Manual transmission- starting on steep gravel hill..SLOW!

Trd sport mt. When at dead stop on fairly steep gravel hill I can't seem to get any good pull/torque from the engine till I get very slowly to about 10 mph or 3k rpm. It is awful how slow and painful it is. I have tried revving engine before dropping clutch and hitting the lsd button. I have yet to try holding down lsd to supposedly shut off traction control...not sure that is the issue though.

I must be doing something wrong. We know the tacoma lacks low end torque, but this seems a bit too bad. Any thoughts?

 

Every manual is like that. Judicious application of the clutch and throttle. And the lack of torque over last year is only a few. It's not near what people make it out to be.

 

On a gravel road, it should be able to easily break all the wheels free of the ground and give you a 4-wheeled death machine against anyone behind you.
So I'd say that you have driving nannies stopping you from going into death machine mode.
Any beeping or vibrating or xmas tree lights going off on the dash as this is happening?

 

Engaging any MT on a hill means more clutch feathering and a sensation of less torque. The MT isn't a torque monster but feels pretty good IMO.

 

All manuals are 4wd and we don't need crawl control because we have 1st gear 4-lo.

With that said, put it in 4wd if it is a longer gravel road or deal with it being a slower start on a steep hill. I notice it is tougher to go up steep hills from a stop, but that's normal, you've got a lot more working against you when you are angled up.

 

I have a steep drive I park on and I go 4h and giver gas. Get it over 4K and go. I know it feels like you're aging your clutch but it'll make it.

 

@mike1972 - Are you sure traction control isn't limiting your power due to wheelspin on the gravel? Do you see any light on the dash behind the wheel blink at you when trying to get started on the hill?

Sounds like traction control to me.

 

i find hill start assist to be wildly inconsistent in my truck and wondering if it is a similar issue with yours. my problem isnt starting up a hill, its the moment before that when im off the brake. i swear my truck flips a coin on weather to hold for a moment or just let me roll back a bit

 

That's odd. I've done many 4 wheeling trails in Colorado and have had my share of +30 degree climbs from a dead stop on gravel/dirt. I've found 4hi and 4lo just fine for those applications. Torque for off roading has been plentiful. No issues. Sounds to me like the traction control?

 

Traction control is annoying in this situation but as stated it's all about feathering that clutch, I have a super steep gravel road I have to go up everyday. Play with it a while you'll figure it out. Second gear does lack low end torque in my opinion but I've learned to deal with it by adjusting my driving style a bit.

 

Putting in 4 hi and shutting off traction control was the answer. With traction control on and in 2wd it was really not possible to go up the hill. Even in 4wd with traction control it was tough. I think the traction control may just be a bit over zealous...not actually a torque issue.

 

Did you try 2wd with traction control off also?

 

Yes...that was a mess of rocks flying and the truck starting to stutter/hop a bit. Could not get the traction needed.