6 M/T Regrets ?

[Steelman 56]

Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate it!

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[JustDSM]

Good to hear. Did they notice any crankshaft hammering at all or any complaints with the OTT tune? It's not that it wouldn't be great to get those few extra thousands RPMs, I just wouldn't want to chance it, I see redline ... A lot

We haven't had a single come-back/retune and our internal development vehicle/driver have not.

It's a simple change and we're happy to accommodate if you prefer it one way vs another. All good!

 

[Kielly]

I've had all four generations of Tacomas. All were autos. That's hundreds of thousands of miles. Zero issues.

Manuals? Clutches wear out, $1,500-$2,000 if I'm not mistaken.

I love this argument from auto drivers lol. Yeah, probably roughly $2000 at a shop. But, it's a wear part for one, much like brake pads. Don't buy a manual if you eventually don't want to replace a clutch.

Secondly, don't be an idiot and know how to roughly drive a clutch driven truck. I've got 55,000kms on my original clutch. Believe me, I've slipped that sucker and smelt it more times that I can count. On and off road, grinded the hell out of second and third just not paying attention. Everything still feels exactly as it did as the day I bought it. If I can get 100,000kms out of a clutch, given what I do, I'll be more than happy. That said, I expect to exceed 100,000kms out of the original clutch.

Besides, there's hundreds of local backyard mechanics looking to make an extra dollar off the clock that'll happily change out your clutch for much cheaper than paying shop time, implying you don't have the know how to do it yourself, which realistically isn't too hard providing you have a garage to work in.

I'd rather have to change out a clutch at 100,000kms than I would watch my trans temps every time I take her off pavement like most folks are doing right now.

 

[JoeMongo]

I've had all four generations of Tacomas. All were autos. That's hundreds of thousands of miles. Zero issues.

Manuals? Clutches wear out, $1,500-$2,000 if I'm not mistaken.

I've never owned an automatic transmission vehicle.

That's nine motorcycles and eight four wheeled vehicles. I know how to change gears and have never needed to change a clutch, ever. There are a few unique situations where you may "need" to abuse a clutch, but I mostly avoid those situations.

YMMV, this is just my life experience.
j.

 

[Sagebrush]

I know how to change gears and have never needed to change a clutch, ever.

For most of my adult life, I worked with a crew of 12. We were issued a new truck about every four years –lots of off-road driving–and run them 150,000 or more miles. Fords and GMs. Clutches lasted between 80,000 and 110,000, depending on the driver.

 

[Kielly]

For most of my adult life, I worked with a crew of 12. We were issued a new truck about every four years –lots of off-road driving–and run them 150,000 or more miles. Fords and GMs. Clutches lasted between 80,000 and 110,000, depending on the driver.

You're implying OP is going to be offroading. If you're going to do any amount of heavy offroading you're going to slip your clutch a lot which is evidently going to wear out your clutch.

Offroading comes with a price auto or manual. That said, in any situation I've ever been in offroading where I have to slip my clutch or ride it, I could've just as easily put it in 4L and I wouldn't of had to touch my gas nor my clutch lol truck has more than enough torque in 4L 1st-2nd to climb on its own without any help in the 6M. Sounds like a whole lot of driver error causing premature wear to the clutch.

Not to mention if the driver has iMT on or not, which I use a lot offroad sometimes. That'll limit the gas you're giving it to what you actually need to give it, limiting clutch slip. Tested tried and true

 

[Andrace]

To each their own, It's a preference imo.
Auto's have been pretty well sorted out, but the newer 8+ speed stuff might not have the longevity of the older autos.

One of the biggest attractions to the MT, for me, is the simplicity of DIY fluid changes and regular maintenance. Given what we're seeing with the shortage of techs and the cost of taking stuff to the good ones just tells me DIY is going to be an increasingly valuable part of vehicle ownership. Taking a vehicle in for service is an absolute last resort and recent experience with even the basic recalls at Toyota only solidifies my feelings on that.

The other part is auto's drive me nuts, feels like there's something between what I want the vehicle to do and what it actually does. That and most shift HARD and I'm like people tolerate this sh*t?!?

I have never owned an Auto, and will hold out for as long as I'm able.

 

[Tacocho]

Out of curiosity, do you drive with iMT on or off usually?

I love this argument from auto drivers lol. Yeah, probably roughly $2000 at a shop. But, it's a wear part for one, much like brake pads. Don't buy a manual if you eventually don't want to replace a clutch.

Secondly, don't be an idiot and know how to roughly drive a clutch driven truck. I've got 55,000kms on my original clutch. Believe me, I've slipped that sucker and smelt it more times that I can count. On and off road, grinded the hell out of second and third just not paying attention. Everything still feels exactly as it did as the day I bought it. If I can get 100,000kms out of a clutch, given what I do, I'll be more than happy. That said, I expect to exceed 100,000kms out of the original clutch.

Besides, there's hundreds of local backyard mechanics looking to make an extra dollar off the clock that'll happily change out your clutch for much cheaper than paying shop time, implying you don't have the know how to do it yourself, which realistically isn't too hard providing you have a garage to work in.

I'd rather have to change out a clutch at 100,000kms than I would watch my trans temps every time I take her off pavement like most folks are doing right now.

 

[Kielly]

Out of curiosity, do you drive with iMT on or off usually?

Last time I touched iMT heavily was snow running last winter. Just to give it that little extra help where I may pussy out lol and also give me a little more relief with the clutch footwork crawling along in 2nd on the trails

Also truck was fairly new so I used it heavily as a crutch, afraid to hurt any of the components; ya know new truck crap lol

I used to use it religiously but got quite annoyed with myself because I couldn't properly downshift without it or foot heel so one day I just said fk it and made a new personal rule to never use it unless someone wants to race (as 1st to 2nd is iffy without iMT for me).

These days I never use it, I can properly downshift smoothly including foot heel; although I expect once the snow starts hitting and I get more active on the trails I'll start using it a little more again.

It's a great tool that does a lot more than most people seem to think it does, most think it only helps rev match but that's not the case, it helps make the upshifts smoother too and it also limits your gas if it thinks you're giving it a little too much juice to protect the clutch, I noticed that a while back.

 

[Tacocho]

I agree with you. I started going away from iMT because I prefer rev matching myself. I just hate how weird the 1-2 shifts can be.

Last time I touched iMT heavily was snow running last winter. Just to give it that little extra help where I may pussy out lol and also give me a little more relief with the clutch footwork crawling along in 2nd on the trails

I used to use it religiously but got quite annoyed with myself because I couldn't properly downshift without it or foot heel so one day I just said fk it and made a new personal rule to never use it unless someone wants to race (as 1st to 2nd is iffy without iMT for me).

These days I never use it, I can properly downshift smoothly including foot heel; although I expect once the snow starts hitting and I get more active on the trails I'll start using it a little more again.

It's a great tool that does a lot more than most people seem to think it does, most think it only helps rev match but that's not the case, it helps make the upshifts smoother too and it also limits your gas if it thinks you're giving it a little too much juice to protect the clutch, I noticed that a while back.

 

[Kielly]

I agree with you. I started going away from iMT because I prefer rev matching myself. I just hate how weird the 1-2 shifts can be.

Yup, I hear you loud and clear. Do you find without iMT sometimes going from 1st to 2nd you literally lose power for a split second? Almost like it's bucking and then finally you get your throttle response back?

I still get that daily. I can rev match and heel tow like a boss, but 1st-2nd still makes me look like an idiot at times. I find you either got to shift at a low RPM, or hold your clutch in (for what feels like forever) to let that awful rev hang drop a ton, or either damn near flat foot it to second.

You can also play the dangerous game from my experience and not fully depress the clutch going from 1-2, like 80% down, for some reason I seem to get much smoother shifts, but I'm sure it's not healthy even though I'm out of the bite point.

Not only that, but I get a awful sounding clunk if it's not the perfect shift. Not bring it to the dealer clunk, but enough to go "Ew"

Funny enough, once the winter comes around and I have it in 4x4 98% of the time (icy packed unplowed roads) I have none of that, my shifts are smooth without iMT, I can't remember any sort of clunk, the truck just feels so much more solid, it's insane. I remember saying to myself "I wish I could just run 4x4 all year round" lol

 

[Andrace]

Yup, I hear you loud and clear. Do you find without iMT sometimes going from 1st to 2nd you literally lose power for a split second? Almost like it's bucking and then finally you get your throttle response back?

I still get that daily. I can rev match and heel tow like a boss, but 1st-2nd still makes me look like an idiot at times. I find you either got to shift at a low RPM, or hold your clutch in (for what feels like forever) to let that awful rev hang drop a ton, or either damn near flat foot it to second.

You can also play the dangerous game from my experience and not fully depress the clutch going from 1-2, like 80% down, for some reason I seem to get much smoother shifts, but I'm sure it's not healthy even though I'm out of the bite point.

Not only that, but I get a awful sounding clunk if it's not the perfect shift. Not bring it to the dealer clunk, but enough to go "Ew"

Funny enough, once the winter comes around and I have it in 4x4 98% of the time (icy packed unplowed roads) I have none of that, my shifts are smooth without iMT, I can't remember any sort of clunk, the truck just feels so much more solid, it's insane. I remember saying to myself "I wish I could just run 4x4 all year round" lol

Interesting, I don't really experience that. I usually take 1st to 3k and use a slightly slower release going to 2nd, it's plenty smooth that way for me.
I don't drive the truck "hard" at all, and never bother to heel & toe.
I don't beat on road cars, I've got karts for that.

 

[Kielly]

Interesting, I don't really experience that. I usually take 1st to 3k and use a slightly slower release going to 2nd, it's plenty smooth that way for me.
I don't drive the truck "hard" at all, and never bother to heel & toe.
I don't beat on road cars, I've got karts for that.

We differ that way my friend I'm afraid lol.

I beat on everything I own, live by the "I paid for the whole thing I'll use the whole thing" plus the lead foot I've apparently at some point had transplanted between 15-16 years of age decades ago.

That said, I usually take it to around 3k in 1st normal city driving but I genuinely like to get to second fairly quick and back on the gas so I can start making my way in third so I don't like to baby the clutch to transition to second, and it just feels wrong.

I feel like releasing the clutch as slowly as needed to get a smooth shift from 1-2 at 3k rpm is just putting too much wear on the clutch with the rev hang this truck has. If I do rev the truck up 3k+ rpm in first, I either release the clutch at a fairly normal rate or I hold the clutch in until the rev hang decides to exit the building, I genuinely don't like to ride my clutch down like that, just makes me feel like I'm using the clutch as a tool to slow down the RPMs to transition into a smoother shift, and if my spidey senses are tingling correctly, I feel it'll just wear the clutch quicker than needed.

Rev hang needs to be addressed for manual transmission vehicles, as in depleted. If it wasn't for rev hang I feel like at least 98% of folks here complaining about 1-2 shifts would disappear. I can't wait to get the OTT tune in the following couple of years to knock that rev hang out.

I can get a smooth shift 1-2 by giving it a little more juice on the accelerator than seemingly needed but it still feels way too wrong to me, like I'm still slipping the clutch a little, just to get a smooth shift.

 

[bitflogger]

I would like to know if the manual transmission buyers have any regrets going this route.
My motivation was to keep it simple. I was hoping this was a better option for longevity.
I wanted to avoid torque converter issues, trans fluid changes, and possible overheating.
All my life I had vehicle with a manual transmission. I'm just not sure I made the right choice at my age (Mid 50's).
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you

We got the manual transmission in our sporty car, and the automatic in the Tacoma.

Our Toyota manual and automatic experience had TSBs and manual transmission issues too but they're a good firm who stands behind customers so that didn't stop me. It was just the sporty car was a better application for the manual, and the automatic transmissions is far superior for my Tacoma being work oriented.

I'd not worry about quality. Decide if the narrow gear splits will be important and if you will want the full features of the ADAS system in traffic. Our modern manual transmission can't drive itself and handle stop and go traffic the way the Tacoma will drive itself.

I think the Tacoma manual is fine. If I wanted it I would not hesitate. How I use the vehicles drove the decisions.

 

[Iqudayo]

We had no regrets with the manual and enjoyed it, but the only issue I had was I hated when you are in 1st gear at a stop and have to shift from 1st to 2nd half way thru the intersection. Very Very short gearing

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