Manual transmission Fan Club and BS thread (All Generations Welcome)

You probably have a brake sticking. This is not a real thing.

 

I've heard about modern manual cars havi g a feature where it will hold the brake for you for a few seconds. It is a real thing. Does the taco have it? I'm.

 

I've read about it on here somewhere. Maybe it's only certain models or something.

 

My GFs Rav is supposed to have this feature. Read it in the manual I think. The purpose is for starting up on a hill. Funny thing is that she has an auto.
I love my manual for many reason but one of the biggies is that it is less attractive to area car thieves.

 

My girl's jeep has an AT and one of the first things I do almost every time I drive it is nearly bash my face on the steering wheel by thinking I'm pushing the clutch and instead slamming on the brakes.

 

It's called hill-start assist and is only equipped on automatic tacomas I believe.

 

Manual transmission Subaru's have had hill holder clutches for years, definitely a thing, just not on the Tacoma.

 

Interestingly enough, the automatics have it. From the brochure (http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/ebrochure/): "Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) (A/T only)".

I haven't spent much time driving an automatic, but I thought that was kind of built in to how they work when you let off the brakes.

 

Yeah, odd. I have an old auto explorer and over the 10 years I've owned it, I've always been able to take my foot off the brake on a hill and not roll backwards. And for a hell of a lot longer than a few seconds.

Usually hill start features go with manuals...weird.

 

In the auto I assume it's a line lock as opposed to just holding itself against the torque converter, similar to my wife's Prius. Hold the brake to the floor for a second, car beeps at you and you get a car on a hill dash light, release brake and the car doesn't move. When you hit the gas you can actually feel the brakes release.

 

Probably for the best, reducing wear on transmission.

 

I think it varies by vehicle. Me and the GF have a 2009 Corolla auto and it actually rolls back on hills as if there's nothing stopping it at all. The first time I drove it, I was stopped at a red light on a hill. When it turned green I casually lifted my foot off the brake and the car just took off backwards. Not expecting it, I jumped on the gas and ended up laying some stripe up the hill. Probably looked like an incompetent dumbass.

 

Registered just to say "Hi" from Durango. A little late on the response.

Also to pile on, I'll only own a manual up here.

 

Question for the 3rd gen owners. What type of octane fuel do you use?

 

85-87 is fine, that's what its designed for

 

Yes, stepper the hill I noticed the longer it holds. 5 seconds is the max time the brake is applied after releasing.

 

Do you notice better gas mileage or less of a tapping?

 

Manuals do this too, via ATRAC. Turn ATRAC on and it will apply selective braking to a wheel as it detects slippage to transfer torque across to the wheel with traction. Crawl control is essentially just ATRAC + low speed cruise control. So far I havn't seen/read anything Crawl control can do that ATRAC + a well calibrated foot can't.

 

I'll add my two cents on the topic at hand...

I learned how to drive on a manual transmission Subaru when I was 16, and with the exception of one automatic VW I borrowed from my parents while I was in college years ago, it's been manuals ever since. When I was growing up my parents owned various vehicles with manual transmissions, including a full-sized Chevy Blazer with a Muncie 3-speed and an Isuzu Trooper with a 5-speed. Now they both drive automatics because they're older and prefer the simplicity of shifting into D when they need to go somewhere.

It's funny that people mention using the e-brake when starting on a hill. I can't remember the last time I had to do that and I don't think I've ever had to do it with my Tacoma. I don't even burn up my clutch either - I guess I've just had a lot of practice. It was common to have to do it on older vehicles with no torque and bad gearing, but 1st gear is short enough on the Tacoma and the V6 has enough torque that starting on a hill is pretty easy. My dad taught me years ago that all you really need to do is let the clutch in to the point where it just starts to grab, and then quickly go from the brake to the gas while releasing the clutch all the way. It takes finesse to do it all at once which only comes from practice. On average I only stall the truck maybe once every couple of months and it's almost always while maneuvering in and out of my very tight city-sized driveway.

I do believe automatics have come a long way in the past 20 years and I may end up driving one in the future, but I prefer a manual for the time being, especially in a pickup truck up here in snow country. I prefer manual transmissions for the same reasons other people have mentioned, but also because I feel that using a manual transmission forces you to pay more attention to your driving. There are more considerations than just mashing the gas and brake pedals like everyone else does.

I've been driving my 2010 Tacoma with the 6MT for six years and honestly I think it's a mixed bag. It's definitely one of the clunkier and more temperamental transmissions I've ever used, even though I upgraded it early on with the TRD shift knob and URD shift kit. I feel that some days it works great and other days it drives me nuts. I experience the same problems as many people on here do including the rough 1-2-3 shifts and a "clunk" when you're stopped and you shift from neutral into first gear. I think what drives me nuts the most is the stupid engine RPM-hang when you clutch out. I've learned to deal with it over the years but I don't understand why Toyota can't fix it. The close-ratio design of the 6MT is both a blessing and a curse. It's great for towing, off-roading and driving through the mountains because you can always find the right gear for the speed you're driving. However, it also means that you're zipping through the gears like a big rig to get from zero to 50 mph which happens very frequently where I live, and you can't rush it or the transmission won't go into the next gear. I also wish 6th gear was taller because cruising at highway speed really burns through gas.

I question the reliability of the 6MT (at least the version I have) because I had to replace the pilot bearing at 60k and unfortunately will probably need to do it again at some point. Soon after I replaced the pilot bearing I also had to replace the otherwise-good clutch because it blew a spring and jammed the pressure plate. The clutch start cancel switch was a godsend when that happened because I couldn't push down the clutch but I was able to put the truck in gear and get it going back to my house.

Regarding the electronic 4WD engagement - I've never had a problem with it, and on my truck it shifts between 2HI and 4HI almost instantaneously. The trick is to ease off the gas pedal when you shift because it takes the load off the driveline and makes it easier for the axle coupler to synchronize. Shifting into 4LO is another matter and often requires more patience, but it's no big deal at the end of the day.

When I bought the truck new six years ago I only ever wanted it with the manual, because I prefer manuals and I felt the automatic was slushy and slow to respond (although I heard they've updated the shift points since then). If I knew then what I know now I'm not sure if I would've gone with the 6MT in the Tacoma. It's really a mixed bag and as the saying goes, your mileage may vary. My advice to prospective buyers is to test drive a few different Tacomas with the same manual transmission (go to a few different dealers if you have to) so you have enough time behind the wheel to determine if you like it or not.

 

I am on my second tank of ethanol free 88. These two tanks were two of my best to date driving the same roads at the same times of day. Not sure if its real or not but I hand calculate every tank and my last two have been 2 mpg better than my 5000 mile average. I will try a couple of more tanks of it then switch back to ethanol laced 87 and compare. YMMV.