

Understood, but if you can still try to do what I suggested the other day and get a dealer to search for manual transmission trucks arriving near you then do it. If not, yeah I still get it man, sucks to not be able and just get what you want if you are willing and able to.

 

Closest one was 800 miles, but hey don't trade at that distance. I'm doing a last chance and contacting some larger dealers in a couple of states I'd like to do a hike in, and maybe I'll get lucky and make it a road trip.

 

cars.com is showing 131 MTs available at the moment, no doubt most are presold. Bought mine out of state.

 

Yep. They are going above MSRP.

 

V160 would like a word.

 

Yes, an old thread...however, looking for driver experience with the B&M SportShifter, #45204, for the 4th Gen 2016-2024. How does it compare to the OEM, and any videos or "How-tos" on installing it?

 

From those that do a lot of water crossings, I'm told when you push in the clutch while it's submerged you get grit/junk into the clutch disk material area and it wears it out super quickly shortly after.
Or worse, if you get a small rock/sand in there it might do damage to the flywheel itself while engaging the clutch etc.

All in all, I've heard enough reports of people having to do a clutch job after shifting in the water I won't bother risking it.
Likely I'll never find myself in water, but at least if I have to I can play it safe.

If you have to shift gears, you can stall the engine > select your desired gear without pressing the clutch > press clutch start cancel > start engine in desired gear and go.

 

I bought this short shifter kit a couple of years ago - https://urdusa.com/urd-short-throw-shifter-2016-tacoma-3-5l-v6 - but have not installed it yet since I read the instructions and decided that the numerous warnings to not drop ultra tiny screws down into the open transmission gears when installing scared me off. I might pay a transmission shop to install it for me but may simply sell it and forget about it.

/sad

 

Initally, not a big fan of the way this truck drove stock. Ive modified a few things and now its running like a dream.

- Stainless Steel 700g shift knob. Really smooths out the shift travel.
- OTT Tune. I opted for mild setting. After things settled down, I may have been happier with Medium, but it definitely pulls when it needs to, and the gear RPM bands feel much better.
- Accumulator delete. I cannot speak to how much everything improved after going through the trouble.

Really really love the way everything feels now.

 

I found the install to be fairly easy, though annoying given where the bolts were I had to tighten.