M/T Tacos, tell me something you did to improve your truck.

sub'd. Never thought I would find a manual 3rd gen in green with the trd sport package and nothing else but here I am. delivery mid jan. Driven manuals my whole life, gen2 taco was my first automatic.

Excited to get the truck tuned.

 

compustar remote start / security definitely the best thing i’ve added to date

 

I’ll add to the echo chamber.

ADM, Tune, and auto start.

 

Easily best mod to date for me and the last I would give up - sprint booster (set on Sport mode 8). No warranty concerns, can be turned off, set to taste, no stranger and laptop 3 hours away.... the truck now feels "normal" when driving as my wife says.

 

gear hunting in a MT?

 

I'm bored, so a rant for a rant .
The manual says "Do not use the clutch to hold the vehicle when stopping on an uphill grade. Doing so may damage the clutch." It clearly refers to "holding the vehicle when stopping" not to a quarter second transition through the bite point while starting as the right foot moves from the brake to the gas (which is exactly what a clutch is designed to do). It is pretty hard for me to take 'stopping' and turn that into 'starting.'

I'm using the 2021 Owners Manual, some of the older ones have different wording, I know at least one prior version said 'stopped' and 'use the parking brake.' I think Toyota changed it to try and remove some of the confusion on this topic.

Page 168 of the owners manual says
"1. With the clutch pedal fully depressed, shift the shift lever to 1.
"2. Release the parking brake.
"3. Gradually release the clutch pedal. At the same time, gently depress the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle."

Page 169 (Starting off on a steep uphill) says
"1. With the parking brake firmly set and the clutch pedal fully depressed, shift the shift lever to 1.
"2. Lightly depress the accelerator pedal at the same time as gradually releasing the clutch pedal.
"3. Release the parking brake."

The manual also warns that starting in any gear other than 1st can damage the clutch.

Regarding clutch start cancel, the manual says "The switch allows the vehicle to be driven out of difficult situations by cranking the engine with the clutch engaged." So if you find hills to be "difficult situations," sure. However, even Toyota does not think starting on a steep uphill warrants its use. Plus, advocating that someone turns their truck off at multiple stop signs on a 5 minute trip is a really good way to destroy batteries and burn out the starter. Hell, I have driven on streets where this would involve 6 clutch start cancels over the course of 1/2 mile, it is a pretty retarded way to drive for people who don't live in the level lands.

So, if you cannot smoothly start in a reasonable amount of time (no slower than gradually releasing the clutch pedal, whatever that would be) on a steep uphill, use the parking brake. However, implying that the parking brake must be used for every hill start or the clutch will be damaged is simple wrong. Toyota even refers to "steep" without defining it, which strongly implies that this is relative to driver skill. Otherwise they would have just said uphill without the modifier.

Actually understanding a system is much better than formulaic regurgitation of a manual written for the lowest common denominator and in vague terms.

Of course, the beauty of this topic is a definitive answer does not exist in the functional middle. The extremes of 'never start on any uphill without using the parking brake' and 'you should be able to start up a 45 degree grade on loose gravel without using anything but the three peddles on the floor' are both wrong. Now, we can fight to the pain over if that gray is closer to white or black.

Edit: Yes, I'm a shit head. As I tell my wife, if not for being a smart ass, I would not be smart at all.

 

Nah, I’m good. Drive your vehicles the way you want my dude.
I’m just trying to tell the one guy he doesn’t need to worry about perfect footwork in a truck that’s not designed or built or programmed for street performance.

 

3rd Gem manuals all have auto hill holder... just saying...

 

Not the Off Road, just saying.

 

Well then...




My Sport does... it must be a Skewp thing!

 

Only Sport and 2016 - 2017 SR MT. Off Road and Pro MT do not have that feature which l think is because of the electric brake booster.

 

The manual clearly states what the Clutch Start Cancel button is for on page 316 (online version, 2021)

The switch allows the vehicle to be driven out of difficult situa- tions by cranking the engine with the clutch engaged.

It’s meant to be used primary when off-roading and say you stall on a steep hill where and amount of roll has the potential to turn a situation shitty.

It allows you to start in gear without risking the truck rolling, so you can focus on the gas and brake. Almost all vehicles with manual transmission intended for off-road use have this feature, most don’t have a button, they simply bypass the clutch start safety switch when in 4Low and allow you to start the engine with out the clutch depressed.

 

How does anyone remember all that shifting? And the two handed thing That’s just insane. I watched a kid on an antique tractor execute a 90 degree turn. He wiped the sweat of his brow after that thing we

Did you take the spring out of your clutch pedal?

 

it also works great after a day of skiing and you want to warm up the truck before you get your boots off

 

Agreed! I love that Toyota continues to use the button even after all these years and that they haven’t limited it to 4Low.

 

Several years ago one of my previous Tacoma's was completely frozen shut after a major ice storm, took me 3 days to chisel a door open and thankfully was able to start the truck from the passenger seat

 

Nobody tossing in FJ clutch pedal yet?

I am marginally tempted by a short throw shifter but I actually rather like how it feels right now. Maybe if I get a chance to drive one I’ll understand what I’m missing.

 

You do realize I quoted that line from the manual, correct? It is even enclosed in quotation marks.

 

Sorry, after I posted it I realized I quoted the wrong post. I meant to quote the same post you did. Apologies good sir.

 

The manual says never to do that. From page 316 "Never use the switch for normal engine starting. Be sure to follow the
starting procedure. (P. 201)"














Hence why I do it almost daily just because I don't want the extra snow melt from getting into the truck twice.