Starting in S Mode

So tomorrow I'm towing a small little camper.
Say 1,200 pounds to be on the safe side, probably a bit less.
250 pounds in the bed tops.
200 pounds in the truck tops.

Flat(ish) terrain no real climbs to speak of ( Phx to Tucson )

From a dead stop to the hwy to 70 mph what would you folks recommend:
ECT only entire trip?
S Mode only entire trip?
ECT + S Mode entire trip?

If S mode at all, start at S3 (?) and let the system shift up when called for?
Start at S1 or S2 ? ...

 

I don’t tow but I have hauled a few heavy loads in the bed and use ECT during those times. If I remember correctly the manual recommends ECT for towing. I also only swap over to S mode if I get too much shifting up and down. I see no need to have to start in S mode but you can if you want. If I were doing that at the start I would go 1-2-3 etc like it’s a manual lol.

Having the 2TR-FE 4cyl I know all about using ECT and S mode, try it out yourself. Typically around town and rural roads I’m in ECT (a friend of mine with the V6 does the same), high speeds on Interstate highways it’s off and normal auto unless i get shifting up and down on grades then I swap to S mode. I would suspect towing at some point on highways you’ll see the need to go to S mode. I’ve run in ECT alone on Interstates but that alone won’t minimize Shifting, S mode will. You can run both, I did as an experiment to see impact on mpg and didn’t see a noticeable difference. Experiment, learn, have fun with it.

 

ECT and S-5 or S-4. No need to shift through manually, the idea is to keep the trans out of the overdrive gear. Since you're towing a relatively light load on flat terrain I would think S5 would probably be ok. Just my $0.02

 

Just so you know, with it in ECT and Smode 4 when you start out it will shift exactly the same as starting out in ECT and Drive until you reach 4th gear, at which point Drive will let it shift to 5th/6th while Smode at 4 will limit it to 4th gear. Same logic applies with Smode at 5. Smode only limits the top gear the automatic transmission will be allowed to shift to, it can shift lower any time the ECU senses a need to shift.
ECT on the other hand changes the actual shift points to a higher rpm before it shifts to a higher gear hence improved performance under a load.

Update: Say your in Smode 5 and hit a grade and it bogs down a bit, at some point it will automatically shift down to 4 but I would manually shift it to S4, then S 3 if needed, treat er like a manual when you want.

 

This is the answer.

 

^^
This is the why
lol

 

You'd be fine with even just drive and ect with that load. To be safe and avoid some hunting, slap it in s5 and just don't worry about it.

 

I have a similar towing situation. I only towed it once this year in the foothills of NC, so not flat-ish by any means. I used S4 and ECT, and occasionally shifted to S5 if the road was flat or downhill. Expect 12-14 MPGs. Also expect some high RPMs, but that's where the Tacoma power is. Sometimes it's not always the weight towed, but the added drag of the trailer makes a difference too.

 

S5 and leave it there. I tow a 5x10 utility trailer with my snowmobile on it that likely weighs close to that. Its fairly hilly using a combination of interstate roads, and secondary 2 lane highways....45-75 mph.

 

Just pulled this rig 2,000 miles from Coalville, UT to Las Cruces, NM to Mora, NM to Phoenix, AZ. Lots of steep grades.

Just push the shifter left into “S4” and leave it. RPM settles at 2800 for 70 mph. I played with ECT but never felt it did much. Cruise control works well, but up steeper grades the truck annoyingly shifts back and forth between 4th to 3rd and back to 4th. I stopped cruise at those points and used my foot for better control. Overall, I thought the truck pulled well.

 

S5 and S6 are both overdrive gears. S4 is your 1:1 drive gear and what the manual recommends for towing

 

I think you are over thinking this. Just do whatever is most comfortable for you. I suspect the aversion of overdrive people repeat a lot is an anachronism.

 

Reading this question, I think that you may have a misunderstanding into what S-Mode does and how it functions. S-Mode is oddly named like it is Sport mode or something but that is not it's purpose. It is a way for the operator to hold the transmission into a gear. So if you put the it into S-1 then it will not go past first gear. That is going to be really hard in fuel economy on your trip. Now if you put it in S-4 as suggested above then the transmission will shift normally up and down as needed but will not go above fourth gear.

For me, I would be trying to keep the engine around 1800 to 2000 rpms and adjust what gear I am in, to maintain that rpm. That gives some torque to accelerate or compression to decelerate if needed.

 

You may need to read up on how a torque converter functions and torque converter lockup. This is most certainly not an anachronism as it's a feature in all modern automatic transmissions

 

Perfect this looks about the same weight as my setup.

 

No it doesn't. It says use S5 or lower and ECT when towing.

 

Keep towing in overdrive and see how that works out for ya. You'll have plenty of time for new boot goofin as you walk home

 

ECT+S
Keep it in S5

 

I towed about #3500 yesterday through relatively flatlands to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains over 275 miles. S4 and S5 both towed at 195-198. S3 spiked to 214 on hills. All temps were at speed limit, so 65 or so. I have an aftermarket tranny cooler, but my stock temps were similar. Outdoor ambient will affect it, but that's to be expected, yesterday was almost 90 during my run.

The tranny temps with the converter locked vs unlocked in 4th are pretty much the same. 3rd gear temp climbs, but on hills when the truck is working hard, I'd expect it. This tranny will not hold S5 on anything resembling an incline. So even set to S5, it doesn't climb in S5.

The 6AT in the taco will not bog in any gear, it will downshift long before that happens. I tow a ton and have never seen anything other than a decrease in mpgs being the only difference between S4 or S5. temps are always close.

I have no issue following the manual.

 

I've got 30k miles towing on my truck. I'm not worried. But please, link me a blown 3rd gen AT from towing in S5 like the manual states.