Eco / Normal / Sport here’s my take

[AdventureCruiser]

What timing for this thread. I watched a short video last night about how Eco mode can cause issues if used all the time. I was going to post here but was unsure if actually true, and also unsure of how much interest anyone would have in it.
To summarize - from a person who does not understand much about engines (that's me), the video says now allowing the engine to hit higher RPMs will eventually cause damage and cause buildup of...something...carbon maybe. Anyway, says to use Normal and even Sport mode for starting your drives and for city driving, and to only use Eco when on interstate doing higher speeds for longer periods. Basically do not leave in Eco all the time.

Oh boy!! That's interesting. I use eco all the time. Good to know, thanks for sharing.

 

[PDPete]

Has anyone noticed if Sport mode changes gear selection at higher speeds? On my previous Toyota (2019 RAV4), I pretty much lived in Sport mode, but noticed that it never shifted into overdrive gears (7 or 8) even at cruising highway speeds, so the highway MPGs took a pretty big hit and I learned to go into Normal mode when doing any extended highway driving.

I haven't taken the time to determine if the LC operates in the same way, since I tend to stay in Normal mode more often...but was curious if anyone had made such an observation?

Replying to my own post since I did a bit of my own research....

Driving on the highway, In "Sport" mode, the LC did get into 7th gear above 75 MPH...that gear has a ratio of 0.79:1, so it was in "overdrive" -- I did not attempt to drive over 80 MPH, so I do not know if 8th gear would have ever been engaged by the automatic transmission or not. Once I switched back to "Normal" mode, it did immediately engage 8th gear, however.

None of this is that surprising, since Sport mode does favor running higher RPM, but if you're pushing higher speeds on the freeway, just be aware that it likely isn't using the highest transmission gear and thus Normal mode will achieve better MPG over Sport (with very little difference in performance at those speeds, IMO).

 

[DubDub]

Replying to my own post since I did a bit of my own research....

Driving on the highway, In "Sport" mode, the LC did get into 7th gear above 75 MPH...that gear has a ratio of 0.79:1, so it was in "overdrive" -- I did not attempt to drive over 80 MPH, so I do not know if 8th gear would have ever been engaged by the automatic transmission or not. Once I switched back to "Normal" mode, it did immediately engage 8th gear, however.

None of this is that surprising, since Sport mode does favor running higher RPM, but if you're pushing higher speeds on the freeway, just be aware that it likely isn't using the highest transmission gear and thus Normal mode will achieve better MPG over Sport (with very little difference in performance at those speeds, IMO).

Question for you as I don't use Sport mode ever. It isn't an aversion to it, just that I am a habitual driver and I don't think to use it since my normal routine is to be in ECO until I hit the freeway when I switch to normal and back to eco when I get off of it. I seem to remember Sport mode holding onto gears when coasting, giving the impression of engine braking. Does that translate to better regenerative effect on the traction battery? I ask because I likely won't remember to test it out myself.

 

[PDPete]

Question for you as I don't use Sport mode ever. It isn't an aversion to it, just that I am a habitual driver and I don't think to use it since my normal routine is to be in ECO until I hit the freeway when I switch to normal and back to eco when I get off of it. I seem to remember Sport mode holding onto gears when coasting, giving the impression of engine braking. Does that translate to better regenerative effect on the traction battery? I ask because I likely won't remember to test it out myself.

In short, and in my experience....yes.

I mainly switch to Sport mode when driving on more rural, winding, hilly roads in my area, where I prefer the increased engine braking effect (and I feel like steering a bit more responsive too?)...and yes, I've noticed that it does tend to charge the traction battery more quickly than when driving in normal mode. The only times I've ever seen the battery change gauge get to full bars is when driving in Sport mode.

 

[allanvt]

One thing no one has addressed here is shifting. Many times it seems as if the engine is lugging so I change to sport and the gear change allows a higher RPM and the lugging disappears. Lugging an engine is not healthy.

 

[legacycruiser]

In short, and in my experience....yes.

I mainly switch to Sport mode when driving on more rural, winding, hilly roads in my area, where I prefer the increased engine braking effect (and I feel like steering a bit more responsive too?)...and yes, I've noticed that it does tend to charge the traction battery more quickly than when driving in normal mode. The only times I've ever seen the battery change gauge get to full bars is when driving in Sport mode.

I've kept mine in Normal as I break in the engine, but I like your description of Sport mode driving around hills. I haven't noticed my State of Charge gauge go up or down yet.

Makes me wonder if the system is more generous with electric boost when the gauge is higher and applies the electric motor less when the charge is depleted. It likely applies it by the same standard until the battery reaches a certain point of depletion and then relies on the engine to replenish the battery again.

 

[PDPete]

One thing no one has addressed here is shifting. Many times it seems as if the engine is lugging so I change to sport and the gear change allows a higher RPM and the lugging disappears. Lugging an engine is not healthy.

This is one reason (but not the only), that I don't run Eco mode at all...I get annoyed when I feel like I'm constantly having to give it gas to try to drop a gear

 

[PDPete]

Makes me wonder if the system is more generous with electric boost when the gauge is higher and applies the electric motor less when the charge is depleted

Also in my experience...yes. I've noticed when the battery is fully charged or nearly fully charged, it engages the hybrid motor more often when cruising

 

[DubDub]

One thing no one has addressed here is shifting. Many times it seems as if the engine is lugging so I change to sport and the gear change allows a higher RPM and the lugging disappears. Lugging an engine is not healthy.

I understand what "lugging" is from many years of driving older, high displacement manual transmissions. Lots of speculation back then about what the worst aspect of putting a high load on an engine at RPMs lower than designed. The most notable of those was always cooling, oil flow profile and not having exhaust pressure sufficient to input. I was part of the 03/04 terminator community where we were all bolting on prochargers and massive fuel pumps to achieve 800+ hp builds. You could get some crazy popping out of the exhaust at full throttle and only 500 rpm... I digress.

I personally wouldn't worry too much about my LC "lugging" in any routine situation. This is a pretty sophisticated vehicle and I highly doubt that it is putting itself in peril by shifting up early or not shifting down as quickly on deceleration while in ECO or Normal. Add to the mix the compression ratio, turbo, battery suplement and hp/torque curve this T4 delivers... well, it ain't 2004 anymore. If I ever saw my RPM gage fall below 1k rpm at WOT I'd maybe start to consider this could be an issue, but then again, I never WOT my LC. This is a fun engineering discussion when it really gets going though.

EDIT: I just tried to look up the torque graph for our iForceMax engines and came up dry, but I did locate another thread in this forum where it was mentioned as being near identical to the Tacoma graph and an image was shared. It looks like the 2.4T IFM peak torque occurs at ~1.7-1.8k rpm. Using the old rule of thumb of 1/2 peak torque rpm shift points would put our U.S. LC250's WOT min RPM at around 850-900rpm (surprisingly close to my default 1k statement above). More goes into this when considering turbo lag and the point where that torque begins to develop vs. just a simple halving of that value, but I'd confidently land on 1k rpm as my personal comfort spot. TLDR: As long as you have 1k rpm on the gage, you are green to hit the floor and you aren't lugging the engine.

 

[Trail250]

Normally I use eco mode in my stop and go traffic. No sense in quickly speeding up to 20 mph to hit the brakes right after. Eco mode has worked great for me on long highway drives where I don't need to fluctuate the throttle much 65-75mph. Also worked better for long descents, if i stick to 65 mph the engine will turn off and help out recoup some better fuel efficiency.

Sport and Tow/Haul for those long climbs, normal is ok too but if you want max output, use the sport mode or tow haul.

I especially use tow/haul mode when I'm on the trails in 4h only with no center lock. Once you engage the center lock, it switches back to normal mode, I believe.

 

[HBcruiser]

The TRD exhaust was a parts counter option that has since made its way onto some new Land Cruisers at delivery, most likely as a port installed option. I have been wavering between “want” and “don’t want” since we’ve had our Land Cruiser. Apparently it doesn’t translate into more power/better mileage, at least not by itself.

Eco mode takes some of the tip-in out of the throttle response. Having used Eco mode quite a bit I wouldn’t necessarily say Eco mode makes it drive better, but it can make it drive smoother. Smooth often translates to better mileage. For every day driving I’d have to give Normal mode the win for overall feel, as Eco mode can make the engine act like it is working harder under load with light accelerator pressure. Sport mode is great, I just haven’t spent the bulk of my driving in that mode. The differences are subtle as you mention- having boost and traction battery displayed on the gauge cluster reveals what is going on under the hood in any given mode.

Yeah, no one is missing out on this exhaust. While it sounds great at a low growl, the sound of the lc screaming for power at higher rpm’s is not so great imo.

but in relation to the acoustics, maybe that’s why eco mode might seem smoother when there’s a cb exhaust installed.

 

[TOBYLQ]

I shift modes all the time
Down hill - ECO
Flat - Normal
Uphill - Sport

 

[BoredomFestival]

Replying to my own post since I did a bit of my own research....

Driving on the highway, In "Sport" mode, the LC did get into 7th gear above 75 MPH...that gear has a ratio of 0.79:1, so it was in "overdrive" -- I did not attempt to drive over 80 MPH, so I do not know if 8th gear would have ever been engaged by the automatic transmission or not. Once I switched back to "Normal" mode, it did immediately engage 8th gear, however.

None of this is that surprising, since Sport mode does favor running higher RPM, but if you're pushing higher speeds on the freeway, just be aware that it likely isn't using the highest transmission gear and thus Normal mode will achieve better MPG over Sport (with very little difference in performance at those speeds, IMO).

...is there a way to display the current gear on the display?

 

[basicxj]

...is there a way to display the current gear on the display?

Like moving the shifter into “manual” mode?

 

[BoredomFestival]

Like moving the shifter into “manual” mode?

...I have literally never tried Manual mode. Oof. Thanks.

 

[PDPete]

...is there a way to display the current gear on the display?

Like moving the shifter into “manual” mode?

...I have literally never tried Manual mode. Oof. Thanks.

Yup...I just move the shifter into "M" or "manual mode" and it will display what gear it's currently in, and then shift back to normal "D" or "automatic drive mode"

 

[RoundRock_Cruiser]

Not sure why, but I've been driving in ECO mode for 1.5yr (25k miles), recently changed to SPORT and OMG its a different car, steering is tighter, acceleration is better and there is no more clunk when i slow to a stop. I really really love this truck now and an extra bonus is the mpg's are a little better...cant explain it.

 

[Altitude]

That’s it. Nothing more. It always feels like a low dispacement, high compression ratio, turbocharged 4 banger… one that (because it is 2026) is capable of producing hp and (more importantly) torque numbers that eclipse the numbers of previous NA V6 engines. It will never be, or feel like a V8 or NA IL6.

I had a 1978 Chevy Monte Carlo with a 302 V8.

It delivered a blistering 145 horsepower, 245 lb-ft of torque, and reached 60MPH after 10.7 seconds.

I’m glad the Land Cruiser doesn’t feel like it had that V8 in it.

 

[basicxj]

...I have literally never tried Manual mode. Oof. Thanks.

If you pop it into manual mode from drive (by moving shifter to the left), it will display the current gear you are in on the cluster.

I typically don’t have much use for manual mode, but have used it briefly just for the purpose of seeing what gear I am in. My curiosity increased after going to larger tires trying to see if they had much impact on shift points. Manual mode is a “nice to know it’s there” sort of feature for me rather than a “use every day.”

 

[basicxj]

I had a 1978 Chevy Monte Carlo with a 302 V8.

It delivered a blistering 145 horsepower, 245 lb-ft of torque, and reached 60MPH after 10.7 seconds.

I’m glad the Land Cruiser doesn’t feel like it had that V8 in it.

Those were good cars (as were all of the other GM’s sharing the platform), but that era was sadly not the pinnacle of V8 performance. I spent some quality time with an ‘80 Cutlass with a monstrous 265 CI V8 under the hood.