Need advice. 4 or 6 cylinder

yeah makes sense. they should just do like the mitsubishi evo i had. it was a 2.0L 4cyl turbo with 300hp/300torque easy. then again that car was $36k which is the price of a v6 tacoma with everything on it.

that evo still got as good of mpg as the 4cyl tacoma though. it was alot more aerodynamic though.

that car just wasn't practical though. the turbo kicked in more on the top end than the low end. which normal driving you don't go around flooring the gas pedal down if you know what i mean.

on the other hand it was totally awesome on hills. you would actually speed up while going up a steep hill without pressing the pedal down any further. it was really cool on hills when the turbo would spool up. you could pass people on hills like nothing. they would all be slowing down and you would be speeding up.


doing what you did is probably the way to go. i've never even had my truck up to 3800rpms so i've never seen peak torque. normal driving i shift at 2500rpms or maybe 3000rpms if towing something.

i need to adjust my driving to reving up the engine more i suppose. i've just never been one to rev an engine way up close to redline or anything. it makes me think the engine is going to blow up or that i'm working it too hard and i may shorten it's lifespan.

 

Same here. It's used as a daily driver work truck and so the engine rarely gets past 2,500 rpms. 3,000 rpms on the freeway is 90 mph, and I never go that fast. The only place it hits the rev limiter is on the dyno for testing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ofUy8_-6Q

You won't gain anything revving the 2.7 higher
because there's nothing there to gain.


Greg

 

3k RPM on the freeway is 90? That's a 4% grade in 3rd gear at 55

 

Yes.

My truck has high final gearing of 3.31, so only 2,000 rpm in 5th gear is 60 mph and 3,000 rpm is 90 mph. It makes no sense in going that fast in a pickup truck.

My engine climbs just fine in 5th and only the steepest freeway grades require 4th.

This is because I've done considerable modification and dyno testing of my 2.7, all with only one goal: To increase low rpm torque. And I'm totally pleased with the results. My truck feels like the engine is a lot larger than it really is.


Greg

 

For road trips with a loaded car, I prefer having more power when I need it. So, V6 gets my vote. Also, I think Toyota's own supercharger is not available for the V4, in case you decide to upgrade at a later point in time. At high altitudes the air is quite thin, so the SC helps the engine breathe a bit better.

 

how much would you say you have invested in your truck to get it where it is now?

 

I spent $1,000 on the engine...



Injen long tube intake: $220
Tooter 2" thick intake manifold spacer: $0
(I sold enough of them to pay for the prototype on my truck.)
LCE long tube header: $475
Flowmaster 50 muffler and exhaust: $300



...and $1,000 on the wheels.



Enkei 16 x 7 alloy rims $600
Yokohama 235/60 tires $400

The end result is a reliable smooth running excellent handling truck with a responsive engine which has 25% more torque that comes on 1,000 rpms sooner than a stock engine.


Greg

 

Turbocharged 4 cyl.

 

C'mon now Greg,
Don't forget to tell them about removing the Power Steering and A/C to reduce the parasitic drag on the engine. And also mention the sweaty Popeye forearms you now have as a result.

 

When you stop to consider the physical principles involved, it's not really all that much.

I don't know if you've ever looked at your compressor, but when your AC is off, the electric clutch is disengaged and the pulley freewheels with no load on it. And when you're driving straight, there is no hydraulic load on the Power steering pump. I did it because I never use my AC and a relatively light weight standard cab 5 lug 2 wheel drive doesn't steer that hard manually. I really like the old fashioned simplicity of an empty engine bay.

 

never use a/c? i think i would die without it here. especially this week. heat index in the 100's with really high humidity. feels like driving in hell without a/c.

 

Humans have the innate capacity to adapt to our constantly changing environment. But when we use technology as the compensatory mechanism we lose that ability because it goes unused.

 

I have a 4-cylinder. There were a couple of times when I was going up a steep grade and was quite surprised at how much speed was lost, even downshifting to 3rd sometimes couldn't recuperate. Holding 65 mph was a struggle sometimes, but that's for extreme grades.

Once I was driving on a dirt road and hit some soft sand while in the wrong gear and the engine stalled. Had to be pulled out by a fork lift cause the lil Tacoma couldn't get out. Lesson learned, downshift in soft sand, keep the revs up.

In daily driving with the A/C on, I can really feel the power loss when the compressor kicks on, especially in stop and go traffic. Almost stalled a couple of times just because the compressor would kick on at the worst moment. I try to remind myself to give her a bit more revs during the summer to compensate.

Having said all this though, I've never been in that much of a hurry and don't mind moving to the right to let other faster drivers pass by. I also don't mind downshifting and reving the piss out of the engine (hey, it is a four cylinder after all) to get where I need to be. I've never towed with it, but I did carry a few motorcycles home, just had to adjust my driving style to do it (rev rev rev). If any of these scenarios worry you, MPGs aren't a concern, and if you think you could afford it, get the V6. Otherwise, for my needs, I am happy to have a truck that averages about 26-27 MPG. My tank can go 500+ miles before I need a to visit the gas station.

 

Bought a 2012 single cab 4x4 2 years ago and put 265s. Fuck that sold it 4 months later For a DCSB 4X4 V6 that 4 banger was a turd if want it for offroading get the V6

 

I 2nd that!

 

Guys, the original poster posted once, checked back two days later, and hasn't been seen since. Let's let this thread die off.

 

rough mountain roads...towing a boat and camping gear over the Continental Divide....

Sounds like 6 all the way, even just dealing with interstate mountain traffic, big rigs on steep grades, etc...

You can also look up the payload and towing capacities of each and do the math.

 

Test drive them both....

Hi, new here, I figured I would chime in as I recently bought a new 4 cylinder 4x4 reg cab and like others on here, I bought it knowing that she is not a speed demon. I wanted the simplicity and reliability of the 4 cylinder and I just needed to be able to keep up with traffic. I live in the Texas hill country so I deal with the steep inclines and fast speeds around here and yes you have to downshift going up the hills. I got the five speed standard transmission knowing this and I am always able to maintain my speed going up the hills. This truck is perfect for my needs and once you learn how to drive her, she keeps up with traffic just fine.

Having said all that I also release that I am in the extreme minority around here and if you are like most people then you will probably be happier with the 6.

 

Most regular cab owners say they love their 4 cylinder, which makes sense as it's the smallest truck and they don't get a v6 option. So not in the minority at all, only in the sense that most people saying "buy a v6" have a heavier truck than your own