1995 toyota tercel coup 4 speed to 5 speed manual transmission

[FearMyYota]

Hello echomodders!
Im a super newbie specially to the toyota game
But I was hoping you guys can help me out.

I have search high and low. I cant find a forume for my car
On what I need to change my toyota 4 speed manual transmission
To a 5 speed. I know it cant be as simple as it sounds.
Obviously im gonna need a 5 speed transmission but other
Then that.... idk. Lol! So pleas help me figure this out.
Thanks I super appreciate your help and your time.

[MetroMPG]

Well, lucky you. One of our site admins is a Tercel aficionado, and can probably offer some help.

I have a feeling I've read before that the ratio of the top gear in the 4 speed is actually more fuel efficient than the top gear ratio of the 5th. So if you're aiming to do the swap to save fuel in highway cruising, you need to check that first.

Hopefully our Mr Daox can confirm/deny this fact.

[FearMyYota]

Thats what im aiming for.
Hopefully everything will come out right successfully.
Thank you. How do I find the admin?

[Daox]

Welcome to the site FearMyYota!

If you're looking for a tercel specific forum for repair, engine swaps, and horsepower stuff, TercelOnline.com is where you want to go (I've been a member for years). If you're looking to improve your gas mileage, here is where you want to be.

That being said, the Tercel is a GREAT car to get good mileage with. With little to no effort you can get high 30s to low 40s. Once I got 44 mpg in my 96 with a 4 speed manual transmission on a highway trip. I think I had a tailwind though as that was a one time thing. But, it did always get mid to high 30s before I even knew about any driving techniques or mods that help with fuel economy. My 1996 Paseo I had up to 72 mpg with a fair amount of ecomods and using all the driving techniques I know.

A trans swap probably won't net you a big gain in fuel economy to be honest. As MetroMPG said, most of the 5 speeds are geared about the same or shorter than the 4 speed. That means your rpms will actually increase on the highway. The only exception is a 5th gen (1995-1999) Tercel 5 speed transmission. And, even that transmission won't help you a massive amount. I don't know what speed you're traveling at, but at 60 mph, the 4 speed will put you at 2520 rpm. The 5th gen 5 speed will put you at 2175 rpm. It is a drop, but I don't think you'll see a huge gain in gas mileage from it. You'd probably see a bigger gain from slowing down 5 mph.

If you're willing to tinker with the insides of the transmission, there are greater benefits to be had though.

[user removed]

Buy the best low rr tires you can get, before messing with a transmission that is not giving you any trouble. Epa is higher for the 4 speed if memory serves me, which it sometimes doesn't.

regards
Mech

[FearMyYota]

Yeah but im use to drive with 5 gears. 4 puts me away from my comfert zone.
Im not trying to do any big mods.
Probably after market headers, suspension, intake,
I already have a magna flow muffler.
Mainly just going for looks.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Depending on how mechanically-inclined you are, it would be more beneficial to just get higher tyres instead of swapping the transmission. Anyway, you could maybe keep the 4-speed and do some gear swaps when it needs some sort of refurbishment.

I'm still favorable to 4-speed transmissions, if we consider that the current 5-speed and 6-speed are getting more focused on meeting the EPA test method than on an overall efficiency in real-world conditions.
workaround ideas to discuss among friends: Is a 4-speed manual transmission really that bad?