I'm thinking about buying a new tc, but I've heard mixed reviews on the MT. What do you guys think? Can I get some reviews of those who use them?

Thanks,

Danny

 

I had the same conflict when i first got mine and i ended up testing out both and i def would go for manual over the auto! You might have heard it clunks and i will it admit it does but only in 1st and 2nd gear for me after that its smooth sailing. i really dont have any compliants besides the 1st and 2nd gear clunk and maybe the clutch is a little to soft! I will say that the trd quick shifter is a must, i just recently purchased it and i have to say that it really made a big difference and has such a great feel. you just gotta remember that the tC is not a sports car its just sporty!(im still telling myself that) so when your flooring and shifting its not going to pull you back in your seat the way an si or a gti would!

 

I think the only issue with the 6MT in the tC is that sometimes it doesn't want to go into 1st but it doesn't happen that often and can be remedied by putting it into 2nd then shifting into 1st or releasing the clutch and trying again. Other than that sometimes the clutch release sound is pretty loud in 1st and 2nd gears but it doesn't happen all the time so I don't know what it's related to but I don't think it's a problem.
Once the tranny warms up, it's pretty smooth. The stock shifter has pretty long throws so the TRD quickshifter or TWM shortshifter is a recommended mod on the 6MT and the shifter bushings seem to be a popular mod as well since it improves the shifter feel for not much. I've been driving 3 months with the TWM shortshifter and weighted shift **** and I would definitely not want to switch back to the stock shifter.

 

Yeah these guys summed it up. Its a little quirky, but it's definitely much better than teh AT

 

It suffers from rev-hang, poor throttle response, lots of gear lash, an abruptly catching clutch...overall I don't think it's very good as far as MTs go.

Edit: To add to that, if I could do it again I would not have bought this car.

 

Love the 6spd just takes some getting used to over a 5spd, myn is actually in the shop cause im an idiot and went from 3rd to 2nd instead of 3rd to 4th and i think i bent some valves but its under warranty so no itll get fixed soon

 

I'm not trying to start anything with you, but do you not know how to drive a manual well? Have you driven any other car? I have no gear lash, the catching clutch is because you're inexperienced. There is very little rev hang if you know how to match it properly. I ask this because my friends all have older tC's, Civic Si's, and Acura rsx's and they all have tried my car and vice versa. They all like my 6 speed. My club is actually thinking about doing a conversion to the 6 speed.

 

You have fuel cut off to prevent over revving your engine, however if you were going fast and you downshifted like that, there is a possibility. What happened? Your engine not idling right?

 

I was going about 80 and for some reason when i went to go into 4th it went into 2nd which was weird cause alot of synchronized trannys wont let let you drop down like i did if your going over a certain speed, it idles rough and its ticking sounds like a piston is hitting a or multiple valves, hopefully ill find out this week, i work at a dealership so its just a matter of time before it gets looked at, i would fix it myself at work but since its warranty it has to be done by our Toyota tech.

 

Is a review on the AT tranny allowed? Too bad!

I've never driven a manual so maybe my opinion is biased?

I love my AT. It gives a lot more kick and sure goes a lot better than most cars I have driven. Although, from what I have read, you wont get as much out of it if you plan to race etc. But as a daily driver and possibly stop-n-go traffic... it is phenomenal.

 

I take no offense to your post.

I am not the most experienced manual transmission driver, but I have driven other manual cars. The rev-hang I experience seems to be the worst with the A/C off; turn the A/C on and it's reduced significantly. The clutch issue is a "non-issue;" I'm just not particularly happy with the way it feels. I'm not sure how exactly to characterize the gear lash; the car rocks significantly when removing your foot from the throttle, and the transmission actually "ticks" when accelerating or when idling in neutral.

 

There is always going to be power draw when using the A/C. I had it in other cars that were automatic. The rocking is because you're in too low a gear. Watch the RPM's and make sure they're like right below 2k. If the gear you're in is 2.5k+ rpm's you will get that. This will also save you fuel economy. That's standard for a manual car. I don't have the ticking sound you speak of, maybe you should take it to the dealer and have them check it.

 

To me, the gear box is a bit sloppy... But what I love about this car is that you can fix it with the aftermarket. Flywheel feels like poop though.

 

This is just coming from my experience of just over 2 months in this car, so take it for what it is...

I test drove an auto before I bought the MT, when I hit an on-ramp and punched it, it felt like the car was going to die. Like... it yelled at me and was like WTF WHY I HATE YOU, so I went with the MT. I love it. It has way more oompf in the first few gears than I expected, and cruising at 70+ in 6th gear, I still feel confident I can stomp the gas and hustle if I find cars merging into me.

Downside? Traffic sucks. I don't mind having a MT, but when traffic is thick, damn it is annoying. Same annoyance in my '05 xB, sitting in traffic, but punching it is nice and peppy compared to my brother-in-law's auto 05 xB. (yes we have a few Scions in our family)

 

My car actually rocks the most ~2k RPM, often at lower engine speeds. I don't typically take it above 2.5k RPMs for the reasons you mentioned above.

Because of the transmission noise and several other more obvious issues I'm actually going above my dealership in the corporate ladder, since they don't seem competent enough to even answer to my issues.

 

Every issue I've had with my tanny (clunking, not going in gear ect...) has all but faded away just recently. Maybe it just needed time to break in. Maybe its the warmer weather, or maybe I'm just finally getting used to the clutch and gearbox. I dunno, all I know is as of this point I'm very happy with the transmission and it shifts like butter. Every once in a while it will act up a bit but nothing major. My last 3 M/T cars have been from the 80's so to me this baby drives like heaven lol.

 

I'd put it as pretty average. It actually reminds me a LOT of my first manual (1992 Honda Accord). Long clutch travel with the friction zone at the high end of the pedal travel. Somewhat clunky lever. My last three manuals were a Honda Element, a GMC Sonoma, and a Jeep Wrangler, so coming from the truckish world, it doesn't bother me. It is NOT anywhere near as smooth as the '01 Civic I drove for a year.

That said, some reviewers like it, some don't. Consumer Reports said,
"The six-speed manual transmission shifts precisely and with low effort, but it lacks the crispness and sporty feel of the best shifters. The ratios are well-suited to the engine; you can often loaf along in sixth gear without needing to downshift. Several drivers found that the long clutch travel and high engagement point took some getting used to."