2011 SR5 Transmission

[EAZY]

Hi all. I'm just looking for a general explanation of the transmission in these vehicles. I know and can do a lot of things, but when it comes to cars I'm pretty clueless.

We bought the 2011 SR5 in October for my wife and I've probably driven it a total of 1 hour since. I got a quick rundown of the option which allows one to use the manual shifting in lieu of the automatic. I've had no time to mess around with the car yet and only read the manual thus far to see what some of the dash buttons are for.

Can you guys give me a rundown of the manual shifting option, i.e. when you use it, why you use it, benefits, etc.? Also, I read the thread about problems when shifting between 1st and 2nd; is that a problem only when using the manual option? And talk to me like I know nothing about cars...because I don't. Thanks in advance!

 

[snow-n-surf]

First things first.. only 1 hour since October? Drive that thing man! Best way to learn about it is to play with it!

The manual option you refer to essentially lets you control the highest gear that the car will shift into. For example, if you are stopped and you switch the shifter from "D" to "S" it will default to "4" on the dash. This means that your 4R will not shift into 5th gear. This is similar to "Overdrive OFF" on a lot of cars. As far as I know shifting into "S" will not affect when the car shifts into the next highest gear (like some cars "sport" or "tow" modes do), only the heaviness of your foot will control that.

Now if you are still stopped, and you downshift into "1", you can control the shift points of the transmission as you accelerate. "1" revvvvvv (shift) "2" revvvvvvv (shift) "3" revvvvvvv (shift) "4" revvvvvv, etc. That being said, if you step on the gas hard and tell the transmission to shift up too soon for that level of acceleration, the car won't shift until it deems it appropriate based on how far your foot is into the gas pedal. So in summary, you would use the "S" mode when you want the transmission to hold in gear longer than it would normally.

When do you use it? I most frequently use the "S" mode when I am driving on hills or when passing someone. Instead of having to push the gas pedal way down to get your car to downshift and lurch forward to pass or to maintain speed up a hill, you can simply shift over into "S", which will automatically downshift to "4" and give you more power at cruising speed. Still not enough power? Downshift into "3", etc. So it basically allows you to downshift without having to keep pressing the gas pedal further and further until it downshifts and winds out.

As far as I'm concerned, you will get the best gas mileage in "D" because it will shift at the lowest possible RPM. When using "S" and shifting manually you could be burning more gas between shifts and thus getting worse gas mileage.

Also, I have not verified this on the 4R but I know other cars do this--if you shift into "1" at a stop and you take off and forget you did so. The car will eventually shift for you before it revs up too high. I also have heard that it won't down downshift into a gear that is too low for the transmission. The car is "smarter" than you. Again, I have not verified this myself so don't try to put it in "1" at 80 and blame me! :thumb3: