Quote:
Originally Posted by sniper2460
Compared to my parent's RX350 which is really good at shifting their older 4Runner with a 4-spd is sluggish at slow speeds trying to shift. It just sounds terrible when it soudns like it's trying so hard to get into 2nd or 3rd I wish it wold just shift sooner.
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You can trick the transmission into shifting earlier, and thereby reduce the high revving by momentarily backing off of the throttle.
I've found the minimum speeds at which the Camry will cruise in a tall gear, and when I approach these speeds, I cut the throttle to about half and the car upshifts. This all takes about 1 second, and then I get right back on the throttle to continue accelerating at about 85% load.
The '98 Camry I'm driving seems to have 4 gears with a lockup TC at the top end. It's far and away more efficient at cruising than the 6-speed manual on my Acura. The Toyota does 2000 RPM at 55mph compared to the Acura's 2400 RPM.
More gears isn't necessarily better, and there are diminishing returns on each additional gear. The goal is to keep the car in the ideal RPM range for producing peak torque while accelerating, with a sufficiently tall top gear for cruising at high speed.
The eCVT does appear to be the superior transmission, but even that has some limitations in regards to efficiency when it comes to protecting the MG (motor/generator) unit from over-revving. These limitations cause the plug in Prius to have a top electric-only speed of 62 MPH.