V6 or 4 banger What should I get?

Get the 6 cylinder, there is no substitute for power.

 

My 2.7l is a 4x4 lifted 3" on 33"s with 300k miles and still gets 21-24 mpg daily driving. I musta got a special one. None of my buddies 3.4s are getting over 16-17 mpg, I'd say that's significant mpg difference between the 4 and 6.

Really just look at what your plans are and go from there. In my experience the power difference is nill and the mpg difference makes up for it.

 

lol, I drove a 2.4 5 lug taco for a year then bought a v6 prerunner, both 2wd, I don't need to ask anyone I drove them both and saw first hand.

2.4 got 21 mpg average the whole time, when I upgraded to the 4 hole injectors it went up to 23 mpg average daily driving

3.4 got 19 mpg average and only 16 mpg when towing a 17ft flatboat around

if you didn't see a big difference in better mpg (when all things being equal) when driving a 4 banger, then it was from other things like tires or alignment issues or worn out poor running engine causing poor mileage, it wasn't because there isn't a big difference in the mpg of both engines

 

no, there is a big difference in power (40 hp difference), is it enough to warrant the mpg loss, that's a personal decission

 

Ha Ha. Exactly. I hate how these threads turn into a pissing match.

2.7 guys be like - "I get 37mpg on 19 inches of lift and 40" tires and can still keep up with a 3.4"

3.4 guys like- "Fuck off! I still get 24 mpg and can outrun any V8"

Like I said earlier...

/thread. Have fun, gents. Good luck, OP.

 

I know what they're rated at, you don't drive numbers on paper. I'm saying when it comes to MY real world experience on the actual road the power difference is not much

 

Your talking about a 5lug 4cylinder to a 6lug 4cylinder so you don't really know what your talking about power wise, the 2.4l small trucks where great and they should of kept the 4cylinder in those trucks, not the 6 lug no one comes to tacomaworld asking about a 5lug come on now

 

I wouldent know manual to manual 2.7 vs 3.4 but the auto 2.7 is a dog and not worth it I've heard people keep up on major hills and such with the 2.7 manual tranny but my experience with dirt bikes in the back of the truck even with a manual I feel like the truck would be a little heavy for the motor but I've heard it's not personally I don't think you can beat the v6 power to mpg, this is my second v6 first one got major mpg somthing like 21 it was a old t100 3.4l that I would never get past 2600 rpms and try to keep it at 2500 for highway the thing was great until I blew a rod at 304k

 

Ya, I could never own an auto 2.7, I have no doubt they are gutless as hell. I pull a 4 seater side by side up into the hills all the time with my 5spd 2.7 and it actually does pretty good for what it is. Speed demon? No, but they can handle more than they get credit for. Hell I even see people all the time severely underestimating the towing capability of the 3.4 trucks.

 

ya, well just because your view is, if its not a 4wd its not a Tacoma, doesn't mean everyone else only thinks of tacomas as 4wd or 2wd prerunners, there are just as many 5 luggers out there as there are 4wd or prerunners and they are every bit of a part of the Tacoma brand

 

Dear Alex,

A lot of people ask me the differences between the 2.7 I4, and the 3.4 V6. Well, here is my analysis of the two engines. They are both great engines, by the way, that are extremely reliable and dependable. To all the serious mechanically talented members, I know there are a lot more differences than what I am going to talk about in this post. In this post, I am just trying to give this member who is trying to decide between these two engines a general idea of the differences between these two motors.

The Toyota 2.7 inline 4 cylinder is a much simpler motor than its 3.4 V6 sibling. It is a single head, which makes everything inside the engine compartment extremely accessible with the exception of the fuel filter. These Toyota four bangers use a timing chain rather than a timing belt. As a result, timing chains are replaced much less frequently than timing belts. Because of their simplicity, size and configuration, this motor is both easier and cheaper to maintain and repair than its larger Toyota 3.4 V6 sibling. They will get also get better gas mileage. Although, I am told this is not a significant difference.

The Toyota 5VZ-FE 3.4 liter V6 engine is a very sophisticated motor with two heads and double overhead cams per head. It uses a timing belt instead of a chain, which has to be replaced every 90,000 to 100,000 miles. As a result of its size and configuration, it occupies a lot of space in the engine compartment, which makes getting at things a bit difficult. It is going to be both the more expensive and complicated motor to both maintain and repair. Please don't assume that the 3.4 is an impossible motor to work on. This certainly is not the case. It is just way more complicated of a motor to work on than its 2.7 liter sibling. The 3.4 is going to have significantly more horsepower and torque than its smaller sibling, which makes it much more useful when doing ugly stuff like hauling and towing.

Take it easy,
Paul

 

Nobody has really mentioned outright that there are two different 4 cylinder engines. The older 5 lug trucks have the 2.4, I think they may have switched to the 2.7 at some point. All 4x4/prerunner trucks have the 2.7 liter or 3.4.

If you get the 5 lug 4 cylinder truck then yes expect the mid 20 mpg range, if you get a 4x4 then the mpg may be a little higher but not much.

 

they switched from 2.4 to 2.7 in 01-04 trucks, so most of the I4 tacos (96-00) had the 2.4 in them, not sure if the 4wd were the same but I would think they were.

one thing was constant, the higher it is off the ground, the lower the mpg it gets

 

get the v6

 

Get the V6, I have the 4 with the auto and it is a dog...wish I could have the V6 and manual, but couldn't pass up this deal. Got mine for $2100...nice to have friends who let you know when things come up!

 

At times I wish I had a auto v6 but when I drop clutch it's just magic

 

Don't ever tell someone to buy a F-1shity

That's like telling someone to burn cash money no one buys a ford because they like trucks they buy a ford cause they want to prove people wrong that they arnt shittty, it always back fires

 

I have an 03 Tahoe LT 4wd too. It serves the need for any towing and SUV needs. It also rides like a Caddy. I would consider upgrading to a 4Runner though since I'm a Toyota fan. We have 323K on out 98 Camry(V6) and I'd drive it cross country tomorrow if needed. Thanks for the heads up about head gaskets.

 

its 2 fold on the 03-04 years too with 4runners, the v6 had head gasket issues and the 03-04 v8 was only 245hp, in 05 they switch to domed pistons to increase the compression ratio and that bumped the hp up from 245 to 260hp.

its an obviously noticed difference in power at the pedal even thought its only 15hp on paper. also the 5th gens 2010+ had extra pollution plus they added another 1500-2000 lbs to it that took most of the power away so a 5th gen v8 feels weak compared to the 05-09 4th gen v8

 

2.4l aka 2rz came in the 5 lug 2wd. 2.7l aka 3rz came in the 4x4 and prerunner 6 lug 2wd. Was this way from the beginning of the 1st gen tacos in '95.