V6 or 4 banger What should I get?

your "claim" is based on (according to you) some special "one of" gearing done to the truck so why are you representing that any tundra truck out there that the guy goes buy, will get this magical mpg? its not about being haters, its about you giving out misleading and bad info "for whatever reason" you feel the need to.

 

I have the 2.7 and for the last 50,000 miles it's been driven as hard as it will go. Rarely am I driving it below 3k rpm and am often floored at 5k going over mountain passes. Almost at 225000 miles and have had no issues yet. Planning on doing a leak down test whenever I get some spare time to check on valves, rings and gaskets.

When I bought the truck I lived near sea level and it was basically stock. I thought it had a surprising amount of pep for being a 4 cylinder.

 

When I lived in Oregon for a time, I drove a U.S. made F350 crew cab 4X4 with 7.3L, BTS trans, lockers, lifted, on BFG KO's. It was perfect for those weekly 30 mile drives to the big city and lonely back road trips over the cascade range... also dealing with 6 month long winters. It could go anywhere, anytime, while dragging an RV on it's side...in the snow.

Now back in California, I didn't need that big ass truck. I'm a first time Gen 1 taco owner; 2.7L AT Prerunner and it fits my needs perfectly. (longevity, capability, and sharing the road with a bunch of assholes)

So, I agree with the people who say just look at what your needs are. Which 'little truck' abilities are you looking for? I really don't think you can go wrong with
whatever you choose. Just look for the best deal that comes your way.

 

Shit that's lame, three weeks is a ways off, I was trying to go this weekend, Ima try to go jet ski in piru lake and ride out in the desert then maybe go 4x4 out in Gorman one of these nights

I'm dying to take out the trucks, let's get a group out to rowler

Edit: it's raining this weeekend!!!!!

 

Your telling me if you had the power to pass all those ass holes on the freeway you wouldent take it?

 

At sea level and stock tires it does, at least the manual.

 

I have a 2.7L 4cyl DC 2004 1st gen. Only problem was some valve work done about 5-6 years ago and changed the radiator and thermostat. I'm at 268,000 miles and still going. Will run as long as you take care of it. My dad has a 2004 V6 at about 190,000. The MPG is slightly better on my 4cyl. However, there is a big power difference. If you drive slow, accelerate slow, get the 4cyl. I've gotten used to driving slow with my 1st gen. If you love to mash the pedal often, get the V6. I just bought a 3rd Gen V6 last week, and having the extra power will entice you to mash the pedal every so often. So, I would say you can't go wrong either way. You want power for more $$$ is the ultimate question.

 

No there is no question justbuy a v6 it's a better truck all round

 

Its the same truck all around....

 

Same truck, but nobody here is comparing apples to apples. There is no single post comparing gas mileage on the these two engines installed in identical truck configuration that impacts mpg (single, double or ext cab, AT or MT, tire size ant type, manual or auto front locking hubs, diff gearing, amount of armor, camper etc). Yes, the mpg will suck really bad on 3.4 with auto o transmission, auto locking hubs with big tires and heavy armor. Put the same engine in single cab, with MT and manual locking hubs, and there will be no difference in mpg comparing to identical 2.7 setup. Also mpg is affected by driving style. These extra 40 hp in 3.4 (when new) made people drive with heavy foot just because they can. It is not a marginal gain, 40hp is like 30% more for I4 has.

So getting mpg out of the picture you have to chose between simplicity/easy maintenance (2.7 engine) and power (3.4 engine). That's the only difference between these two engines. They are both durable, reliable and efficient (per 20th century standards) engines that are hard to beat. They have the same fuel efficiency per hp delivered, just one is smaller, the other is bigger (with more working parts).

Just make sure to not buy 2.7 engine with AT. Automatic transmissions are easy to drive but they are inefficient comparing to manual (hence the extra cooler needed when towing). All that heat that you need to get rid off with TX cooler is your HP made by the engine going into climate change. If you get I4 engine (2.4 or 2.7) with automatic TX you will later write angry posts like 3rYODA (no offense buddy ). You want the most powerful 1st gen taco, get what 3rYODA has now: 3.4 with 5-speed manual. If you can get manual locking hubs, it will be a bonus. Want more, add turbo to it . And then don't complain when you drive like a maniac with pedal do the metal between breaking.

I have chosen 2.7 MT just for how easy is to work on it by myself. I'm driving like old lady (between 2 an 3k rpm the most) so I don't care about power. But it's just me.

 

Haha that's goin in my Sig, no offense I truly hated my 4cylinder and I wish no one to ever buy a 4cylinder automatic tranny, I know the manuals are better with power but still just buy a 3.4 I always had to worrie about my head I've heard of people blowing engines with 180k just cause of first owner didn't understand he needed adjustments

 

No no no I think you got used to them,

But now you enjoy it

 

This guy is closer to the point than anyone so far..

I like the 6 cyl.. my first truck was a 95 reg cab 4x4 6 cyl in white! I thought it was the shit and all my friends did too! I learned how to drive in that thing and then moved on to lots of different yotas.. 88 4runner (pretty cool but dreadfully slow), 97 tacoma 4x4 6 cyl(all the power you needed), 98 4 runner 4x4 6 cyl (easy to drive,Lots of power but not great mpg), 2011 TRD OR manual (lot of power, 16-18 mpg), 2015 DCLB auto (obviously) 21-23 mpg

I feel like the trucks felt the best with the bigger engine..

 

I just did a trip with a buddy with the 3.4 on 35s and 5.29s I have the 3rz, 33s and 4.88s. We did a turtle race and were practically dead even so our gearing is about the same. I used roughly a gallon less of fuel than him whether it be all highway or dirt. I bet I have at least 200lbs more weight than he does. There is a definitely a difference in mpg. Not much but there is.

The 3rz has a better power to weight ratio for whatever that is worth. If it's a street rig and you don't plan on adding weight or towing often I see no problem with the 3rz. If you plan on adding a lot of weight and rock crawling with it without a crawl box I wouldn't recommend it.

 

i have an idea. wait for the tesla pick up? or the tesla semi truck

 

Which will explode into big fireball when it hits a rock.

 

I owned a 2.4 2wd (1999) lifted and on offroad tires. Stick.

Now I own a 3.4 4wd (2000), also lifted and offroad tires. Automatic.

For a daily, on-road driver you keep at stock height and on stock tires, I think the 4-cylinder makes a lot of sense -- it gets better gas mileage and in stock form probably doesn't give up too much power to the V6. I got something like 22MPG with mine. You save gas money and they are probably cheaper to buy.

I mostly use my truck for camping, road trips, and offroading, and I definitely prefer the bigger engine for those uses, even though I only get like 18MPG. Maybe the 2.7 is better, but the 2.4 felt slow to me, especially climbing hills and on the freeway loaded up. Would not have wanted to tow with it. It's especially important with the automatic transmission and the heavy gear I bring camping.

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Maintenance-wise, I'd say they are about equal. It's true that you have to do the timing belt on the V6, but we're talking about something that you only have to do every 100k miles -- it's not like every week you're having to mess with the timing belt. If you're a DIY type, it's a pretty easy 3-hour job, or a few hundred bucks to have a mechanic do it. Otherwise, both are extremely reliable engines that are cheap to keep running -- keep on top of the basic stuff and you don't have to worry about it. I don't really think the complexity of the engine or how much space it takes up in the engine compartment matters when you never have to work on it in the first place.

 

not at all.

 

I'd sure like to see his math on that number. I drove a 5.7 Tundra all day, city and highway, and it got 13 MPG. That being said, that truck was a blast! The power it had was phenomenal -- going up a long hill at 70, stepped on it just a bit, and I was doing 90 in a heartbeat. The Tow/Haul mode makes for some fun times -- don't step on it at a light, or you will shriek the tires every time.

 

He's going to get a knock on his door from some guys in shades, offering him 2x what he paid for the truck. Because, you know, big oil and stuff.