View Poll Results: Automatic or 5 spd Manual?
Automatic
27
26.47%
5 spd Manual
75
73.53%
Voters: 102. You may not vote on this poll
Auto vrs 5spd
02-24-2004 | 07:22 PM
#41
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: The rolling hills of Cavan, Ontario
Originally Posted by aviator
...go with the 5spd Cheers Aviator
EVERYONE...let me know if you know where there is a 90 - 95 4runner 3.0 that is at least a 7/10. I've looked at about 20 now, and NOTHING compares to my '91, either in mechanical or body. I'm starting to think I'm gonna tell the insurance adjuster to just FIX mine!
02-24-2004 | 07:41 PM
#42
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Phoenix, AZ
OKay...I finally got my hands on a '95 AUTO....and I must not know what power is. It was just as peppy as my '96. I was very pleased with it. I drove it through some extremely hilly areas and was very happy with it's ride/power. Maybe I have been driving this 4cy Jeep too much...but I was SOOO happy with the Runner. Unfortunately it had 150k on it and was making some very odd noises that the guy claimed was the speedometer. Also had that infamous ticking sound. So I passed for now till the guy comes down a little more.
02-24-2004 | 07:51 PM
#43
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,587
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From: Whitehorse, Yukon
To jump on this thread, I don't know why people drive autos. 
As someone that uses alot of different vehicles all the time, if I drove an auto, then had to hop into a manual, I'd be hooped.
I never understood the extreme lack of power that people complain about the 2nd gens. It's not the most powerful engine out there by any means, but I think it's perfect. At least on the 5-speed. I would assume it's alot wimpier with the auto.
As someone that uses alot of different vehicles all the time, if I drove an auto, then had to hop into a manual, I'd be hooped.
I never understood the extreme lack of power that people complain about the 2nd gens. It's not the most powerful engine out there by any means, but I think it's perfect. At least on the 5-speed. I would assume it's alot wimpier with the auto.
02-24-2004 | 11:38 PM
#46
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 487
Likes: 1
From: Auburn, CA
Definitely manual. I'd rather be the one deciding what the shift points are... The only automatic I ever had was in a 92 Eddie Bauer Bronco with a 351 Winsor. There was enough power to make this bearable, but I still wished for 4 speed manual. That woulda been sweet! I have to admit that it was nice in stop and go traffic, but I try to avoid that at all costs. So far I've been pretty fortunate and don't live in an area that that is a major issue. When traveling in areas where it is, I try to pick times that minimize the stop and go.
02-27-2004 | 08:31 AM
#48
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 150
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From: Atlanta, GA
I suppose it really just amounts to what you want. I have an auto and the ONLY
reason I got an auto (after driving nothing but 5-speeds for 20+ years) is the
stop-n-go traffic I encounter now on my daily commute. With a 5-speed this
type of driving really wears you out.
I have no trouble with power but I have a supercharged 3.4L. When I'm not in
heavy traffic I do wish I had a 5-speed. Just much more fun to drive when you
have open road. The auto-tranny is very shift happy and tends to keep the
engine very geared down unless you give it a lot of gas.
reason I got an auto (after driving nothing but 5-speeds for 20+ years) is the
stop-n-go traffic I encounter now on my daily commute. With a 5-speed this
type of driving really wears you out.
I have no trouble with power but I have a supercharged 3.4L. When I'm not in
heavy traffic I do wish I had a 5-speed. Just much more fun to drive when you
have open road. The auto-tranny is very shift happy and tends to keep the
engine very geared down unless you give it a lot of gas.
02-27-2004 | 02:03 PM
#49
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 10,666
Likes: 5
From: Oklahoma State
To swap a 3.4 into a 2nd gen is very expensive (like starting about $8000) 
. You would be better off getting a 3rd gen.
The 3.slow/auto and the correct gearing is not too bad. It just comes from the factory geared too high to start with and when you go to bigger tires it gets really bad. I ran 5.71 gears and 33" tires with the 3.slow/auto and it was great. Now I have 5.29 gears and it is kind of slow again, but I can go 70 mph in 3rd gear and tach about 4000 rpms. OD is useable but a hill or head wind will lug the engine and I have to drop it out of OD. Yeah like someone else said, the cruise control drives me crazy with a headwind or hilly road.
BTW I find wheeling with the auto great. Not having to deal with a clutch is great for slow crawling over rocks, etc.
. You would be better off getting a 3rd gen. The 3.slow/auto and the correct gearing is not too bad. It just comes from the factory geared too high to start with and when you go to bigger tires it gets really bad. I ran 5.71 gears and 33" tires with the 3.slow/auto and it was great. Now I have 5.29 gears and it is kind of slow again, but I can go 70 mph in 3rd gear and tach about 4000 rpms. OD is useable but a hill or head wind will lug the engine and I have to drop it out of OD. Yeah like someone else said, the cruise control drives me crazy with a headwind or hilly road.
BTW I find wheeling with the auto great. Not having to deal with a clutch is great for slow crawling over rocks, etc.
02-27-2004 | 02:16 PM
#50
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,736
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From: Greenville, South Carolina
I love my manual. I started out with a 92 Toyota PU 4x4 5speed. It wasn't fast by any means but I guess it did ok. I would have hated to have an auto in that thing. Then I bought an automatic 4x4 Tahoe and hated every minute of it (first becasue it was chevy and not a Toy and second it was an auto). After selling the Tahoe and getting my 3rd Gen with the manual, I couldn't be happier.
02-27-2004 | 05:16 PM
#51
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 285
Likes: 0
From: Tampa, FL
In general I prefer automatic transmissions, but in this case I picked the manual. In most cases I would want an auto if it's going to be a daily driver.
I've got a 2nd gen 3.0 auto and it's not intolerable, but it's definatly lacking in power. I'd take the stick if you are looking at 2nd gen 3.0's just to help compensate for the lack of power.
-Keith
I've got a 2nd gen 3.0 auto and it's not intolerable, but it's definatly lacking in power. I'd take the stick if you are looking at 2nd gen 3.0's just to help compensate for the lack of power.
-Keith
02-27-2004 | 05:41 PM
#52
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 767
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From: Way down in the hole...
Not to drag this off topic too much, but I'm curious if anyone knows what the big-time rock-crawlers use. I love having a manual, went out of my way to find it (and now that I'm in LA, I'm still glad I have it-helps when I have to cut someone off....
). When I was looking I figured a manual would be better for off road, but whenever I take a look at the 4wheel mags it seems like more trucks have auto-setups....enlighten me please...
(so yeah, I vote manual)
). When I was looking I figured a manual would be better for off road, but whenever I take a look at the 4wheel mags it seems like more trucks have auto-setups....enlighten me please...(so yeah, I vote manual)
02-27-2004 | 07:39 PM
#54
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 737
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From: The rolling hills of Cavan, Ontario
For what it's worth, I FINALLY found a 5 speed. It took a lot of looking in every corner of the city, but the primary purpose of the post is complete.I just prefer a manual, over all. As for what the rockers run, I'd think that the manual would give them the ability to use the starter motor to get them out of really tight spots IE: while in gear, bump the starter to get small, low torque direct-drive momentum.
Thanks to all for the wide range of input! Once again, Yotatech has helped me enjoy my Runner that much more. Just another reason why I'm a Contributing Member!
Thanks to all for the wide range of input! Once again, Yotatech has helped me enjoy my Runner that much more. Just another reason why I'm a Contributing Member!
02-27-2004 | 08:03 PM
#55
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,550
Likes: 1
From: Canton, Ohio
Blair, glad you found a new 4Runner!
Worth noting is that some pro rockcrawlers have such low gearing that brakes do not work with an auto. That is to say that the power of the ultra-low crawl ratio is more than the breaks can hold back so they just burn up. With a clutch, this is never an issue. The rigs with the lowest crawl ratios (like 550:1) all are manuals. Trying to learn to rockcrawl with a stick is not a good idea for most, it is better to learn how to crawl, than throw the stick in. I have a 5speed, it was one of my main criterias when searching for a 4x4.
Lamm
Worth noting is that some pro rockcrawlers have such low gearing that brakes do not work with an auto. That is to say that the power of the ultra-low crawl ratio is more than the breaks can hold back so they just burn up. With a clutch, this is never an issue. The rigs with the lowest crawl ratios (like 550:1) all are manuals. Trying to learn to rockcrawl with a stick is not a good idea for most, it is better to learn how to crawl, than throw the stick in. I have a 5speed, it was one of my main criterias when searching for a 4x4.
Lamm
02-28-2004 | 06:35 PM
#56
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 437
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From: Fort Worth TX
Originally Posted by AgRunner06
Here's my advice to anyone who is going to buy a 2nd gen.
Get a 5 speed.
I wish I had.
Ok, I guess I can explain. Well, here's my situation. I'm running 31s and geared for the 225s. This is a very bad combo on top of an already slow vehicle. This is why I'm doing my exhaust soon to hopefully pick of a few more ponies. The auto doesn't do well on the interstate, hills and wind in particular. When my tranny unlocks on the highway (which can easily happen) it will go to about 3K or maybe a little higher. If it happens to downshift to 3rd (which doesn't happen often) the rpms shoot to about 4K. My cruise control is useless. It will come up on a hill, begin to slow, and then downshift and send the rpms through the roof. When I'm driving I usually speed up a little before hills that way I don't lose too much speed. Maybe I'm making it sound more worse than it really is. I can still accelerate up some hills, just nothing too big (also depending on the wind). That's not much acceleration I'm talking about either. Maybe a few to 5 mph depending on the hill. A headwind (depending on the strength) can pose a real problem when getting on the highway and even maintaining speeds. I've found that I can accelerate faster by turning off OD so that it locks up in third and then turning OD back on at about 50 mph. If I just let it stay unlocked in OD it won't accelerate as fast. Passing power is almost non-existent unless you get a run at them. When accelerating in OD it's all about pushing the gas just hard enough so that it doesn't unlock. Don't get me wrong, I can usually keep up with traffic once I get up to speed. It's just it seems to take forever with the auto. I try not to drive my 4runner all that hard so maybe it's just me.
It seems to me that you lose a lot of power in this auto (through I've never driven a 5 speed). This is just based on my observations from driving in Drive as opposed to OD. You have more useable power with the 5-speed (or so I've heard). I have towed (2 4wheelers on a 16ft trailer with 5 people inside) with my 4runner and I'll admit it did ok. But I didn't get on the highway either.
That's all I can think of for now. Take it for what it's worth.
Get a 5 speed.
I wish I had.
Ok, I guess I can explain. Well, here's my situation. I'm running 31s and geared for the 225s. This is a very bad combo on top of an already slow vehicle. This is why I'm doing my exhaust soon to hopefully pick of a few more ponies. The auto doesn't do well on the interstate, hills and wind in particular. When my tranny unlocks on the highway (which can easily happen) it will go to about 3K or maybe a little higher. If it happens to downshift to 3rd (which doesn't happen often) the rpms shoot to about 4K. My cruise control is useless. It will come up on a hill, begin to slow, and then downshift and send the rpms through the roof. When I'm driving I usually speed up a little before hills that way I don't lose too much speed. Maybe I'm making it sound more worse than it really is. I can still accelerate up some hills, just nothing too big (also depending on the wind). That's not much acceleration I'm talking about either. Maybe a few to 5 mph depending on the hill. A headwind (depending on the strength) can pose a real problem when getting on the highway and even maintaining speeds. I've found that I can accelerate faster by turning off OD so that it locks up in third and then turning OD back on at about 50 mph. If I just let it stay unlocked in OD it won't accelerate as fast. Passing power is almost non-existent unless you get a run at them. When accelerating in OD it's all about pushing the gas just hard enough so that it doesn't unlock. Don't get me wrong, I can usually keep up with traffic once I get up to speed. It's just it seems to take forever with the auto. I try not to drive my 4runner all that hard so maybe it's just me.
It seems to me that you lose a lot of power in this auto (through I've never driven a 5 speed). This is just based on my observations from driving in Drive as opposed to OD. You have more useable power with the 5-speed (or so I've heard). I have towed (2 4wheelers on a 16ft trailer with 5 people inside) with my 4runner and I'll admit it did ok. But I didn't get on the highway either.
That's all I can think of for now. Take it for what it's worth.
03-01-2004 | 12:34 PM
#57
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 487
Likes: 1
From: Auburn, CA
Originally Posted by 96surfnz
for the 2.7L 4 cyl., the auto with ECT is more economical than the 5 spd. manual, and it's easier to off-road in an auto.
Not sure I agree with that last statement. Anyhow, a true lover of driving will always choose to go with a manual for the complete experience. IMHO
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