Lack of power...

The good news is that my 2018 TRD Sport two wheel drive gets better mileage than my previous TRD Off Road two wheel drives ( 2005 & 2012). However, I just got back from a road trip that I have taken many times in the previous two trucks. While climbing a 10 mile grade I could always keep them in Drive and just fly up the mountain, air conditioner or not. The new Tacoma doesn't have that power. It keeps searching for the best gear and shifts up and down. I don't see the mileage as a positive when I now have less power. Thoughts?

 

Suggest searching the dozens of threads on this topic and various remedies. Many of which are just simply how to drive the truck.

No one will tell you what you've noticed doesn't exist. But most will tell you it can be overcome.

It's a shame that your extensive pre purchase test drive didn't reveal this for you!

 

Going up hills... you will lose mpg. Ect all day, you will lose mpg. Don’t count on mpg. Great truck to drive on flat surface, but paddle stomping to keep that steady speed while going up hill sucks.

 

These trucks are a little different, you have to change your driving style and get high up in revs.

 

You need to rethink and learn how to drive it. Once you do it's not that bad. The more I drive it the better it gets.
Heck I just got out of a 1st gen manual and I could just leave it in 5th and go.

 

Drive the truck like a civic is what im hearing

That said, i never lug my 2nd gen... grades get 4th or lower, ive never left it in drive and hoped for the best.

 

You have more power than the second gens

How many miles on the truck? Transmission could be still learning shift patters.

Put your foot down and let it Rev up. Ect mode or s mode into the lower of the gears is jumping between. Or any combination of the three.

 

Put er in manual mode... thats what I found works best. Going up hills with this truck, SSP or not, it will always hunt for gears. Put down in a lower gear and ride it up the hill.

 

It may take some of these new TOYOTA trucks 1800-+ miles to break in, I know for sure mine did.

In the mean time, don’t be shy or stingy in using the ECT afterburner power button option, and/or use the S mode if you have an auto.

The truck has plenty and more than nuff umps for all your needs when all is working as should

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

I did a 140 mile trip this weekend with a 4000' elevation difference and included the infamous Ike Gauntlet with no issues. Truck held gear no problem and climbed as needed and averaged 20.4 mpg

 

It’s just different than anything you’ve driven previously and takes some getting use to. Using S mode and limiting the trans to 4 or 5th gears will minimize any gear hunting. ECT PWR helps as well and will also cause it to hold gears longer. Unfortunately if you want to just be able to put it in drive and forget about it the only real solution is OVTune, which I have and highly recommend. Makes the truck much more fun to drive in D

 

I leave mine in s5 all the time unless flat ground and windless day. Drives much better that way (to me).

 

42 more horse power. That will be spread over a large Rev range and not just concentrated at the peak. People just hate changing their driving habits a little to adjust to the new transmission.

 

You don’t see the mileage as a positive now that you have less power
You wanted amazing MPGs and loads of power, didn’t you? And that’s what you expected, wasn’t it? Take a moment everyone and think about how the v6 in these trucks manages to get close to the MPGs of its I4 counterpart. Hint- youre in 117 hp mode most of the time. If you thought you were gonna be shredding the country side in yer brand new vee-six AND get 4cyl fuel economy @289 hp, you’re a kook. That kind of fuel economy isn’t magic, isn’t free, and you’re not going to get both power and efficiency in this engine. That’s why they installed a neutering program, simulated Atkinson cycle. That way you can have power when you “need it” (and the ECU determines your demand falls within the parameters of the EPA) and when you don’t, you get the MPGs of a 117hp engine. That’s why some of you get insanely good MPGs and some of you get dog shit per tank. Some of you drive in 117hp mode and never mash on the pedal. Some of you drive WOT and it costs you a little more. Somewhere in the middle, Toyota averaged it out, and stated the MPGs and could still credibly call this a 289hp engine. Some of you know this already, some of you need to go back to minivans or fords or wherever you came from.

 

2 wheel drive off road TRD.?????

 

I posted this yesterday.
Hey Everyone, My 2018 Pro is doing great. Absolutely luv it.
I finally cured the one performance issue that was really bugging me compared to my 2012 4.0L. The throttle response and shift points were really a drag on my new 3.5L. After a lot of research, YouTubeing and having a real understanding of how an electronic throttle works (being a 38 year auto technician in the dealership world) I put my money on a Sprint Booster V3 Throttle Enhancer. It took me 5 min to install completely. First test drive and playing around with the various settings I am completely impressed. It is as advertised.
My TRD PRO is an automatic but I would really recommend it for the Manuel Trany. It will give you back that "feather" control and instant clutch engagement that is more difficult to achieve with the stock ETC. It's like having a cable again.
I did use my scan tool to check for DTC's. None set. And I did clear the adaptive memory from the PCM to give it a clean slate to start from.
There are other products out there, the choice is yours but definitely don't waste your money on anything that plugs directly into the DLC. Nothing gets by the new Security Gateway Module being put into 2018+ vehicles. (as of yet).

https://www.sprintboostersales.com/index.cfm

 

I posted this yesterday.
Hey Everyone, My 2018 Pro is doing great. Absolutely luv it.
I finally cured the one performance issue that was really bugging me compared to my 2012 4.0L. The throttle response and shift points were really a drag on my new 3.5L. After a lot of research, YouTubeing and having a real understanding of how an electronic throttle works (being a 38 year auto technician in the dealership world) I put my money on a Sprint Booster V3 Throttle Enhancer. It took me 5 min to install completely. First test drive and playing around with the various settings I am completely impressed. It is as advertised.
My TRD PRO is an automatic but I would really recommend it for the Manuel Trany. It will give you back that "feather" control and instant clutch engagement that is more difficult to achieve with the stock ETC. It's like having a cable again.
I did use my scan tool to check for DTC's. None set. And I did clear the adaptive memory from the PCM to give it a clean slate to start from.
There are other products out there, the choice is yours but definitely don't waste your money on anything that plugs directly into the DLC. Nothing gets by the new Security Gateway Module being put into 2018+ vehicles. (as of yet).

https://www.sprintboostersales.com/index.cfm

 

The 3.5 v6 in my sienna went up same hills, that challenged my 2017 Tacoma, with ease.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-tacoma-model-package-option-costs-master-list.388345/

Current Model 7150 is 4x2 Off Road.

 

OK