One of my big gripes with my '18 Highlander is the 8-speed transmission. I know it gets great gas mileage but it manages this with clever gear changes.
Has anyone ever noticed that it takes off in 4th gear? At a stop sign, move the shifter over into manual mode and you'll see on your dash that the gear selected is 4th.
I just want my highlander to have a little bit more power, or utilize the power that the V6 engine is capable of.
Does anyone recommend any DIY performance mods that aren't too expensive? Obviously, I would only consider those mods that had no affect on the warranty.
It's a fuel efficient family hauler. Don't think you're going to have much options, other than selling it and getting a more performance oriented vehicle.
Just a heads up. When you go to manual mode it shows '4' because initially 4th is the highest gear it will now go to. If you push forward on the gear lever again and again, it will progressively read out 5,6,7,8. I don't find manual 8 to be different than Power Mode which can be selected more easily from the center dash display.
It shows S4 in S mode but that doesn't mean it's using the 4th gear. It just means that 4th gear will be the top gear to be used when the transmission logic selects its gear. In the HL display, there's no way to tell for sure what gear it is currently using.
I use pedal commander to improve the throttle response. Set it to "city mode" and I can feel the difference immediately. It doesn't add any HP, just amplify the throttle signal to the ECU. But I like the improved throttle response which fits my driving style better.
Last time I saw the Pedal Commander it screwed up someones... Venza? or was it a Corolla? But they ended up returning it. Also not helping is when the Pedal Command Support told the person to modify their connector...
Yep, not much you can do except remove the useless charcoal filter in the airbox to allow air to flow slightly more freely into the engine, while also installing a less restrictive air filter, and last but not least drop weight from the vehicle. That's about the best you can do.
You'd need to find somebody willing to look into the Highlander's TCU. The new V6 has plenty of power but it's not readily accessible due to the throttle mapping and transmission behavior. There is a company doing it for the Tacoma. They might be willing to look into the Highlander if there's enough of us that want this.
S8 turns off start/stop. Everytime I get in, i just slide the shift lever over to manual mode, and hold it forward until it reads S8. No need to bump it 4 times to get it to S8. I still will use Power Mode occasionally..and I notice a difference between manul mode and power mode.
What's the difference? I tried just S8 for a week and then just Power Mode for a week and could not tell the difference between the two. Dunno if my mind was playing tricks on me...
The difference I notice is power mode holds gears longer before shifting. Let's say I'm on the highway in power mode....I notice when I turn power mode off, the trans instantly moves to the next gear. I like the feel of power mode, but only use it when I want to get away from a light a little quicker....I guess that's why they call it `power' mode.
Thank you to all (except for the first reply--totally pointless comment) for the advice. I think just switching the drive mode to Power is exactly what I was hoping for. I totally forgot that this was an option. And it's just two steering wheel button clicks away from the mileage screen I always have displayed while I drive.
Thanks again.
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