if your just wheeling stick with your auto but if you think youll want to do a motor swap down the line then definitly go with the manual. fact is theyre just easier to work with and they make more adapter plates for them. cause if your like me and your stuck with the a340h youll be wishing you had a manual

 

Manual all the way. Granted Toyota has never made anything as good as the M-21 or M-24 (ultra low granny gear comes in handy) but the R151 has a descent 1st gear ratio when coupled to a dual T-case (been doing some math). Maybe I drive different than most people because I have rarely had an issue with loosing power while switching gears (I "float" the gears without using the clutch)

Synchronizers are best taken out and sold for scrap.

 

Wheeled both... Many different kinds of obstacles, glad I went auto and wont go back.

 

I have a 5 speed Turbo 4Runner. I just had to gut a Turbo truck to make it that way. I don't know how an auto to 5 speed swap would go, but the whole engine and tranny swap really wasnt bad.

 

Having tested my 3.0TD 4Runner after the auto swap I know I did a good election.

My auto is amazing, with increased pressure and shimmed accumulators and a programable tranny controller (Can drive in sequential mode with buttons in the steering wheel) I love it!

It's faster than before (The 0-60 is incredible) and in slow offroading it's way easier to climb over obstacles, the truck never goes backwards when you leave the brakes, etc.

I also climbed by a steep hill I did before (Dry day, 4L, manual and RR E-Locker) in 2H w/o lockers in a rainy day... Had only to press the gas pedal and the truck went up.

I love my new auto!

David

 

Auto- I have dual truetracs and can feather the brake easily to engage them for traction as well as in a hill or nastier situation theres no restart due to a clutch just feather the throttle and start ascending slowly. When I do SAS I will still rock the auto as its easeir to manipulate on stuff.

 

I have 3 Vehicles and there all manuals. Even in LA where the traffic is brutal I still wouldn't drive an auto. just takes all the fun out of driving. I agree with the sand dune/mud bit an all. But i will drive a Stick until i cant drive one.

90 4runner (Old Man Emu 3"- ARB, K&N Cold Air, Warn 9k, 295k, New SAS, New Everything
85 Land Cruiser 4" Lift 33's just getting started with this one
04 Audi A4 1.8T Avant- Stock, the funnest "CAR" ive ever owned

 

Maintain it, bump starting is a minimal reason unless the truck is hammered and the starter is bad in which case just buy a new starter. If your in a nasty area getting a good run to bump start isnt going to happen very easily anywase as well as if its muddy or loose terrain and you turned it off at camp then same thing. Too much resistance to get any real speed needed!
If it stalls on a hill Id rather use the key than try and bump start backwards and if it quits going down same thing.
AUTO!!!!

 

I have owned sticks since I was 16. My first car was stick, the 44Runner was stick, my current tow rig, 4Runner and track car are all stick. The only auto I have ever owned is in my buggy. Hands down auto has major advantages in rock crawling. The 20 people in front of me that list being able to control what gear you're in as an advantage to having a stick are seriously misinformed. Not only am I able to control what gear I'm in I can control the converter lockout. A large tranny cooler with dedicated fan takes care of any overheating issues. Most people that have heat issues with their autos have not taken any measures to make sure it doesn't happen. So I in essence have a clutch that I can pretty much slip ALL day long with no ill effect and it only takes one foot to operate.

Not only are autos easier on drivetrain parts but you can be full into the gas and switch gears without any noticeable loss of wheel speed.

I love stick shifts too, on the road; but offroad, don't be so quick to dismiss the auto...

 

Autos sap horsepower. Its just the nature of the beast. I would say that a lot of people who poo poo manuals off road dont have the right gearing set up. Yes autos wont stall but witha manual if you do stall just start it back up. If yo have a carb that can be an issue bit if you have efi or propane it dont matter that much. I am the opposite. For on road I prefer and auto expecially in stop and go traffic. For offroad give me a manual.

On a sarcastic note. Any idiot can drive an auto. It takes much more skill to drive a stick.

 

As said before, autos take the fun out of driving, and with a manual you have more control over the power range you want to drive in
So
Manual all the way, I would never drive an auto, i think that would be too hard to learn

 

True... But any real competitive race car has an auto. Quicker shifts, better control...

This all comes down to personal preference since we are not going for all out power. What I lost in power, I will make up in gearing. On the trail, that's how us Toyota guys live - through gearing. Autos take what?...15% of the power, with our engines that is...roughly...12 horsepower.

That's a weak argument to use. Gear selection is another one since you can use switches from your local parts store to control gearing in the auto (it would be a pain on the streets but that's not the point).

This is always an option as wellor if you hurry, you can get this one.. There are plenty of options.

 

auto for somthing with power, it seems to be smoother

 

Any competitive race car. What on earth do you mean by that. Drag cars. Most really competitive drag cars have sequential trannies where they manually change the gears. Most auto racing now uses paddle shifters with hydraulic automated clutches. They still shift the gears. Auto racers dont just put it in drive and go. except maybe Nascar but thats not (real racing if you ask me) the same as auto cross or world rally or something like that. 12 horspower eh. Well than why does the cummins engine for the auto have an extra 50 foot pounds of torque than the manual. With thos switches then your basically saying if I dump tons of money in my auto it will act more like a manual. Thats smart.

 

I should have specified 'drag' race cars. They have manual valve bodies, but they are still automatic transmissions.

 

those switches are 80 dollars and I can get the parts at the store for like 10 bucks...

 

Dude, you got it wrong. It actually will work better than a manual ever would. the auto is a solid axle and the manual is an ifs. some applications the manual is nice but all around its the auto.

 

I think in the end it comes down to preference. But technically speaking if the gears are still selected by the user and not automated to shift at a certain rpm than technically it could be considered a manual much like the clutchless manual. Which if I am not mistaken still has a clutch but it does not require two inputs from the driver. Pushing the bump shifter automatically operates the clutch and then switches gears. If I am wrong please correct me on that. Top fuel dragtsers are direct drive. High gear only. Just FYI. Maybe we should change the debate to, Do you like to choose what gear your in, or just push the pedal and go and just forget whether its done via a clutch or automatically or electronically controlled auto etc.

 

When I think of the 'auto vs manual' debate, I think of mainshaft/countershaft gear driven manuals with a single dry clutch on the input, vs a planetary transmission with a hydraulic torque converter on the input. Whether the shifts are controlled by the user or a computer is a somewhat seperate arguement. There are many different transmission setups out there, but those two are the most popular (ie, automated manual like BMW or Ferrari, manual valvebody on an auto in race cars or desert trucks, dual clutch transmission in VW's and Bugatti, GM's concept of a planetary transmission controlled by a standard shift lever, Mercedes automatics with an electronically controlled clutch, gear drive boxes with torque converter used on some construction/agriculture equipment, and the CVT with or without stepped ratios).

Wheeling rig - Auto
Tow rig - Manual
Street driven 4cyl - Manual
Street driven V8 - whatever floats your boat

Wheeling I think the advantages of an auto outweigh those of a manual. Ability to creep (as opposed to turning the truck off and using the starter on a manual). Smoother power delivery. Powershift (very important in high wheelspeed situations). Once you've gotten used to an auto, slipping it in neutral to stop is as natural as pushing in the clutch on a manual.

Compression braking goes to a manual, but with a electronically locking torque converter you could rig up a switch to get some braking out of an auto. You have to keep the auto cool. Aftermarket coolers with electric fans are your friend. Auto can have manual control with a manual valvebody as stated (not sure if anyone makes one for the Toyota trannies).

 

Having to use the starter to creep on a manual. maybe its just me but I have never heard of that for wheeling. Only time I have heard of that is if your car dies and wont start and you only have a few more feet to go. Any body who crawls with a manual have any input on this. Thats what low gears are for right?