Toyota Tacoma engine choice?

[thinkingman]

@thinkingman


 

You didn't think I'd notice?

I had the 2006 TeRD Sport with a 4.0 6sp manual.
Reverse ratio is a joke for any sort of backing up....Toy engineers must've thought we all want to drive 40mph backward.  4lo for any sort of trailer backing.

The engine itself was decent, I'm not sure the VVT was operational because I tried to hypermile it by shifting below 2500, which works because that engine has tons of torque.

Mileage was horrible with stock size tires.
2400RPM at 75 meant 17MPG.

Might as well get a real truck unless parking is your huckleberry.

I would look very carefully at frame rust and other corrosion.
Those things were made out of the cheapest steel known to man.

Plan on upgrading the suspension.
PM me for details because the stock suspension is completely worthless.

If anyone says they're getting even close to 20mpg, just nod and smile and look at the other posts that say otherwise.

[MtnMuley]

2400 RPM at 75 MPH is great. 17MPH at 75 miles an hour is fine as well for me. I certainly don't buy my Toyota's for driving 75 MPH very much of time anyways.

[Jason]

@thinkingman


 

You didn't think I'd notice?

I had the 2006 TeRD Sport with a 4.0 6sp manual.
Reverse ratio is a joke for any sort of backing up....Toy engineers must've thought we all want to drive 40mph backward.  4lo for any sort of trailer backing.

The engine itself was decent, I'm not sure the VVT was operational because I tried to hypermile it by shifting below 2500, which works because that engine has tons of torque.

Mileage was horrible with stock size tires.
2400RPM at 75 meant 17MPG.

Might as well get a real truck unless parking is your huckleberry.

I would look very carefully at frame rust and other corrosion.
Those things were made out of the cheapest steel known to man.

Plan on upgrading the suspension.
PM me for details because the stock suspension is completely worthless.

If anyone says they're getting even close to 20mpg, just nod and smile and look at the other posts that say otherwise.

Broken record that nobody listens to anymore.

[Jason]

The 2.7 was a great motor. Not the most powerful but reliable.

[pianoman9701]

pianoman, not to be argumentative but I put a set of 10 ply tires on the 2013 4dr TRD OR I had and it was a bit of a harsh ride to begin with but putting those 10 plys on made a huge difference in ride quality and for the worse.  In fact I took them off before I even had 2K on them and still have them sitting in my shop and would make someone a hel1 of a deal on them if anyone is looking for a set.

I don't know what the power is like in the newer Tacoma's but mine had the 4.0 V6 and it was decent-ish on power but nothing great.  Put a TRD SuperCharger on it and that made a world of difference.  Even with the SC on as long as I drove it decent I could easily get 18-19 stop and go around town and 22-23 on the freeway if I kept it at only 5 over but if I was 8-10 over it would drop to 19.5-20 depending how fast I set the cruise.  Just to see what it would do I made one trip to Yakima where I set the cruise 5 under the speed limit and it got a little over 24mpg but OMG it felt like I was standing still and that was the only time I did that.

I don't notice a difference with my 10-ply except losing a mile or two in mileage. It may depend on the tread style. 

[Taco280AI]

The Taco 4.0 isn't bad. I hated the 3.5 and got rid of it after a few months. They should have put the 4Runner's 4.0 in the Taco. Best full tank in the 4R, 24.3mpg (backroad highway stuff in the 50-60 mph range). Worst full tank 17.8mpg in winter. Average 20.4mpg for the first 30k miles, stopped keeping track after that on an app.

[b23]

pianoman, not to be argumentative but I put a set of 10 ply tires on the 2013 4dr TRD OR I had and it was a bit of a harsh ride to begin with but putting those 10 plys on made a huge difference in ride quality and for the worse.  In fact I took them off before I even had 2K on them and still have them sitting in my shop and would make someone a hel1 of a deal on them if anyone is looking for a set.

I don't know what the power is like in the newer Tacoma's but mine had the 4.0 V6 and it was decent-ish on power but nothing great.  Put a TRD SuperCharger on it and that made a world of difference.  Even with the SC on as long as I drove it decent I could easily get 18-19 stop and go around town and 22-23 on the freeway if I kept it at only 5 over but if I was 8-10 over it would drop to 19.5-20 depending how fast I set the cruise.  Just to see what it would do I made one trip to Yakima where I set the cruise 5 under the speed limit and it got a little over 24mpg but OMG it felt like I was standing still and that was the only time I did that.

I don't notice a difference with my 10-ply except losing a mile or two in mileage. It may depend on the tread style. 

Did you notice any difference in stopping when you went to the 10 plys?  Besides the ride quality being much more harsh I noticed a significant difference in its stopping ability and you had to push much harder on the brake pedal to get it to stop.  Those 10 plys weigh considerably more and have a lot more rotating weight.

As for the gas mileage comment made by another poster I can't speak on behalf of anyone else and if certain individuals wish to hate on Toyota or Tacoma's that's their problem but I was always pleased with the mileage my 13 SC 4.0 AT 4DR SB TRD Off Road pkg and I could easily get 20-20+ on the freeway if I only drove 5 over.  More than 5 over, the faster you went the further it dropped but I don't any vehicle that doesn't do the same.

Am I any particular Toyota fan, not really.  I bought mine new and owned it for about 7 years.  Had the SC put on at around 2000 miles and I think it had right around 65K when I traded it in on my new GMC AT4.  When I bought the Tacoma I also had a 04 Super Duty and didn't need another full size pickup which is why I bought the Taco.  For around town it was great.  Up in the hills driving around they're IMO the perfect size and liked it for that much better than my new GMC but the suspension on my 13 wasn't great and between the weight of the canopy that I had on it and three sand bags I ran during the winter months it nearly bottomed out the suspension.  Also, these things are pretty light and during winter months it couldn't hardly get out of its own way unless it was in 4wheel drive and even then it wasn't great.  Once I put Blizzaks on and three sand bags in the bed that made a huge traction difference and was good to go.  It did hold its value better than about any vehicle I've ever traded in except for maybe the Jeep Rubicon I traded in on the Taco so that was a welcomed surprise.

[thinkingman]

@thinkingman


 

You didn't think I'd notice?

I had the 2006 TeRD Sport with a 4.0 6sp manual.
Reverse ratio is a joke for any sort of backing up....Toy engineers must've thought we all want to drive 40mph backward.  4lo for any sort of trailer backing.

The engine itself was decent, I'm not sure the VVT was operational because I tried to hypermile it by shifting below 2500, which works because that engine has tons of torque.

Mileage was horrible with stock size tires.
2400RPM at 75 meant 17MPG.

Might as well get a real truck unless parking is your huckleberry.

I would look very carefully at frame rust and other corrosion.
Those things were made out of the cheapest steel known to man.

Plan on upgrading the suspension.
PM me for details because the stock suspension is completely worthless.

If anyone says they're getting even close to 20mpg, just nod and smile and look at the other posts that say otherwise.

Broken record that nobody listens to anymore.

Yes, you do...
Per the post above, 3 sand bags is about max payload for a Tacoma, thus my comment about addressing the suspension immediately.
I was always afraid to put heavy tires on it for the exact reason mentioned...Too much rotating mass for the driveline and brakes.
I ran P-metric Michelin LTX AT2s and they handled the weight of the Toy just fine.
10 ply or E-rating for a more robust truck is a good idea.

[pianoman9701]

pianoman, not to be argumentative but I put a set of 10 ply tires on the 2013 4dr TRD OR I had and it was a bit of a harsh ride to begin with but putting those 10 plys on made a huge difference in ride quality and for the worse.  In fact I took them off before I even had 2K on them and still have them sitting in my shop and would make someone a hel1 of a deal on them if anyone is looking for a set.

I don't know what the power is like in the newer Tacoma's but mine had the 4.0 V6 and it was decent-ish on power but nothing great.  Put a TRD SuperCharger on it and that made a world of difference.  Even with the SC on as long as I drove it decent I could easily get 18-19 stop and go around town and 22-23 on the freeway if I kept it at only 5 over but if I was 8-10 over it would drop to 19.5-20 depending how fast I set the cruise.  Just to see what it would do I made one trip to Yakima where I set the cruise 5 under the speed limit and it got a little over 24mpg but OMG it felt like I was standing still and that was the only time I did that.

I don't notice a difference with my 10-ply except losing a mile or two in mileage. It may depend on the tread style. 

Did you notice any difference in stopping when you went to the 10 plys?  Besides the ride quality being much more harsh I noticed a significant difference in its stopping ability and you had to push much harder on the brake pedal to get it to stop.  Those 10 plys weigh considerably more and have a lot more rotating weight.

As for the gas mileage comment made by another poster I can't speak on behalf of anyone else and if certain individuals wish to hate on Toyota or Tacoma's that's their problem but I was always pleased with the mileage my 13 SC 4.0 AT 4DR SB TRD Off Road pkg and I could easily get 20-20+ on the freeway if I only drove 5 over.  More than 5 over, the faster you went the further it dropped but I don't any vehicle that doesn't do the same.

Am I any particular Toyota fan, not really.  I bought mine new and owned it for about 7 years.  Had the SC put on at around 2000 miles and I think it had right around 65K when I traded it in on my new GMC AT4.  When I bought the Tacoma I also had a 04 Super Duty and didn't need another full size pickup which is why I bought the Taco.  For around town it was great.  Up in the hills driving around they're IMO the perfect size and liked it for that much better than my new GMC but the suspension on my 13 wasn't great and between the weight of the canopy that I had on it and three sand bags I ran during the winter months it nearly bottomed out the suspension.  Also, these things are pretty light and during winter months it couldn't hardly get out of its own way unless it was in 4wheel drive and even then it wasn't great.  Once I put Blizzaks on and three sand bags in the bed that made a huge traction difference and was good to go.  It did hold its value better than about any vehicle I've ever traded in except for maybe the Jeep Rubicon I traded in on the Taco so that was a welcomed surprise.

I haven't noticed a difference in stopping or handling. 

[Mudman]

If ya want 16mpg get a diesel truck?!?    Toyota isnt a tow rig.  2.7l is perfect for running around and actually will get over 20mpg unlike a v-6 Toy engine.

[Blacktail135]

 Thanks for all the replies! I’m still learning and still looking. It’d be mostly a putt around rig with occasional towing. Crew cab, auto and reliability is a major plus. Mileage is not.

[Wanttohuntmore]

What mpg are guys getting with stock 2.7 at say 75 mph?  My 02 3.4 would get about 19.  My 08 Tundra with the 5.7 would get about 16.5. 

[Taco280AI]

...My 08 Tundra with the 5.7 would get about 16.5.

Tundras are liars, mine got about 1mpg less than the display claimed (simple math/app usage). The Camry I had was pretty accurate along with my 4Runner.

[Wanttohuntmore]

...My 08 Tundra with the 5.7 would get about 16.5.

Tundras are liars, mine got about 1mpg less than the display claimed (simple math/app usage). The Camry I had was pretty accurate along with my 4Runner.

Yeah,  all the electric crap is wrong.  You need to calculate it at the pump,  miles driven divided by gallons used.   The 16.5 is manually calculated average after 10 yrs of driving I90 to spokane from the wet side.  Same with the Taco.  Don't believe what the digital readout says.   Also,  if running bigger diameter tires,  without a speedometer adjusted, you need to adjust your miles traveled.   Mine were stock diameter.

[Stein]

Can you adjust the display?  In my Ford, you can calculate actual and put in a multiplier so it displays actual.  They differ from the factory, not to mention all the stuff that gets bolted to them, tires, payload, etc.