Driving in S4 vs Pedal Commander

Right. But, it would still be pretty jarring shifting into S3 at 80MPH if you were expecting 4th.

Yup. They're pretty dummy proof. I bet I could still break it if I really tried, though.

I'm still waiting to hear the rest of this poem.

 

Yes. The clutch locks the converter and any benefit to response that the converters stall rpm provides is lost. That locked converter is often like driving a manual in too high a gear.

 

Park will make a nice sound if you're moving.

 

I thought S mode locked up the converter sooner, which I thought was why it’s recommended for towing. Reason (as I understand it) is that if you let the converter spin through the fluid, you’d get more “responsiveness”, but your tranny temps would go through the roof if you’re pulling weight.

Im not a transmission (or towing) expert, so I would appreciate correction of any misunderstandings.

 

I had a 3rd Gen 4Runner which had the traditional stranded wire throttle cable. It worked just fine.

My 5th Gen with the drive-by-wire system feels as if the 3rd Gen cable was replaced with a rubber band.

The Sprint Booster throttle controller on my 5th Gen makes it feel like the throttle cable has been restored.

 

I'm not claiming it magically does anything it can't. Does it add HP? No. Does it make the 4R go faster? No. Does it give more power at WOT? No. Does it give more throttle response sooner in normal driving? Yes.

 

Just quick drive around town will give away that S doesn’t lock the the converter as often as D. Letting the torque converter do its job will heat the trans more than locking the clutch and lugging the engine but that is taken into account by design. Engines need rpm to work. Automatics do not have as low gear ratios as a stick. The fluid coupling, torque converter, makes up the difference and then some if allowed to work rather than be locked for trying to squeeze a little more gas mileage for CAFE standards.
Driving my old TJ with 3 speed auto and locking converter is totally different experience than new automatics like that awful Tacoma. The torque converter was actually allowed to work back in the old days. Todays cars require more aggressive driving to prevent the computer from shifting-up and locking-up way too soon, like shifting a manual trans too soon. Compared to a lot modern automatics I’ve driven the T4R in S mode seems a pretty good compromise between the old and new shift patterns and was a welcome change from the Tacoma.

 

Slightly off-topic, but when my old Infiniti was in manual mode, it would downshift for you if you were too slow to respond when slowing down (like for an approaching stop sign), but it wouldn't up shift for you. So if you weren't super careful and more aggressive with your down shifting, there were times when both myself and the computer would decide it was time for a down shift, and there wasn't any logic in the code to prevent rapid down shifts right after one another. So a few times, when I wanted to down shift into 2nd, the computer agreed with me, and I'd end up going down into first at like 20 mph. Then I'd look like a stupid punk trying to show off.

And of course, the Infiniti's manual mode +/- directions were opposite from that in my previous Mazda, which would occasionally cause my brain to freeze up when trying to remember which direction was which w/out having to look down.

Long story short, I'm sure I could have done plenty of damage to that vehicle by not paying attention enough.

 

So is it better for the tranny to tow in S mode, or in regular mode?

 

Yes. The manual recommends it. Plus, in overdrive it will downshift constantly.