Looks like it's not a 7GR, EPC partially updated: 2GR-FKS

Safety wise I'm sure someone in my company would disagree. Cab overs handle the load safely, but not the guy strapped in.

 

Yeah...I hated for a long time, it is growing on me.

 

He is going to be replaced by a robot one day anyway!

 

The Honda Ridgeline isn't a "truck" its a sports utility truck. Its built off of the Honda Odyssey ladderframe unibody and independent rear suspension design (and odyssey engine IIRC)? There are reasons the Honda Ridgeline didn't compete in the truck market and it had nothing to do with engines or tow ratings. Honda carved out a small niche of truck buyers and is happy selling to them. It was never meant to compete with Toyota, Nissan, or any other truck on the market.

And for the last time, a V8, V10, V12, not even a diesel, will not raise the Tacoma's tow rating to 8000lbs without significant changes to the truck itself nor would Toyota be able to put a V8 in a Tacoma without either successfully petitioning congress to change the law, changing its dimensions to be the same size as the Tundra, or neutering the V8 so that emissions are roughly equal to a 3.5L. Either way, no one would buy it.

 

I agree it takes a lot more than raw power to tow a heavy load. Take a car like a Ferrari or something similar. Has lots of power but would do a terrible job of towing and safely controlling 5000lbs.

At the weld shop I worked at a few years ago we had an old '79 Ford 1 ton, 400 ci, 4 speed. It often pulled a 24' heavy dual axle trailer loaded with thousands of pounds of steel. Even without a functioning brake controller it never felt unsafe. The truck was clearly built to tow and haul, with super low first gear, giant brake calipers, dual wheels, and enough vehicle weight of its own to help control a trailer.

The point is that, like many have said, there is much more to towing than enough power to get it rolling.

 

where did you hear this.... id put money on its the same "8.4" in open diff on all models but the TRD OR which will have the same "8.0" diff that the current 2nd gens have.

Im going to go as far to say the frame and 99% of the suspension components are identical. Outside of a different cross member for the new trans and hopefully new beefier crossmember for the center CB, and a couple other small odds and ends.

I will even go as far to say, my bolt on sliders will likely bolt up to the 3rd gen frame with little to no modification.

 

x2 could've sworn the 8.0 was here to stay.

 

The Offroad will have a new 8.75" rear diff with 4.30:1 Gears. also a new more integrated locker. as in the elocker motor wont be sticking out and as big as the old one and its not longer on drivers side but on passenger side.

 

Sauce?

 

one of the designers of the tacoma while at rock therapy. also looked under the 3rd gen they had there and saw the elcoker motor on the passenger side

 

Interesting. Must've missed that at TMMTX

 

Yup^

My source was from someone who was down at Moab with some guys from Toyota with a 2016 present for testing. I think it was for the media or something. Anyways he did get to chat with a few guys who came up with the truck. I trust the guy when he told me those Toyota people talked about how the elocker was on a bigger rear differential and better protected.

As for the rest of what's underneath the truck my buddy didn't have much to say. It's not like he was allowed to snoop around the 2016 while it was there.

Is this forum getting everyone so rattled up that every time someone tries to give up a little more information it's automatically hearsay?

 

A quick google search finds this:

http://articles.sae.org/13836/

So the frame uses a new production process and higher strength steel all around. This Tacoma will likely be far lighter than the Colorado which should help with braking and matching the truck up to the 3.5 L:

Also:

Sweers has been quoted saying this on quite a few websites. So I'm guessing he means it when he says it's a new rear differential.

 

Yeah I was at Moab for rock therapy where they had the tan third gen out there

 

Yeah, that was basically what I heard. My buddy also said that the 2016 Tacoma wasn't attracting a whole lot of attention for some reason or another, but maybe that was just his perception. He's been waiting for an article from one of the media types about it that were around but he hasn't seen anything like that. Which could either be a good or bad thing.

 

I tend to disagree about not being multipurpose.

 

I meant multipurpose as in a vehicle you want to run around town all day in and then load a bale in once you hit the back 40. Conventional pickup's are better suited for that.

 

The Toyota engineer in the q&a video specifically said it was a new rear differential but he didn't get into details.

 

The carrier assembly is visibly different from the one we have now. No idea if the internals are different.

 

People wanted a revolution, but got barely an evolution of "BNG" or bold-new-graphics as we call it in the motorcycle world. They're playing heavily on the engine in marketing because that's the only thing that's really changed, but it's not the change that most people wanted which was factory forced induction in one form (gas) or another (diesel) which gives more power with efficiency coupled with Toyota reliability which isn't going to be enough to sustain them in the next 5-10 years.