Overweight 2.7 Prerunner

So in hindsight like many here, I wish I opted for the 6 cylinder. Having previously owned a 4 banger regular cab 5 lug, I was under the impression that 4 cylinders would be all I would ever need. Currently I have a 2009 2.7 prerunner, which ran well when I test drove it, but I’ve added a FEW things over the past year. I need to get this truck to a scale, but I’m guessing between the leer cap w/ bed self, tow hitch, aftermarket stereo system with subs, dynamated cabin, roof rack, optima battery, AC/DC converter, rubber weather mats, and fog lights my curb weight as gone from 3750 lbs to 4400ish excluding people, fuel, cargo. I bet when going to the mountains/beach for the weekend, with a full tank and bags/gear I'm approaching GVWR.

I’ve read that these 2rd gen tacos are heavy to begin with, especially the prerunners since they have 4wd suspension, lift and larger tires. I’ve added a AFE filter and I’m looking into freeflow exhaust; I think any more performance upgrade would be pointless since the money I’d spend could be going toward a trade on a V6
My question is: Are there any of you with similar weight issues and what can be done? Would running skinnier/lower profile tires help? Where could weight be cut?

 

get a slightly lower gear ratio. that should help put some pep back in her step..

 

You mean like 4.10's to 4.88's?

 

depends on what the stock gears are. and how much more weight he is depending on adding.. 4:56 gears should be fine. but if your goin up mountains roads and such you may need some some shorter gears get some more umph under it..

 

I'll be honest, I dont have a clue how to change rear ratios, nor have the tools. This also sounds expensive. Any idea what a garage would charge? Would installing smaller tires achieve lower ratios? I'm almost due for a set

 

I’ve read that these 2rd gen tacos are heavy to begin with, especially the prerunners since they have 4wd suspension, lift and larger tires

prerunners are 2 wheel drive

 

Never said prerunners were 4x4, said they have 4wd suspension/lift/tires, aka 4x4 appearance. At least thats what I've been told prerunners are.

 

Gear change is 250 to 450 in parts, plus 300 to 500 labor depending on who you buy from and where you get the work done.

 

the supercharger would be a good option, but to save your self some money a regear would do about the same thing, you could order your gears from a shop and have someone around your area install them. i would say under a thousand bucks total at the most.

 

I know what you mean. Mine gets bogged down pretty easy especially when I have to loaded up with tools for work.

How many miles do you have? When I bought mine with 76,000 it didn't do well in the mountains at all. Now that I have almost 100,000 and I have actually driven hard enough to loosen her up a little, she does a lot better.

I've been loaded down and climbed mountains that guys in their 2500 dodge diesels have to put it in 4x4 to get enough traction.

Another tip in the mountains on the highway, don't be afraid to get the RPM up a little. That's where the power is at in this engine. I know it sounds harsh, but get that baby up around 4000-4500 RPM and she will usually hold highway speed while climbing any pass.


EDIT: Oh yeah, if I could afford it, I would trade her in tomorrow for a V6 TRD O/R 4X4. I can't stand having a truck without power... Just personal taste.

 

Agree, get it over 4k RPMs and engine comes alive, unfortunately your no longer getting 25 MPGs anymore!

 

I put 102k miles on my 05 4cylinder access cab 4x4. I really liked it even though it was dreadfully slow once up to speed. I only sold it because I needed a quad cab to keep my wife's knees out of the glove compartment when my daughter was in the truck too. But holy crap I don't think I could ever go back to the old truck now. The extra power is so worth the 1-3 mpg loss in mileage and I drive 90 miles a day. I'm actually contemplating putting collector car insurance on my Mustang this year and using the Tacoma as my DD in the summer too.

 

So the 2nd Gen Prerunners have 245/75R16 which match the 4x4's 265/70R16's tire height of around 30.5 to 31 inches. I'm guessing that was toyota's approach to give a off road look to the prerunner. In my opinion they look to skinny for their height. Has anyone out their tried using like 255/70/16(30") or 255/65/16(29")?

I'm thinking a slightly smaller/wider tire would increase performance, lower the gear ratio, and give better traction when towing (especially up the boat ramp)

 

I want the same height just wider... Don't know what size that would be though.

Stock is 245/75/16