Manual Transmission, first to second without iMT, smooth shift impossible?

[Kielly]

Over the last 5 months or so I've been challenging myself, absolutely no iMT period.

I've gotten myself to a point where I actually prefer no iMT and only turn it on when offroading to help save the clutch a little.

I can easily without thinking, pure muscle memory heal-toe myself from 6th right down to 2nd, completely butter smooth shifts and rev match. I very smoothly shift from 2-6 with ease wether I'm eco driving or banging gears trying to race my local Honda fit.

That said, 1st to second with no iMT on is a nightmare and I hate it. If I give too little gas, I buck. If I give no gas I buck so hard that there's zero throttle input for a solid 3 seconds or more. It's extremely easy to give too much gas and then I worry about too much clutch slip, although never any burning clutch smells.

Trying to find that fine line of just enough gas to get no buck is stupidly hard which on many occasions lead me to believe something was going wrong internally. Only way I can seem to shift flawlessly from 1-2 is pure luck, driving the truck like I'm shifting a semi, or balls to the wall gas pedal through the floorboards, which can easily lead to an early clutch dump and gear grinding.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that notices 1-2 needs to be babied, all other gears are a walk in the park.

Maybe I'm reading too much in to the very loud engine noise and I'm not over revving on shift change when I think I am but I feel like that isn't the case.

With iMT on, I can practically dump the clutch and it'll change smooth, with iMT off it's not so fun.

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[Sandeep1994]

Same problem here . For me either i shift to second right after truck start rolling it shifts fine or if i take first to 3000 rpm or more then shift to second it will shift easy but in middle no luck for smooth shift

 

[Texas Bob]

Great posts! Thanks for starting this thread. I have a feeling we'll be getting a lot more feedback from the other 'the few, the proud, the Marines dudes who had to have a manual despite the ludicrous hoops we had to jump through to get one and despite that logic completely favors the automatic'. Guilty! If we all start sharing the idiosyncrasies we observe, possibly even solutions or workarounds, it's bound to help. Or some of these may actually be defects that can be corrected by the dealer or a software update or at least guide Toyota as they develop newer models. (I hope they develop newer MT models...).

I've had my truck for a little over three months now, after owning only manual-shift cars (and motorcycles) for my entire driving life, 50 years. I have never had this frustration and long learning curve. First learning stick was easier than this, as I vaguely recall. But this is my first truck so I want to chalk it up to it being a truck transmission. I certainly assumed during my test drive of the Taco that I would get more comfortable once I was driving it daily, but that hasn't been the case. I drive it with and without the iMT and I don't see very much benefit from it.

Here are my gripes. None of them are enough to cause me to get rid of the truck, but they are disappointing and I hope do not portend future breakdowns:

A. More than any other car I've driven, this one feels like 'the gears aren't in the same place every time' if you know what I mean. Especially reverse, but also 2 and 4 don't seem to slide in place with the same motion every time. I realize there's a good chance that the problem is the loose nut behind the wheel, meaning that my human brain, arm and hand are responsible for the inconsistencies, but yet, it's a lot more troublesome in my brand new truck than I've ever experienced before. Going into reverse I usually have to make a very intentional, forceful motion straight to the left, past the resistance zone, and then straight forward. But on at least three occasions I have been stopped at a light and, trying to engage first gear, WITHOUT the concentration normally required to get into reverse, I have put it in reverse instead of first! Obviously this is scary, dangerous and it completely got my attention every time it happened. I have so far avoided backing into the poor soul behind me who's looking at my reverse lights. If I can unintentionally and easily get it into reverse like that, then why is it so hard to do it when I'm trying to? Anyone who can help me understand and overcome this will get a huge round of applause, from me at least. It's on my list of things to ask the dealer about, but as far as I know, there is nothing adjustable about the gearbox or clutch.

B. When accelerating hard, just after re-engaging the clutch in the higher gear, the power/torque fall off a cliff with a 1-2 second stumble before picking back up again. Is this just the way the turbocharger works (doesn't work!) in this truck, or could there be something wrong with mine? It feels like there's torque for the first split second after the clutch has engaged, and then the huge stumble happens. I have noticed this several times but haven't taken the time yet to go to a traffic-free road to intentionally reproduce it and make note of my exact revs and gear when this happens. I know it's when I mat the accelerator after getting off the clutch pedal.

C. At a stop, sitting in neutral with the clutch engaged, then disengaging the clutch and shifting to first gear, there is often (but not always, I think) a slight clunk. Maybe this is normal for trucks? Do I just need to do everything slower?

All of the above are in 2H: not having had a truck before, I guess I sort of expect some clunks and grinds in the 4WD modes. Actually, I did drive a MT truck for my summer job in 1976, a Sixties Ford pickup. It had 3 on the tree but only 2nd gear worked, so it doesn't really give me any basis for comparison with a 2025 Tacoma...

 

[Kielly]

Great posts! Thanks for starting this thread. I have a feeling we'll be getting a lot more feedback from the other 'the few, the proud, the Marines dudes who had to have a manual despite the ludicrous hoops we had to jump through to get one and despite that logic completely favors the automatic'. Guilty! If we all start sharing the idiosyncrasies we observe, possibly even solutions or workarounds, it's bound to help. Or some of these may actually be defects that can be corrected by the dealer or a software update or at least guide Toyota as they develop newer models. (I hope they develop newer MT models...).

I've had my truck for a little over three months now, after owning only manual-shift cars (and motorcycles) for my entire driving life, 50 years. I have never had this frustration and long learning curve. First learning stick was easier than this, as I vaguely recall. But this is my first truck so I want to chalk it up to it being a truck transmission. I certainly assumed during my test drive of the Taco that I would get more comfortable once I was driving it daily, but that hasn't been the case. I drive it with and without the iMT and I don't see very much benefit from it.

Here are my gripes. None of them are enough to cause me to get rid of the truck, but they are disappointing and I hope do not portend future breakdowns:

A. More than any other car I've driven, this one feels like 'the gears aren't in the same place every time' if you know what I mean. Especially reverse, but also 2 and 4 don't seem to slide in place with the same motion every time. I realize there's a good chance that the problem is the loose nut behind the wheel, meaning that my human brain, arm and hand are responsible for the inconsistencies, but yet, it's a lot more troublesome in my brand new truck than I've ever experienced before. Going into reverse I usually have to make a very intentional, forceful motion straight to the left, past the resistance zone, and then straight forward. But on at least three occasions I have been stopped at a light and, trying to engage first gear, WITHOUT the concentration normally required to get into reverse, I have put it in reverse instead of first! Obviously this is scary, dangerous and it completely got my attention every time it happened. I have so far avoided backing into the poor soul behind me who's looking at my reverse lights. If I can unintentionally and easily get it into reverse like that, then why is it so hard to do it when I'm trying to? Anyone who can help me understand and overcome this will get a huge round of applause, from me at least. It's on my list of things to ask the dealer about, but as far as I know, there is nothing adjustable about the gearbox or clutch.

B. When accelerating hard, just after re-engaging the clutch in the higher gear, the power/torque fall off a cliff with a 1-2 second stumble before picking back up again. Is this just the way the turbocharger works (doesn't work!) in this truck, or could there be something wrong with mine? It feels like there's torque for the first split second after the clutch has engaged, and then the huge stumble happens. I have noticed this several times but haven't taken the time yet to go to a traffic-free road to intentionally reproduce it and make note of my exact revs and gear when this happens. I know it's when I mat the accelerator after getting off the clutch pedal.

C. At a stop, sitting in neutral with the clutch engaged, then disengaging the clutch and shifting to first gear, there is often (but not always, I think) a slight clunk. Maybe this is normal for trucks? Do I just need to do everything slower?

All of the above are in 2H: not having had a truck before, I guess I sort of expect some clunks and grinds in the 4WD modes. Actually, I did drive a MT truck for my summer job in 1976, a Sixties Ford pickup. It had 3 on the tree but only 2nd gear worked, so it doesn't really give me any basis for comparison with a 2025 Tacoma...

I agree and noted pretty much all of it myself, great write up.

There's been one too many times I've accidentally slammed it in reverse instead of 1st, usually mostly when I'm not paying attention to the lights which means I'm also quick on letting off the clutch. If not for the warning chime I probably would've kissed a couple bumpers already. Mostly or probably all user error on my part. That said, reverse lockout should be a little more fool-proof than that in my opinion.

The torque fall-off is stupid bad when I'm going from 1st to 2nd, once again maybe only because of my inconsistent clutch/gas work and poor shift times. 1-2 definitely isn't for the weak lol. I do notice some slight torque fall off through the other gears at times, but yet other times I can shift and I'm straight back into the power and turbo spooling. Could very well be sometimes I'm taking too long to shift causing the turbo to slow and need to respool.

I get that clunk religiously entering second gear, for a new truck it's disappointing to hear and feel and I feel we shouldn't. When putting it in first I baby it and just apply enough pressure to let it slip into first on it's own with no force, but I don't get that clunk in any other gear besides 2nd.

I'm so happy someone else can say the same as me with 2H and 4H. I actually love winter driving for the fact that the truck is so much more driveable when in 4H. I don't have any clunking issues, the manual transmission feels great and solid, I have no power dips when switching and all around the manual transmission just feels insanely easier to drive in 4H. It's a weird one, but it's extremely noticable.

 

[Kielly]

Same problem here . For me either i shift to second right after truck start rolling it shifts fine or if i take first to 3000 rpm or more then shift to second it will shift easy but in middle no luck for smooth shift

Yup I agree, I've noticed that too but the worst thing I find with switching to 2nd so prematurely is 1st gear is already short. It's a solid option for someone who doesn't have a lead foot, but when I do it I feel like I need to reach for the splitter switch on the shifter

 

[John Boyd]

I have 3x 6M TRD Off Roads, no issue from 1st to 2nd. Each one is slightly different. My wife is new ish to manual driving and also does not feel there is an issue.

I think you should get your vehicle checked out, but first give it to someone else to drive without describing the issue. Ideally another 6M 4th Gen Taco owner, or anyone who currently drives manual. See if they have an issues with 1st to 2nd, but don't reveal what you think the issue is. What you are describing sounds abnormal and you need to figure out if it is you or the vehicle.

On one vehicle my clutch pedal was loose and needed to be tightened. If you are taking up slack twice (initial depress, then friction point) that makes it really hard to drive smoothly. See attached video. Your clutch pedal should be tight and predictable.

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