M/T Downshift Gripe...

I've been driving manual transmission vehicles successfully for a long, long time, so I am pretty sure I am not at fault here.

I have about 1700 miles on my new 2016 Tacoma V6 M/T. I find downshifting from fifth gear to fourth gear mostly "miss or hit," by which I mean when downshifting I usually end up in second gear, not fourth gear. There doesn't seem to be an particular technique I can use to end up in fourth, at least not without taking my eyes off the road, which is not a good idea.

Are others having a similar problem? Any suggestions for a cure?

Thanks!

 

Not sure how much different third gen MTs are than the second gen, but on mine (6 speed), 4th is pretty much right in the center. If I drop out of 5th and let the shifter drop to the middle, it pretty much lines up with 4th, which would be straight down. I also have the TRD short shifter, but that didn't change anything that I recall going from the standard shifter to the TRD one.

 

Are you saying that when you shift out of fifth, you let go of the shifter and it drops into fourth? Or that you just hold it loosely and it drops where it should? Thanks!

 

drops to neutral, but lines up directly above 4th. if I pull straight down from there its in 4th.

 

I think he's saying that he pulls it out of 5th, lets it slide over to the left, then pulls it down into 4th. To find second, I have to pull the shifter to the left. You should be able to just put it in neutral and pull straight down for 4th. I also have a 2nd gen with a TRD shifter though.

 

I'll give that a try...I'll pull it out of fifth and let go of the shifter and then when it finds neutral, I'll pull straight down. Thanks.

 

Haha. Yea. That. ^

 

These MTs were one of the weirdest I have learned to drive (aside from a fiero, and heavy equipment). They take some getting used to. Been driving manuals for 20 years, been driving this one for 7 years, and still occasionally miss shifts.

 

Pretty much exactly what @TacoCat said. When I downshift from 5th to 4th, I drop it out of 5th and let the shifter center before dropping directly downward into 4th. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature

 

Never drove the 2nd gen but I feel like 3rd gen angles just slightly away from the driver rather than true south. That said I would agree the downshift slide into 4th does take a bit of finesse and getting used to.

 

Just gave the advice a try, and it worked properly for me three times. Sheesh. It never would have occurred to me, and it sure as hell "ain't in da manual."

My last truck had one of these, and I rarely missed a shift:

 

Gated manuals are awesome; don't know why those went away. Perhaps idiots spilling coffee into them?

 

i rarely try to PUT the shifter into a specific gear. when i'm rowing gears i just apply a little pressure up and down, but i don't really give it a lot of input side to side other than like reverse

 

Haha my first car was a 5 speed fiero

 

I missed 2nd on Sunday down shifting from 3rd, shuttling vehicles with a friend on a backpacking trip, came to a stop, so I quickly found 1st. I also think it briefly went into reverese. Don't know how one could do that, missing 2nd. Left it in 3rd too long, thinking I could pull the hill. Six gears, takes a little to get used to, I'm not a natural truck driver, even though I"ve been in manuals over 40 years now. I'll see what the above suggestion does for me. The engine is so quiet, hard to hear when leaving from a dead stop at a stop light or stop sign.
Duane

 

Another "gripe," in the same vein...

When upshifting from second to third, unless I am very careful, I hear a slight grinding noise as the transmission moves into third. Not everytime, but enough to be annoying.

This is really odd for me, since I've been driving standard transmission vehicles, including a Model A truck, for more than 50 years, and I've never encountered the sorts of silliness upshifting and downshifting as I have with this 2016 Tacoma. I'm wondering if I should bring the vehicle to the dealer to at least get my gripes "on the record."

Thanks!

Grrrrrrrrrrrr-ind.

 

Exactly what I was going to comment.

 

My feeling is that you shouldn't have to drop to neutral so that a downshift to 4th works properly. Or that when you upshift from second to third, you have to be really careful that you don't get a grinding noise out of the gears or synchros. I've been driving stick shift trucks for 55 years and never encountered these symptoms in a decent transmission.

I stopped by the local dealer today and will be bringing the truck in for a look-see.

 

From 5th to 4th is pretty much my smoothest shift (least smooth is 4th into 5th but I think that's probably because the gears are very similar). Overall, very pleased with the MT, but it definitely has a "truck" feel to it (compared to a sporty car like an S2000, for example).

 

I hardly even use 4th to be honest. I either require the higher RPM power (3rd) or want the fuel benefit (5th). 4th seems odd in this truck