The difference 4 and 6cyl. axles,frame,susp

So in a discussion with a few guys in my shop, a few say everything is the same on both except the tranny, engine and electonics. I not looking for all the tiny things that are different. So is the frame, axles, suspension the same for both? The discussion was concerning the fact that a 4 banger wouldnt strain or stress certain parts of the vehicle as much as a 6cyl and would or would not contribute to the length of the usable life span of the truck. So whats the general concensus?

 

unless you have a 5 lug lol

but i know for sure the frame is the same...

6 lugs have the same susp. throughout the board v6 or i4...and im pretty sure the rear axle as well...

 

The key in my decision to buy (and keep buying) 4-cyl Tacomas is the intrinsically simpler and more robust design of this versus the larger Vs. When Toyota first designed its legendary offroad truck, an all-manual transmission/axle-locking mechanism was built around a simple, refined, and durable 4 cylinder engine. It had many fewer cams, valves, and accessory exhaust components to service, and an ideal weight-to-power ratio for a light truck application. Today the 4 cyl engine is further refined with such improvements as injectors and VVT-i, but is still the cornerstone of Toyota's reputation. If Toyota still made a Tacoma with fully manual transfer case and front axle engagement, I would buy it at once. That's my 2 dollars' worth (2 cents, adjusted for inflation).

 

plus the 4 banger sounds like a diesel lol

 

my dad has a '86 22re still going strong 200,000 + miles later.

 

That makes no sense. A smaller engine with less torque should produce less stress and strain on the chassis/suspension than the larger V6. Plus the reduced tow rating of the 4 banger would extend life. I think your buddies have it bass ackwards.

 

true that.

plus toyota 4-cyl engines are bulletproof

 

Thats what I was saying that it would not stress it as much, but they were wanting to know if the transfer case, axles, and front end was the same as for the 6cyl.

 

The 4 cyl prerunner will be the same, except motor and tranny, and no 4x4 components. I would agree longevity should be greater with less stress on the truck overall with the 4 vs 6 cyl powertrain.

 

Yeah i like the diesel sound of the 4 cyl too sounds grunty and tough.

 

and slow...lol

 

x2. i love my Taco.

 

yea i love my 4 banger and wouldn't trade it for anything. And the engine will never stop working. My grandpa drives a 94 pre-taco and it has 315k miles on it and he puts 25,000 on it a year just driving it around the farm and most of those miles are not on paved roads (northern pennsylvania haha)

 

The gearing is totally different 4cyl 4x4 has 4:10 and 6 cyl has 3:96

 

Yeah so everything else is the same, transfer case, axles(not gearing), frame. A few guys were saying its a whole different set up. I say its the same truck except the engine and tranny.

 

that would be correct.

i have a 4 cyl 5 lug and my dad has a 6 lug dclb...

i think even the rear axle housing looks the same...just different gears...

 

the only thing i can think of is the gearing ratio. on the four banger, the gear ratio is lower than the six. 4;30 on my 2001 fourbanger