V-6 5-speed auto owners?

C

Camprunner

New member
I was wondering how often all you V-6 5 speed auto people drop down to 4th gear on a long hill cuz you feal like the truck is working to hard in 5th (or should I say not pulling enough RPM). I find myself in 4th quite often.

"06" V-6 sport
 
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if it feels like it is struggling a little bit on 5th gear, then i step down to 4th gear. especially if you dont have the momentum going uphill.
 
Jacobzky said:
if it feels like it is struggling a little bit on 5th gear, then i step down to 4th gear. especially if you dont have the momentum going uphill.
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I do not think it's a power issue I think the trans does not kick down fast enough or 5th gear is a little to tall? maybe a little of both?
 
I play with the gears most of the time.. switching from 5 to 4 sometimes 3 if needed... (i guess this is the effect of driving a manual after so many years)... when going uphill on a 2 lane road i usually use 4 specially when the car infront is too darn slow.:p
 
When I tow my Jayco camper im in forth most of the time (I just think it's the smart thing to do) but I sometimes wonder if I should be in 5th on a flat road. Going 65/70 mph in 4th I think im pulling aprox 3k on the tack and I don't know if im working the mtr to hard or if I go into 5th will I be working the trans to hard lowering the revs to aprox 2K (pulling aprox 4,800lbs). ??
 
Not sure when towing but when going 65/70 on a flat road you should just put the gear on D. Don't quote me on that though, there's a lot of members here who tow as well.. they would definitely know the answer...

When i'm driving my wife's FX35 i normally just use auto mode (don't know what it's called but you get the idea :D ) It has this feature called REV matching gears.. so when i switch it to semi-manual mode (going around 60/65 on the freeway) it would be on 4th gear:confused: instead of being on 5th gear already...

With that said, based on my own observation, the gears on the 4runner is shorter compared to my wife's FX (low speed differential=4runner and High speed differential=FX35) and they're both V6.
 

I sometimes notice that my 4Runner will "hunt for gears" on certain hills - such as I-70 in Maryland or approaching the Varina-Enon Bridge on I-295 in VA. If it is a bit windy, the V6 doesn't quite have the torque to pull it in fifth gear......or at least without the truck giving the feeling that the engine is 'lugging' a bit.

I have knocked it down to '4' until I get back on level ground, and that seems to alleviate the problem. IMHO, I bet that Toyota uses the same transmission & similar gearing from the V8 4Runner in the V6 models, and there is slightly less torque available.

Nevertheless, you still won't get my 4.0 V6 from me unless you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
:bigok:

P.S. I drove 20 highway miles to work with my truck in '4' and never noticed it; certainly a testament to the quiet power of the V6.
 
Sometimes I use 4th to gain speed fast to pass on highway...but not sure if it has any difference from just pushing the gas harder on D.
 
I find the transmission's shift points and converter lock-ups to behave excellently. Even when towing (relative light load) things are fine driving the hills of Tenn. and North Carolina.

What I don't like is the cruise control interaction. It tries to maintain speed too diligently and results in needlessly hard down-shifting on hills.
 
I often manually shift over the 4th for hills or on undulating highway to avoid the up and down shifting. In town it almost bogs down in 5th overdrive at 35-40mph (you know the vibey drown when revs are too low), I dont think its necessary to even be in 5th at these speeds.

How much fun will a 5 or 6 speed auto with sequential tipshift be on the 5th gen.....! Since the 07 tundra has it, I would say its a given that all the next generation auto's will have tipshift.

On a different topic, has anyone ever noticed a slight drown from the diff of driveshaft at 60mph highway? Mine has 40k on it and this started a little while ago, only audible with the radio off and goes away as speed increases.
 
dwulffusa said:
I often manually shift over the 4th for hills or on undulating highway to avoid the up and down shifting. In town it almost bogs down in 5th overdrive at 35-40mph (you know the vibey drown when revs are too low), I dont think its necessary to even be in 5th at these speeds.

How much fun will a 5 or 6 speed auto with sequential tipshift be on the 5th gen.....! Since the 07 tundra has it, I would say its a given that all the next generation auto's will have tipshift.

On a different topic, has anyone ever noticed a slight drown from the diff of driveshaft at 60mph highway? Mine has 40k on it and this started a little while ago, only audible with the radio off and goes away as speed increases.
Click to expand...

I don't know why they let the darn thing go into 5th OD. around 35/40mph I hate that slight vib/bog feal.

As for the slight drone I notice it as well I have no clue what it is but I hope it is not a sign the rear diff is on it's way out.
 
yeah, 5th gear at 1000 rpm seems pretty low but variable valve timing torque makes this somewhat more practical. Certainly the transmission shift calibration is driven by the EPA fuel economy drive cycle.

So when the engine seems to lug in 5th gear just remember that you're operating most economically.
 
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