Clutch life on 2nd Gen 6 spd

Hi guys! I have an 08 6 spd v6 prerunner and taking the fam on a road trip to yellowstone, pulling a travel trailer. I have 92k miles with the original clutch. I need your thoughts and/or experience on clutch life. Help me keep my family safe on this trip.

 

My experience is around 160-200,000kms so roughly 100,000 miles+ but we have mostly 4x4's here and harsh winters.

The big thing is to not to accelerate in overdrive, especially whilst towing, it puts a huge strain on the pressure plate. Accelerate in 4th, use 5th to hold speed, you shouldn't use 6th while towing.

An experienced tech can tell how close you are to needing a clutch, its based on engagement hieght of the pedal.

 

Thx B. Good pointer on not using 6th. I have towed trailers many times with a Tahoe and F150 and have never used overdrive ie. 6th on this truck. It sounds like your experience is that I should be fine. I just got home from the lake this afternoon as a matter of fact and I pulled my boat. It's amazing how well built these tacoma are.. I truly appreciate your guidance.

 

He has a manual trans = 6 speed

You'll be fine OP as long as it isn't giving you any trouble at the moment.

Edit: feel free to shift into 6th if it makes sense to. The post above referred to auto trans. OD hunts for the right gear when towing and is hard on the auto tranny.

 

Thx S. I like what I'm hearing! Don't want to drop unnecessary cash on a clutch with life left in it..

 

Don't change tranny fluid before the trip. You don't want any surprises. Engine oil, air filter, plugs, clean MAF, new wipers, cabin air filter, diff fluids are all good options - never mess with your transmission right before leaving town.

Have fun at Jellystone! Come see Glacier NP sometime!

 

I do have trailer brakes, tow bars, and sway bar. So, I am good to go in that department

 

Have always serviced at all maintenance schedules. Great tip my man! Will be my wife and daughter's first major road trip and I'm stoked!

 

5th and 6th are overdrive on a manual. The higher the gear, the faster the truck is going, the more resistance from wind and friction. Meaning more stress on the clutch/pp, especially towing.

I'm mostly posting to help extend the life of his current clutch. Feel free to use 6th while towing. I personally wouldn't.

 

You are wrong.
5th gear is direct drive (1:1). 6th is .85.

 

While you're right. I usually make my own decision based on pedal feel. If I have to go deeper than 5% throttle or accelerate to pass, I'd shift out of 6th gear. 6th should be totally fine as long as you're maintaining a speed on level ground, depending on the "flight characteristics" of your trailer. It's really all about the torque you put into the clutch, and if you're barely into the throttle it won't be detrimental. Just don't floor it in 6th to pass someone or climb a hill...

 

I got 160k miles out of my stock clutch and could have gone another 10K.
Went back to an oem one when I replaced it too.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/300-000-miles-today.244798/page-7#post-6805291

With an experienced driver the clutch can last a long time...

 

Well sun of a bitch, my bad. Really used to OD being 5th and 6th with Toyota, but I am most certainly wrong. Looked it up and smacked my head haha.

 

It's not like 1:1 is a magic ratio though that really matters. Ultimately it's how much torque you're putting into the clutch. 5th (even though it's 1:1) might also be inappropriate for a large load and a steep hill even if it can maintain speed in that gear.

 

All good info brothas. Sounds like I would be wasting my money by getting a new clutch @ 92k. I really do appreciate all your info. I now feel confident about leaving the clutch how it is for this trip. It was on my mind quite a bit, funny how us guys worry about things like this..

 

Uhhhh I could have sworn 4th gear was 1:1

 

Swap in a T56 and it will be.

 

You hush. Show me where to retain 4WD and I might.

 

Already have in my build thread. Except AWD.