Why bad MPG with manual (6 speed)?

Why are the 6 speed manuals getting bad MPG compared to the autos? What rpms are they turning at 60mph in top gear? I really want a manual, but am not thrilled with the MPG.....

 

Autos these days are made with fuel efficiency as a #1 priority...gone are the days of manuals getting better MPGs overall than autos.

It's just an estimate anyway, if you get the manual and drive it like a grandma you'll get better MPG's than someone who pushes it hard.

Plus, it's a well known fact that manual transmissions get more smiles per gallon than autos do anyway.

 

It depends a lot on driving style, driving conditions and what tires/wheels you are running.

I don't get bad gas mileage in my 6 speed (19-20's) if I am driving like the auto's do (for fuel economy). If I am ripping through the gears not really caring about MPG it can get low but nothing unexpected/extreme (lower teens, nothing below 14). Add to the mix some knobby tires and snow, I dip down a bit even if I am driving pretty granny like.

 

You never met my grandma.

 

2K RPM @60 in 6th.

Gearing makes all the difference, autos have deeper overdrives and higher axle ratios than the manuals.

Despite the fact that they get better mpgs, you can have your autos.

 

If you want mpgs, get a crossover. That being said, it all comes down to driving habits. But at the end of the day it’s still a truck with the drag coefficient of a brick wall.

If you wanna save fuel with a manual, kill the engine in nuetral going downhill. My truck is a PZEV.

 

Nope, truck already does that in gear. It's called DFCO.

 

Neat!

 

KOOL!

 

The best I have seen yet is 18.8 with mine driving easy, but 75 on highway. Mine only has 4K miles on it, and it seems like it doesn’t really matter if I drive 60-75, it gets 18ish. I towed my aluminum car trailer and old mini and I was at 11 unfortunately. My 2011 Touareg TDI pulled nicer and smoother and got 19-20 pullin same setup and 28-32 with no trailer. Really trying to get used to this truck still. Always loved Tacoma’s and always had older ones. VW bought back my Touareg and I went for a new Tacoma.

 

Gearing...pretty much across the board the manuals are geared higher. 4.30s in the diff and 6th in the MT has the driveshaft spinning faster than 5th in the auto - and that's upstream of the rear diff. It drives better though, no doubt about it. The vast majority of complaints against 3rd gen Tacoma's are directed at the auto trans and the reason it's shit is because the priority was MPG above all else. Plus the difference isn't that much. Autos maybe pull a couple MPG better on average. To buy an auto Taco over an MT for MPG would be a huge mistake.

 

Sexond gens ain’t got that...

 

The $4.86 /wk it costs me to have my truck drive the way I want it to is worth every penny.

 

It does save gas, no doubt about it. As it turns out though, it's also annoying when towing a trailer or when descending a hill off-road. You can be engine braking nicely, then all of a sudden when rpms reach the 1000-1300 range the injectors come back on. Feels like your brakes just cut out. Anyway, it's something we've asked OVtune to look at changing in the future.

 

Post of the year ^^

 

It's close. I think it was @DesertTaco4x4 who might have had the

"Some people either view the world as diff half full or diff half empty" reference that really hits home with us 3rd genners*. Haha

 

LOL

 

That's a good one lol!

 

What is this "3rd gender" of which you speak?

 

I agree with the MT comment. The 3rd gen in general was never a logical purchase, so a concern over the cost of a couple coffees a week for what I think most MT drivers feel is a solid performance upgrade just seems silly.

But if it's a concern for budget minded people I can respect that as well I guess.