S Mode and ECT Question

Is there any benefit to using either of the two or at the same time as far as fuel efficiency goes? I've always wondered what the purpose of S Mode is for and if it's worth using..I know ECT is used for when you're hauling? I've used the search tool and read the manual..but still haven't found the information I'm looking for. Any help would be appreciated

 

I use the ect and s5 when I’m on hilly roads, less shifting, s4 in town with lot of stoplights, just personal preference,

 

I get 2mpg more in s5 with 33's

 

It's not Sport, like some people think. It also doesn't let you actually select the gear. It lets you suggest the highest gear the transmission can shift into and I say suggest because if the computer decides you need a higher gear (RPMs too high) it will shift regardless of what you've selected.

 

"S" is drive it like you stole it mode.

 

??? That hasn't been my experience. When I select 4 in S mode, it won't go into fifth unless I select S5. I'm not red lining it though.

 

S mode would be good going up or down a hill! Save your brakes!!!

 

The engine and transmission can handle most speeds it's capable of in 4th so it won't gear up. 5 and 6 are overdrive, it doesn't actually need them, it just has them for fuel economy (and also so you don't drone to kingdom come at 70mph).

I'd have to look it up in the manual, but it states the same... that's where I learned about it. The gear selection is a suggestion that the computer can decide to override at any time.

 

It's a rev limiter not a gear selector. Putting it in s4 just keeps it from shifting to the overdrive gears 5th and 6th.
If you come to a stop in s4..... you don't start off in 4th gear which would be a gear selector like a manual transmission

 

That's a better way of describing it.

 

S-Mode used in conjunction with ECT allows for better time management when the ducks refuse to walk single-file and the donut shop runs out of glazed donuts with pink sprinkles. But sometimes the old lady with a walker still needs help crossing the bridge on a scaffold go-cart.

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Ok ok...there is no benefit to fuel efficiency to answer your main inquiry. BUT if you also turn off Traction Control, along with ECT on and S-Mode/ S1...it makes doing this easier

 

UMM, I never said it started in 4th, it won't let it shift any higher than 4th.

 

I never said you did... it was just a example of a auto with a rev limiter vs a gear selector.

 

Not a problem. I use S mode and have the ECT on all the time mod. The truck is much more enjoyable to drive. Having had a manual 5 speed in my 1st gen for 15 years I prefer to have a little bit of driver input. I haven't used drive mode since after the first week of ownership. I have the 4 cylinder so manual transmission is a thing of the past.

 

My Tacoma Transmission must be special. It can be used in a way other than as just a gear limiter.

If I start out in S1 it will run to redline.
If I then shift to S2 it will then also run to redline.
If then shifted to S3 it will again turn to redline.
If shifted to S4 it will also run to redline and I’ll be traveling at a high rate of speed.

I’ve tried it out a few times.

Yes, it’s an automatic transmission and always reverts down to 1st gear at a stop, automatically.

But, you can also down shift it in S mode while moving...4,3,2,1, before the transmission itself decides to shift down. Try it out.

There is a Toyota Motor Corporation video showing that it is capable of shifting in this manner with either paddle shifters or a console shifter.

A manual transmission is also a “gear limiter” transmission.

Yes, I’ve owned many manual transmission cars, trucks and a few motorcycles...and a Raptor700 ATV.
Also, manually shifted bicycles without clutches.

 

right.. but you cannot force it to upshift. you just happen to be "upshifting" past the point that it would normally shift. example... if you started out in s1 at a redlight and immediately shifted through to s6 before you get through the intersection, you are going to progress through all of the gears at their regular shiftpoints before it gets to 6. the only thing you can really do is force it to a lower gear than it would normally be in at any given point in time. and your manual "downshifting" is just moving it to a lower gear before the automatic shiftpoint to the lower gear, effectively limiting the highest gear to whatever you're setting it to.

 

2 things I could have done without on my Taco. A front locker would have been more beneficial to my Off Road.

 

It's always a good idea to have a way to turn off overdrive in a towing capable vehicle... ECT? yeah I'm with ya, just give it more beans.

 

Why do I feel like most people on this site never drove a car of any sort with an automatic transmission before, or just never noticed they had other selections than “D” when they did. This “s-mode” (Toyota jargon) feature has been a standard offering on automatic transmissions since the 50’s. It’s not even a feature. I would imagine it’s a DOT requirement. I’ve never seen a automatic transmission that would not allow you to gear down on command. It’s a safety feature on steep hills, when your other option is cooking your brakes.

Anyways. I might be that 40-something man hanging out at the high school party and weirding everyone out. I don’t know the demographic on TW, but I’m starting to suspect I’m getting creepy.

 

I'm with you man. I was perplexed reading through this thread. Kinda goes to show how some people use their trucks gotta be able to disable o/d and be able to engine brake... now ECT confusion I understand, that's not normal.