This is me all winter long, except I'm not laughing.
And then all the fanboys try to correct me when I say the powertrain is the worst part of the 5th gen b/c "reliable".
Gear hunting while in cruise control is "Character" per Toyota
- Thread starter Charles Bronson
- Start date
This is me all winter long, except I'm not laughing.
And then all the fanboys try to correct me when I say the powertrain is the worst part of the 5th gen b/c "reliable".
2021nightshade4x4
New member
This one won’t. I’m a fan of reliability but not to the detriment of functionality. Because then we’d be right back at square 1 with a machine that can’t do the job.
As customers with checks in hand, we have certain expectations of how vehicles will drive in 2021. We don’t have flying cars, but I do expect that my cars will FLY!
[emoji23]
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2021nightshade4x4
New member
Does anyone know if the 2007-2009 Tundras with the 4.7L V8 and 5-speed A750F also had the same gear hunting problem?
2010 got the 4.6 V8 coupled to a 6 speed auto.
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2010 got the 4.6 V8 coupled to a 6 speed auto.
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03_4x4Runner
Senior Member
My old 2003 4runner with the 4.7 engine and 5 speed auto basically hunted the same as my 2014 but the V8 was so smooth and good sounding running that rpm is seemed more natural. If we had more gears you could have a ratio between 4 and 5 and 3 and 4.
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2021nightshade4x4
New member
IIRC the power and torque curves on the V6 are anything but flat.
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Ron Burgandy
New member
This isn’t a toyota problem, any stock gas engine since their induction has never been able to hold overdrive climbing a hill. There just isn’t enough torque at low rpms.
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Charles Bronson
Member
Most of us aren't talking about steep hills where a downshift is necessary. We're talking long, minor highway grades. The 4runner is more than capable to handle those sort of grades in 5th with the CC off as I do it all the time. But with CC on, it will often downshift to 4th. Rather than unlock the TC to get the extra torque multiplication to crest the grade, the ECU decides a 5 to 4 shift is better. Makes no sense why they do this way. This over-reactive shift logic also appears to be the cause of gear hunting and holding onto 4th for an excessive amount of time well after cresting the hill.
Charles Bronson
Member
A few days ago we took my wife's 4Runner on the 3 hour trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. The trip from Kansas City is full of long, minor inclines as well as steeper short hills. Speeds ranged from 60mph to 80mph. Just prior to the trip, I convinced my wife to uninstall the TRD exhaust and put on the stock exhaust back on because the kids and myself were getting headaches from the all the drone that exhaust creates under almost any load. We had the TRD exhaust installed for 1 year.
Obviously, the trip was FAR FAR FAR more enjoyable with the major reduction in drone. My biggest surprise though was that the truck NEVER once gear hunted. The throttle response also felt a bit better and the transmission would do unlocking of the torque converter in 5th as opposed to almost always shifting into 4th. Even more surprising was the MPGs. We saw nearly 20mpg for the trip including running through 15mph cross and headwinds and a paddle board strapped to the top.
I think the 4.0 V6 and transmission ECU are not happy with the higher flowing TRD exhaust given that it's annoying shifting behaviors were significantly reduced with the install of the stock exhaust.
Obviously, the trip was FAR FAR FAR more enjoyable with the major reduction in drone. My biggest surprise though was that the truck NEVER once gear hunted. The throttle response also felt a bit better and the transmission would do unlocking of the torque converter in 5th as opposed to almost always shifting into 4th. Even more surprising was the MPGs. We saw nearly 20mpg for the trip including running through 15mph cross and headwinds and a paddle board strapped to the top.
I think the 4.0 V6 and transmission ECU are not happy with the higher flowing TRD exhaust given that it's annoying shifting behaviors were significantly reduced with the install of the stock exhaust.
2021nightshade4x4
New member
Are there any differences between the exhaust that comes stock on TRD Pro and the retail-packaged TRD exhaust that’s meant as an add-on?
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I struggle to believe an exhaust change impacted your CC gear hunting. I went from non TRD to the TRD exhaust and the gear hunting was exactly the same before and after.
Sounds like wishful placebo associated with removing something you didn’t like.
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tifflieger
New member
When approaching a hill in CC the truck is suddenly faced with having to downshift to maintain speed. When approaching the hill without CC engaged there is a natural subconscious tendency for the driver to mentally anticipate the hill and start giving it more gas before actually climbing or early in the climb, thus avoiding a downshift.
That explains in my driving why it may downshift with CC engaged but not downshift with CC not engaged.
That explains in my driving why it may downshift with CC engaged but not downshift with CC not engaged.
Bruin1md
New member
Wait what !??
You’re saying there is no SC option for a 2020??
Sheeeeeit……
I’m really struggling justifying keeping the 4Runner at this altitude if I can’t do something about the lack of power.
It’s driving me crazy on drives back up the mountains.
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Charles Bronson
Member
I wouldn't have believed it either. We'll see how it does on some other road trips. It didn't do it once on that 400 mile trip and there were tons of hills. Without that POS exhaust, it makes the 5th to 4th downshift far less noticable too. It doesn't even bother me now.
Charles Bronson
Member
I'm not aware of anything. The part numbers are the same too. I feel really bad for 2020+ Pro owners having to deal with that system. It is shocking to me that Toyota would have approved something so loud and drony for an OEM system. It is nearly impossible to make a naturally aspirated V6 sound good.
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2021nightshade4x4
New member
Right.
Good sounding ones are either a mellow I-6 or revvy boxer 6, or sound of the engine is completely masked by turbo or the exhaust creates such a cacophony that tone becomes secondary to volume.
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Bruin1md
New member
It’s absolutely awful. I’m a lover of great exhaust notes— nothing was better than my Shelby GT350.
But this trd pro exhaust is absolutely terrible. This October will be 2 years of owning this vehicle and I can’t believe I haven’t swapped it out yet.
I was waiting to see if the magnusson SC would be an option before I did so. Now that I know it won’t, I need to get a performance exhaust with a tune if I’m going to keep this vehicle. Otherwise, it’s jeep, here I come
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Charles Bronson
Member
Funny you mention that. I have a BMW M235 with a M Performance exhaust and downpipe with a much smaller catalytic converter. My wife asks why I can have an exhaust on my car and her not have one on her 4runner. It's hard to explain to a non-car person why an I6 single turbo motors can sound glorious without drone or excessive cabin noise. So many factors to consider like the OEM electronic valve in the exhaust, the naturally muffling of the exhaust by the turbo, the I6 firing order, BMW's use of a ton of insulating materials, a muffler that doesn't sit under the cabin which then turns the cabin into an exhaust drone amplifier. She thinks I'm just making excuses.
As the previous owner of two modded Nissan and Infiniti V6 cars, I learned that you can't make a V6 sound good.
The TRD exhaust sounds very much like a 1990s/early 2000s GM 3800 series V6 with an exhaust. It's terrible. It would probably sound quite a bit better and drone less if Toyota would use a 7 to 8 speed auto. The long gearing of the 4runner's 5 speed makes the exhaust drone way more.
Charles Bronson
Member
You're not going to get a good sound out of the V6, I promise you that. I would contact Magnusson and see if they've made any progress with a tune for the later year 4runners. I'd buy either a used non-TRD exhaust or buy a brand new one from Toyota (about $600) and sell the TRD exhaust for $300-400. I promise you'll be SO MUCH HAPPIER with the 4runner.
