2016 Toyota Tacoma takes on the Ike Gauntlet

At least it did not blow up running 6000RPM all the way up.

 

I too wonder what time it could have finished with if he hadn't been holding himself to 60. They didn't say anything about the brake controller to the end so I wonder how they handled that situation since towing that much weight down Ike without trailer brakes would be incredibly stupid.

 

I think I heard Mr. T say "no integrated brake controller". Add one? I will have to get this in the works when I tow my 3500lb boat.

FWIW, I really like the idea of having a nice mid-size truck that fits in most garages, is non-diesel and can tow a decent amount of weight every now and then. GM and Nissan weren't even in the running, because their products always appeared cheaply made and poorly constructed when compared to the Toyota.

 

Its clear that all trucks running IKE are staying at their top Torque/HP RPMS. (whatever the factory peak is)
Thats why 2015 at the hardest portion of IKE looked to be around 4700 RPMs and 2016 was near 6000 RPMs mark. Considering they didn't test 2015 while Transmission was on 4th (where your Towing mode is with engine breaking) running 2016 with ECT saved a gear shift, which is why got slightly better time.
Otherwise 2015 is clear winner. If your truck that has engine with timing chain needs to rev up to 6000 RPMs you will be screwed.
Stretched timing chain and busted timing guides ... first one to shell out $2000 on replacement takes a prize.
Ha ha and Toyota replaced timing guide shoes with plastic cheap shit. Good luck on that.

Now can we get real engine like dual VVTi 1GR and end that misery.

 

I could be missing something but it seems like the skill, or lack thereof, of the driver in holding 60 mph could be a big variable in this test. Kind of fun anyway.

 

It's a fun video to watch but there are so many variables that a single run is statistically meaningless. With every test vehicle, they should be repeating the test at least three times and taking an average. Still, I'm looking forward to towing my 4200 lbs dry/5000 lbs loaded travel trailer this summer. Mostly flat land around here and my 2007 handled the camper no problem, I'm sure the 2016 will be fine.

 

This 100%. Most of the people here don't realize how much of a difference driving at altitude makes, let alone towing a trailer at altitude while driving up a steep grade. Absolutely night and day difference compared to just pulling you're rented Uhaul trailer full of your crap across town a few miles.

 

Since it's a test vehicle, it seems unlikely to me they would do a trailer brake controller install, but I guess anything is possible.

I think other users have stated that the manual states that any trailer over 1k needs to have brakes on it so why it wasn't included in the tow package doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

 

Excellent point. We should kick Mr. Toyota-san in the nads for that...

 

Lived here all my life.

Driven that stretch of road 1000s of times in all kinds of vehicles.

This is the first time I've ever heard the term "Ike gauntlet"

 

If you watch the footage of them climbing lesser grades they are cruising around 2-3k rpm. That final stretch by the Eisenhower Tunnel is brutal on any vehicle. It's a short stretch though. It's not like you're revving at 6k on all of I70. The GMC Canyon revved to 6k just as much in the Canyon Ike test.

 

2 things to keep in mind here.

1) Pretty much all vehicles tested by TFL are revving high on the final stretch, so it's not just a Taco thing.

2) It's good for your engine to rev high from time to time. Over time, carbon buildup and other deposits form. Revving high helps to break those up and have a cleaner engine for longer. Not letting the engine rev high occasionally is like having big muscles and never using them... eventually that power will fade away.

 

Shame they didn't use the go pro mount......

 

I will just say I think 4,000 lbs is a better real-world tow capacity for the Tacoma. I tow may Casita maybe 3x a year with gen 1 and I would probably be inclined to tow it a bit more, maybe a max of 10x/year if I had a more powerful truck. I think the 3.5L is a pretty good engine after testing it in person.

 

Facts have no business here. It doesn't fit BlueT's agenda.

 

I am sure it goes higher than normal, but I doubt it goes to 6000 RPMs with just 4 people and luggage , 2015 Tacoma run that IKE and was what it looked like at 4500-4800 RPM with 6100 LB trailer.
I am not saying trucks dont rev, but they dont rev that high. They all seem to rev to whatever their peak power RPMs are. Which is as expected. That means TFLtruck.com is doing great tests because they are testing those truck at maximum.
Now, knowing that its not hard to figure out that if peak of power for 3rd gen is near 6000 RPMs thats were its going to be, and video showed thats were it was.
People here claimed that 3gen has mysterious supply of low end torque like 2gen but that video shows that it hasn't.
If it did it would run at the same RPM level, instead revs like a Civic.
Now I don't care about Ford timing chain problems, but I know that revving timing chain engine will lead to no good. hence why 2gen with 1GR has such longevity. Majority of people can run that 1GR engine with 2000-3000 RPMS max and stay on 5th. That means they will last forever.

 

What facts are you talking about ?

 

You know civics have had timing chains. Also, Honda is known for longevity and they are the largest engine manufacturer in the world. You said "revs like a civic". So must be Honda makes engines to last for only a short time since revving timing chain engines don't last. From what comic book do you get your facts from?

 

Last time I drove across I-70 was in a Freightliner with 35,000# in the trailer...that's always fun.

 

Trucks do not run towing runs at peak torque rpms. They run at peak hp. Torque gets the load going from a stop. Hp keeps the load going. That's why the 3rd Gen revs so high on this test, it's peak hp is basically at redline. And it's only high revving when it accelerates and at the steepest part. I'm sure the 2nd Gen does the same. It may not get quite as high as the 3rd Gen, but that's because peak hp of the 2nd Gen is about 500 rpms lower.