Manual Shifting Annoyance

[Snooperstyle]

When I put my transmission into a certain gear manually and then step on it, the thing automatically downshifts even if I don't want it to. This is normal right?

My old Audi had a multi-tension thing in in the gas pedal where you could "step on it" hard until you got to a certain point, and then if you pushed even harder it would actually shift down, assuming you were in a certain RPM range to protect the engine when auto downshifting. This was only if you were in the S mode. That was real nice.

It is bothersome that when I want to mash the gas in third gear in my T4R, the truck downshifts to second at 5000 rpms or even more. Very jerky, loud, and annoying. The engine has plenty of power in 3rd gear at 2k to 3k RPM for me to accelerate when passing or whatever, but I just cannot predict when it is going to downshift. Why is it "manual shifting mode" when it still automatically shifts? I do understand that it needs to automatically shift if you are too high on the RPMs or that it needs to NOT let you downshift if doing so will result in too high RPMs.

Anybody else annoyed by this or am I crazy? Is it like this in the 4th gens too?

 

[sandcrawler]

4th gens didn't have the S-mode. :shrug:

 

[westwind77]

Anybody else annoyed by this or am I crazy?

Yes, you are crazy! All joking aside the S mode essentially LIMITS your max gear (unless you push it too hard, they it will shift to the next one for safety) Let me give you an example....

If you put it in say 3rd, like you are doing, from a stop the 4R will start out in 1st and shift at a normal (like you were not in S mode) shift point, again it will do the same shifting from 2nd to 3rd, (normal shift point), now when you are in 3rd gear and step on the gas it will NOT shift to 4th until you basically redline the engine, then for safetly it will shift to 4th.

As far as downshifting, the 4R does not care, it knows you want to 'go-fast' so it makes that possible by downshifting to the appropriate gear to get you going. The S mode will not 'lock' you into a gear, not like the old column shifts did back in the day. You put one is second and that is the gear you started out in and it would not shift unitl you made it.

The 4R redline is pretty high (well compared to what I am used to), if you 'mash the gas', as you say, to the floor, if the 4R still can squeeze another 1k out of the engine in a lower gear that is what it will do, and it may be a little rough. Honestly, I have yet to put mine to the floor and that says a lot coming from a 5.9L V8. This 4R has plenty of power and I have never had the need for it...yet. That includes highway merging and passing on 2 lane roads. It is possible that you might have a tranny issue. The early 4R's (mine included) had one, they issued a TSB for it and all is better.

 

[Snooperstyle]

Good point. It does not upshift. I guess the annoyance is only when it decides to downshift. If they had made this truck in a manual I would have bought it. Guess I just need to get better at feeling out when exactly it is gonna downshift on me...

 

[philsey]

Great explanation westwind.

@ snooper, I've noticed this too. Altho I rarely completely floor it, it just takes some getting used to, and pushing the pedal not quite all the way.

 

[magaca]

is this normal? when i put the transmission in S mode it appears on the dash board 4th gear it does not matter if i'm stopped at a red light its just shows 4th gear but the car its actually in first gear, it then automatically shifts to second and so forth, but for example if i put S mode and the car its in second gear then if i down shift manually it will show third gear but still in second gear is this normal? or should it show as i said, if i'm at a complete stop and put S in my opinion it should show 1 gear.

 

[andy24]

This is related to this and I never used the S mode. I went on the parkway today and I always put it in the S section, but it is still in D, not semi D. Now when I move it to semi D, it shows on the dashnoard 4s. I know that is 4th gear. I was also driving in 4th gear for a while on the parkway but I noticed sonething differet. When I put it into the D section,it is fine. I am used to putting it into the Semi D but it alw ay s shows 4s for it now. How do I get it back to normal. This just happened too so i do nt know if starting it again will make it back to normal?

 

[JB.]

When I put my transmission into a certain gear manually and then step on it, the thing automatically downshifts even if I don't want it to. This is normal right?

It is bothersome that when I want to mash the gas in third gear in my T4R, the truck downshifts to second at 5000 rpms or even more. Very jerky, loud, and annoying. The engine has plenty of power in 3rd gear at 2k to 3k RPM for me to accelerate when passing or whatever, but I just cannot predict when it is going to downshift. Why is it "manual shifting mode" when it still automatically shifts? I do understand that it needs to automatically shift if you are too high on the RPMs or that it needs to NOT let you downshift if doing so will result in too high RPMs.

Anybody else annoyed by this or am I crazy? Is it like this in the 4th gens too?

That's too bad. I had high hopes for S mode when I first heard of it but it is apparently just a more convenient way of doing the same kind of shifting that is done with a 4th gen gated shifter. Yes, 4th gen does this too and if you're crazy to be annoyed by it, then welcome to the club, though I've mostly adapted now.

I mostly cope by getting real familiar with what it takes in the pedal to force a downshift but the spectar of the unwanted shift always looms. I also try to be in a gear where only 1 downshift is possible so as to minimize any possible delay.

 

[SeattleMike]

S Mode

I use it for steep descents at slow speed, shifting between 1st and 2nd to take some of the burden off the brakes. I've never bothered with it on the highway.

 

[harper7]

When I put my transmission into a certain gear manually and then step on it, the thing automatically downshifts even if I don't want it to. This is normal right?

My old Audi had a multi-tension thing in in the gas pedal where you could "step on it" hard until you got to a certain point, and then if you pushed even harder it would actually shift down, assuming you were in a certain RPM range to protect the engine when auto downshifting. This was only if you were in the S mode. That was real nice.

It is bothersome that when I want to mash the gas in third gear in my T4R, the truck downshifts to second at 5000 rpms or even more. Very jerky, loud, and annoying. The engine has plenty of power in 3rd gear at 2k to 3k RPM for me to accelerate when passing or whatever, but I just cannot predict when it is going to downshift. Why is it "manual shifting mode" when it still automatically shifts? I do understand that it needs to automatically shift if you are too high on the RPMs or that it needs to NOT let you downshift if doing so will result in too high RPMs.

Anybody else annoyed by this or am I crazy? Is it like this in the 4th gens too?

Hard to explain , but it's a fail safe for people not matching their gear to their rpms.If it stayed in the wrong higher gear the torque converter would overheat and probably blow up! NO automatics will stay in a higher gear when a lower gear is required by the rpms/torque required or else it would trash the converter and tranny .

Imagine you were driving a manual and you left the shifter in 4th gear and the revs/torque required it to be in second ...IT WOULD STALL.Same thing with an automatic stall converter, but it has failsafe to prevent that and protect the stall converter.

What your asking it to do..... stay in 3rd or 4th for example when the rpms/torque required dictate it be in 2nd would trash the torque converter if it stayed in that gear. Therefore the ECU says WTF and downshifts to match revs./torque.

What the S mode is good for is starting out in 1st and shift at ~4500-5000 rpm's to second and row thru the gears. It has a rev limiter at 5500rpm for a failsafe so you can't screw it up.

It's also good for down shifting to bring the revs and torque up. Like when your passing or on a on ramp.

I drive in S mode almost all the time !

 

[d2dak]

I use it for steep descents at slow speed, shifting between 1st and 2nd to take some of the burden off the brakes. I've never bothered with it on the highway.

+1 me too:hello:

 

[rook]

My old Audi had a multi-tension thing in in the gas pedal where you could "step on it" hard until you got to a certain point, and then if you pushed even harder it would actually shift down, assuming you were in a certain RPM range to protect the engine when auto downshifting. This was only if you were in the S mode. That was real nice.

I have a V-dub with the tiptronic. Whether in manual or auto mode, there is a definite spot in the pedal where you KNOW it is going to downshift. That override has to be there for emergency situations I suppose but it is great to drive that car because you control when the tranny performs a hard kick-down.

The 4Runners (at least my gen) electronic pedal has very little feedback. It will kick-down with subtle inputs at times. Usually, when I'm half to 2/3rds the way up a hill, I will dip a little more into the throttle and get that hard kick from my V8.

 

[philsey]

I don't use S much - I will more in the snow. What I do find useful is "4" whilst driving around town. It prevents that slightly annoying hunting between 4 and 5 at town speeds.

 

[Ryan_S]

"S" is more like "don't go over this gear (please)" than "use this gear".

Very useful on the trail, I left it in 2 to prevent downshifting every time you slow down and speed up again.