stanleybb50
New member
I simply would absolutely not want more than 6 gears...
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- Thread starter TRDSmokedU
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Actually? Yes! That's exactly what I want. With cruise control on at 1500rpm I can get 23-24mpg *easy*, as opposed to the 19-20 I get at 2000rpm....
In fact~ I decided to do the math...and please correct me if my math is wrong... it's late and I'm tired! LOL
Assuming gas is at $4/ gallon, over the course of 100,000 miles at 20 mpg you'd use 5000 gallons and spend $20,000 on gas
: but before you freak out... at 24mpg you'd still use 4167 gallons and spend $16,667 on gas. That's only $3333 dollars, which over 5 years isn't that much, though I'd rather put $55 worth of sushi in my mouth each month instead if feeding it to Mobil etc~ And that's just at $4/ gallon
Now if the 5th gens are as bullet-proof as past models my intent has always been to use mine as a daily driver until it's paid off (at around 100,000 miles) and have it as my second/ fun/ beach/ foul weather/ ski trip/ utility vehicle forever after. That long-term plan was one of the primary reasons I chose a 4Runner over anything else in the first place!
HOWEVER: if Toyota added a 6th gear like you described as a mid-model upgrade/ refresh I'd trade mine in tomorrow and without a second thought. By the time it reaches 200,000 miles at Lord-knows-what-price I know I'll be way ahead of the game, as gas won't be getting any cheaper over time...
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stanleybb50
New member
Actually? Yes! That's exactly what I want. With cruise control on at 1500rpm I can get 23-24mpg *easy*, as opposed to the 19-20 I get at 2000rpm....
In fact~ I decided to do the math...and please correct me if my math is wrong... it's late and I'm tired! LOL
Assuming gas is at $4/ gallon, over the course of 100,000 miles at 20 mpg you'd use 5000 gallons and spend $20,000 on gas
And that's just at $4/ gallon
Now if the 5th gens are as bullet-proof as past models my intent has always been to use mine as a daily driver until it's paid off (at around 100,000 miles) and have it as my second/ fun/ beach/ foul weather/ ski trip/ utility vehicle forever after. That long-term plan was one of the primary reasons I chose a 4Runner over anything else in the first place!
HOWEVER: if Toyota added a 6th gear like you described as a mid-model upgrade/ refresh I'd trade mine in tomorrow and without a second thought. By the time it reaches 200,000 miles at Lord-knows-what-price I know I'll be way ahead of the game, as gas won't be getting any cheaper over time...
Its not all about RPM's... Wind resistance is more of a factor when you increase speeds. If you're trying to make a comparo, there's a huge source of error.
All the xtra shifting would create more heat. More heat = more wear on the fluid = more wear on the trans.
Yes, I guess they could factor in some sort of clutch packs that can handle all the xtra shifting, and a much more robust torque converter, but seems that it could come as a potential risk to reliability and a higher selling cost due to the new ''fancy 8 speed'' transmission, wiping out the 1 mpg savings.
I'm so happy with 5 or 6 gears max. Beyond that just go CVT or something...
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This is another example why Toyota is so far ahead of American cars in reliability, quality and longevity. Toyota is based on a manufacturing principle of making very small changes over long periods of time in order to produce a quality product over and over again. Sadly, most Americans fall for the "next big thing" marketing gimmicks that our domestic manufacturers use. How often have you heard "totally redesigned" from a reliable auto manufacturer?
Stanley - Agreed. Wind resistance plays a HUGE role in fuel economy when you're talking about highway speeds. Aero drag is a function of the square of velocity. More than likely, at 70mph, the 1GR doesn't make enough power at 1500rpm to maintain that speed. Thus, the transmission would downshift to 5th gear anyway. Unless the engine and gearing combination makes enough power to overcome drivetrain, aero, and rolling resistance drag at 70mph and the engine spinning at 1500rpm, that extra 6th gear is a complete waste.
Personally, I'd rather see them do a hybrid with an electric motor powering the front wheels. You ditch mass of the transfer case (that is parasitic drag savings via removing inertia) and you get the ability to recover energy that is normally lost to braking. The Lexus LS600h uses an eCVT (soooo much more simple than a traditional transmission and a bigger range in gear ratios so the engine only spins as fast as it has to) with a 2 speed reduction gear on the electric motor, which sounds as if it could be used as a low range. That is something I'd trade for my 4Runner.
Personally, I'd rather see them do a hybrid with an electric motor powering the front wheels. You ditch mass of the transfer case (that is parasitic drag savings via removing inertia) and you get the ability to recover energy that is normally lost to braking. The Lexus LS600h uses an eCVT (soooo much more simple than a traditional transmission and a bigger range in gear ratios so the engine only spins as fast as it has to) with a 2 speed reduction gear on the electric motor, which sounds as if it could be used as a low range. That is something I'd trade for my 4Runner.
Speaking of an electric 4runner and the fact you seem to own a Mini, have you seen this? Electric Mini: 0-60 in 4 Seconds: It Has Motors In Its Wheels : TreeHugger
JB.
New member
Actually? Yes! That's exactly what I want. With cruise control on at 1500rpm I can get 23-24mpg *easy*, as opposed to the 19-20 I get at 2000rpm....
In fact~ I decided to do the math...and please correct me if my math is wrong... it's late and I'm tired! LOL
Assuming gas is at $4/ gallon, over the course of 100,000 miles at 20 mpg you'd use 5000 gallons and spend $20,000 on gas
And that's just at $4/ gallon
Now if the 5th gens are as bullet-proof as past models my intent has always been to use mine as a daily driver until it's paid off (at around 100,000 miles) and have it as my second/ fun/ beach/ foul weather/ ski trip/ utility vehicle forever after. That long-term plan was one of the primary reasons I chose a 4Runner over anything else in the first place!
HOWEVER: if Toyota added a 6th gear like you described as a mid-model upgrade/ refresh I'd trade mine in tomorrow and without a second thought. By the time it reaches 200,000 miles at Lord-knows-what-price I know I'll be way ahead of the game, as gas won't be getting any cheaper over time...
Mpg increase wouldn't be close to 4, even if you could use the gear.
Torque at the wheels would be about 2/3rds of that at 2000 rpms in 5th gear. Transmission would never stay in 6th for very long and trying to use cruise control would be a nightmare and only hurt mpg.
The author of the last paragraph, who would jump at the chance to eat a large trade-in depreciation loss, appears to be a different person from the one who is interested in cumulative fuel cost savings over 5-10 years.
