Sponsored
4-LO High RPM's. Am I missing something?
- Thread starter Zanez
- Start date
- Watchers 18
- First Name
- Tony
- Joined
- May 18, 2024
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 1,338
- Reaction score
- 1,376
- Location
- Salmon Idaho
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Tacoma OR with Premium package
Let me know how it works out for you on the Interstate.
- First Name
- Rudy
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2026
- Threads
- 10
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 135
- Location
- New Mexico
- Vehicle(s)
- 2026 Tacoma TRD PRO
um, um,hmmm, yeah, 4low is not for sand or interstates.
Things real truck owners never say - - "my offroad truck is geared to low".
Things real truck owners never say - - "my offroad truck is geared to low".
Last edited:
Sponsored
- First Name
- Jimmy
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2026
- Threads
- 0
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- North Carolina
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Tacoma SR5
I bought my Tacoma about three months ago and finally got it out on the sand yesterday and experienced this same issue. In 4 lo it would only go to 2nd gear and it went to about 3500 rpms before doing so. Ok so I pulled her over to shift it manually and had the same issue. I could shift up to another gear but it stayed until about 3500 rpms again. Mind you I was never t trying to go fast I just didn’t to have it turning that many rpms. I just wanted to go about 10 mph while turn 1500-2000 rpms. Coming from the jeep world I have alit to learn about tacos. Thanks for any input!
- First Name
- Rudy
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2026
- Threads
- 10
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 135
- Location
- New Mexico
- Vehicle(s)
- 2026 Tacoma TRD PRO
Its usually a good thing and useful for an offroad vehicle to have a lowed geared low range. There's definitely a time and place for 4lo. Not everyone will need it, and most of the time while off-roading 4hi has always been low enough for some hill climbing, definitely better for mud and sand where you need wheel spin and momentum.
If you're rpm's are too high and your speed is too slow then just switch to 4hi, you should of started there anyways then on the very rare occasion switch to 4lo and soon as negotiate the obstacle switch back to 4hi.
Sand is not the place for 4low where you need momentum/speed to get up on top of the sand and keep moving without digging in.
If you're rpm's are too high and your speed is too slow then just switch to 4hi, you should of started there anyways then on the very rare occasion switch to 4lo and soon as negotiate the obstacle switch back to 4hi.
Sand is not the place for 4low where you need momentum/speed to get up on top of the sand and keep moving without digging in.
I agree with you my built up rubicon lets me use 4 lo not only for climbing but also for braking down hills and driving at slow speed shifting into 2,3,4 moving as you said about 1500 rpm . The Tacoma is a different animal.
- First Name
- Rudy
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2026
- Threads
- 10
- Messages
- 173
- Reaction score
- 135
- Location
- New Mexico
- Vehicle(s)
- 2026 Tacoma TRD PRO
I noticed same this this weekend off-roading, it lets you shift or shows that you went up a gear to third or 4th but the rpms didn't drop because I don't think it actually shifted. Id have to let off gas and slow down for it to actually shift into 3rd or 4th. Even then the rpm's stay around 3500.
Sponsored
Adding to this thread for my experience with my 2024 Xtracab SR5.
I was on a trail in Colorado that required 4-Low in places, so I was in 4-Low. In some smooth stretches where I could safely drive ~15-20 MPH, the truck would wait to shift up until 4,000 RPMs. No amount of fiddling with the gear shifter, sport mode etc changed the fact that it would wait until reaching 4K RPMs before shifting up.
The truck's happy spot seemed to be about 3K RPMs. Which you notice easily in this truck because of how loud / unrefined the engine is.
I have extensive offroading experience in most of Toyota's products: FJ, 5th gen 4Runner, 6th gen 4Runner, 250 LC, GX550 etc. The 2025 4Runner I offroaded in Moab did not do this. The 2026 Land Cruiser I've offroaded in Colorado doesn't do this.
I suspect that this is a coding difference in the transmission for the Tacoma vs the other vehicles. Either that or it's a trim level difference between my SR5 Tacoma and the TRD Offroad trims. But another person earlier in the thread mentioned their TRD Offroad doing this, so I don't think it's trim related.
I was on a trail in Colorado that required 4-Low in places, so I was in 4-Low. In some smooth stretches where I could safely drive ~15-20 MPH, the truck would wait to shift up until 4,000 RPMs. No amount of fiddling with the gear shifter, sport mode etc changed the fact that it would wait until reaching 4K RPMs before shifting up.
The truck's happy spot seemed to be about 3K RPMs. Which you notice easily in this truck because of how loud / unrefined the engine is.
I have extensive offroading experience in most of Toyota's products: FJ, 5th gen 4Runner, 6th gen 4Runner, 250 LC, GX550 etc. The 2025 4Runner I offroaded in Moab did not do this. The 2026 Land Cruiser I've offroaded in Colorado doesn't do this.
I suspect that this is a coding difference in the transmission for the Tacoma vs the other vehicles. Either that or it's a trim level difference between my SR5 Tacoma and the TRD Offroad trims. But another person earlier in the thread mentioned their TRD Offroad doing this, so I don't think it's trim related.
Going to throw in my experience too, because the transmission has been quite an annoyance. I did a bunch of wheeling these last few weeks, and just can't figure out how to get it to shift in 4 low. I've offloaded a prior gen sequoia, and a gx 550 Overtrail plenty, and haven't experienced the weird transmission mapping as I have with the tacoma.
The majority of the transmission gripes only happen in 4lo. It pins the RPMs without wanting to shift. That's fine in general, but it can be difficult to drive smoothly with others in the car if the throttle is super touchy. Uphill driving can be somewhat annoying, but I always acclimate fine by the end of the day.
Downhill is a nightmare. The manual mode doesn't actually shift the gears. I'll be going down a mild grade in "6th" gear, and still be at 4,500 rpm. The RPM's stay the exact same cycling through 1st-8th. Just make the manual mode actually shift gears. PLEASE. Once again, annoying, but technically can be lived with, except for the inconsistent shifting. I never use manual mode descending in 4lo, because it does literally nothing. Therefore, I'm left to the mercy of the auto shifting. I haven't yet really figured out what incentivizes the transmission to shift. I had a sketchy moment this Saturday on Imogene pass in CO. Very loose dry downhill, and the RPM's are pinned at 4k. Slight brakes going over some bumps, and I let of the brakes right when the transmission decides to shift up. The rpm's suddenly drop to 1k, and the car goes zooming significantly faster with absolutely no engine braking. I've had this happen quite a lot, and it's just not good.
I'm going to get some videos of this all happening at some point and compile thoughts because it's sort of hard to just write it all out. The transmission does also lie when in 2wd. I'll be going downhill in manual mode and the transmission will actually shift. I took video for my brother of it shifting up, gaining 2k rpm, while going 35mph and the screen says I'm in 8th gear.
The majority of the transmission gripes only happen in 4lo. It pins the RPMs without wanting to shift. That's fine in general, but it can be difficult to drive smoothly with others in the car if the throttle is super touchy. Uphill driving can be somewhat annoying, but I always acclimate fine by the end of the day.
Downhill is a nightmare. The manual mode doesn't actually shift the gears. I'll be going down a mild grade in "6th" gear, and still be at 4,500 rpm. The RPM's stay the exact same cycling through 1st-8th. Just make the manual mode actually shift gears. PLEASE. Once again, annoying, but technically can be lived with, except for the inconsistent shifting. I never use manual mode descending in 4lo, because it does literally nothing. Therefore, I'm left to the mercy of the auto shifting. I haven't yet really figured out what incentivizes the transmission to shift. I had a sketchy moment this Saturday on Imogene pass in CO. Very loose dry downhill, and the RPM's are pinned at 4k. Slight brakes going over some bumps, and I let of the brakes right when the transmission decides to shift up. The rpm's suddenly drop to 1k, and the car goes zooming significantly faster with absolutely no engine braking. I've had this happen quite a lot, and it's just not good.
I'm going to get some videos of this all happening at some point and compile thoughts because it's sort of hard to just write it all out. The transmission does also lie when in 2wd. I'll be going downhill in manual mode and the transmission will actually shift. I took video for my brother of it shifting up, gaining 2k rpm, while going 35mph and the screen says I'm in 8th gear.
I haven't experienced what you are speaking of. I have had the transmission auto downshift to maintain a slower speed on steep descents in 2wd on paved roads.
I have a sport but I see you have a trd off-road, does it not have a hill descent feature?
I have a sport but I see you have a trd off-road, does it not have a hill descent feature?
Sponsored
