mkchad0

So, I had assumed that the tC and Camry would have the same 5spd tranny...since they both have 2AZ-FE engine.

However, a friend at work just got a 4cyl, 5spd 2007 Camry that I had the pleasure of driving to lunch on Friday.

Simply put...Camry and tC 5spd are worlds apart.

My impressions of the Camry 5spd are listed below:
1) Clutch feel seemed more predictable & repeatable
2) Much smoother during shifts.
3) More enjoyable to drive...I didn't have to focus as hard on my footwork as with the tC.
4) A better 5spd for everyday, city driving.

I expect I'll get flamed to some degree. Nonetheless, I wish I could have the Camry 5spd in the tC.

P.S. My friend said he's averaging about 35MPG in the Camry with majority of interstate driving. I can't seem to break 28MPG in the tC for long interstate trips

PunkInDrublic

The camry is a family car and grocery store driver.

The tC is a sporty hatch aimed at younger buyers.

The Camry has MUCH taller gears and as a result, feels a tad slower than a tC but gets more MPG.

djafropiq

only if there was a way to swap transmissions.. im going turbo soon so it would be nice to not run out of gear before my power dies off

Shaka_Z

if indeed that camry does have a 2az-fe manual, it should be a simple swap. same engine, same FWD setup, same geometry. (unless I am missing something)

kungpaosamuraiii

There's a way to swap transmissions. They're the same things.

The difference from Camry to tC transmission is in the final drive. Otherwise, the transmissions are identical.

If you kill get oversized tires or somehow reduce the tC's torque by a good amount, you should notice that the tC is smoother all around.

I'm sure everyone's noticed how much pull the tC has, especially in 1st gear but still noticeable in 5th gear. Since the torque to the ground is multiplied so high by the FD gear, the torque of the ground acting on the engine is that much higher which makes the car seem more difficult to drive smoothly.

So there you go, pick your poison.

tcforce

not a bad idea.

mkchad0

you are right though...the tC has a lot of pull (torque) even in 5th.

i have to wonder how weak the camry would feel on some of the mountains on interstates ive driven...which ive never had to down shift to ascend in the tc even when going relatively slow.

forpinks

Learn to drive your tC!!!

Most young people hate how the tC shifts because you want it to be smooth... (dont get a sporty car if you like the smooth shifts.)

satoman44

i would love to swap transmissions. i think its a great mod for us boosted tc's who get no traction in first and second.

KiKaZ-tC

iTrader: (1)

My previous car was a Camry 2002 5 spd manual. I loved the fact that it was a much better daily driving car, better gas mileage too! I used to just cruise at 80 mph at 3,000 rpms in the camry, now it's more like 3700 rpms to cruise at 80 mph with the tC (which I hate). The gear ratio in the Camry is way different. Each gear is longer. I believe our tranny is more like a corollas I wish the tC would have came with the camry tranny, the launch would be better and it would be a much better daily driver. May even perform better in performance because it would have longer gearing.

tC 2006
1st 0-?
2nd ?-55
3rd 55-80
4th 80-110
5th 110-127

Camry 2002
1st 0-?
2nd ?-60
3rd 60-90
4th 90-125
5th Absolutely nothing, maybe 126... gas saving gear while cruising at 125 mph

kungpaosamuraiii

The transmission is the same. The final drive is different. If you really want to drive a Camry in your tC, swap the final drive ratios.

You will not get better performance. You will get better cruising gas mileage. You will accelerate slower.

Longer ratios would probably help turbocharged cars but if you're not turbocharged and you get your Camry transmission, you will have swapped out a lot of the fun of the tC.

TunedtC

Does anybody here know where the camry redlines at?? And yes, it seems like a great idea to swap trannys if your turbocharged. Hmmm

whorok305

Wouldn't u get a higher top end with the camry final drive?

kungpaosamuraiii

Top end as in top speed? Technically yes but you still have to defeat the speed limiter.

And if you want to top a 127 mph trap speed you'll need quite a bit of power.

citizen01

I like the challenge of driving a sporty car. If I want easy smooth shifts I can buy an automatic.

De-Apexd7

I'm bumping this thread from the dead because I was wondering if there was a taller gear set available for the tC (or a different final drive gear). 3000 rpm at 65 in a car with moderate torque (for a 4 cylinder) is silly. It looks like I found my answer.

Anyway, has anyone swapped the transmission in from a Camry? Are the gears identical (strength wise) besides the final drive gear? I suppose you could just swap the final drive gear, but you can probably pick up Camry transmissions for fairly cheap I would think? It would probably be easier to just swap the transmission than tear into one.

BTW, on a side note, all this talk about the tC being sporty because the shifts are rough, I don't agree with that at all. I've driven a tC with the TRD clutch/pp, it's worlds better than this factory garbage we got. The clutch pedal is so ridiculously light with the stock setup that it's tough to drive smooth IMO. The TRD pressure plate requires more force and to me it makes it easier to drive since you actually have some backpressure on the pedal. There's nothing really sporty about the factory setup. This is coming from someone who has a car with an LT1 V8 and a 6 speed manual, that's a sporty setup I think and it's quite a bit smoother than the tC.

whorok305

The swap is good for the turbo'd tc's.

TJKASS

Well ill fill you guys in on this in another 3-5wks once ive gotten the TRD LSD installed, but I just ordered an E351 from a 2003 2AZFE camry with 21k mi on it for 699 shipped, as part of the prep work for my supercharger project. There are 2 main differences between the TC transmission and the camry one, the TC's has a .775/1 fifth gear and a 4.24/1 final drive while the camry's has a .731/1 fifth and a 3.944/1 for the final drive. It means that all gears will be a little longer, by about 5-15 mph, depending on the gear, and fifth will be quite a bit longer. Fifth will now have you going 78mph at 3000rpm instead of 64mph. And assuming you have the power, top speed with the factory rev limit will be around 165mph, a very nice gear setup if you ask me. Like I said, once im done ill let you guys know, and there may be a diy write up as well. But as for now i have to tend to my car, it just got rear-ended at 45mph last night so this may be postponed a little longer. Thankfully the other drivers insurance will cover everything.

-TYLER

Beantowntc

watching...

draxcaliber

sounds like it would be a pretty sweet set up. you'd be able to hit 0-60 in only two shifts which would be fantastic for drag racing.