Power-to-Weight Ratio

[donning flamesuit]

Not that I'm too concerned about the go-fast factor... but seems a lot of TW members are (and that's fine).
Anyways, why not more consideration given to putting the Tacoma on a diet, as opposed to exclusively adding more horsepower? For those more knowledgeable than myself, how much weight would it take to make a legitimate, noticeable difference?

Either way, I can't see a colour-matched, OEM-styled carbon fiber hood (and/or other parts) being a bad thing! Not to mention forged wheels and other lightweight suspension components.

 

Getting less weight is always beneficial in terms of performance. But a lot of people would like more power for use when they are using the Truck for Truck things. Like towing or hauling things.

 

I think it will take a lot more than wheels and a hood to make a noticeable difference, maybe gutting the interior

 

10# of weight loss is like adding 1 HP. Lose 100#, free up 10 HP for other duties.

There's probably 100# of wiring and magic boxes for all the creature comforts.

Problem is the higher end components you mention have a higher end price tag too.

IMHO the Tacoma is already overpriced, because it's still riding the wave of 25 years of popularity. And it still meets the needs of most buyers, who actually aren't part of this forum.

 

Um, the truck losing weight gives it more power to do truck things.

OP, if we are talking about unsprung weight, every pound makes a difference. If we are talking normal weight, a few hundred pounds will be noticeable and any more than that is just better.

The PROBLEM:
People want efficiency measured in mpg not to be effected by adding weight.
People want to be able to add a thousand pounds without any drop in performance
People want to lift it and add lights and bumpers and they want that exercise to drop the drag coefficient
People want more horsepower and torque
People want to pay less and get more

Basically, due to ignorance, people want to break every law of physics because they think those laws only apply to everyone else, not them.

If you want to increase TOTAL performance of the Tacoma, that's efficiency and power, then dropping weight is the key. Nobody wants to hear that though.

 

It's hard to improve on a plastic bed full of air.

 

It's easy to improve on a plastic bed full of air. The problem is most won't do it because it's not gonna look good while mall crawling. Put on some lighter wheels. Drop down a few sizes on your OE tires. Run all seasons instead of E rated mud terrains. Easy.

 

I'd say at least a few hundred pounds before you'd notice it and that's assuming you are looking for it. You can get a feel for it yourself by driving alone and with 3-4 passengers. Depending on the crowd that could be another 300-600 lbs. I personally don't think weight shaving is worth pursuing on a Taco. They aren't pigs for what they are as is and more weight isn't a bad thing when it comes to towing. Shedding enough to make a noticeable difference would be very difficult as well.

 

I don't really have a problem with the power the Tacoma has..... I really think the issue is more to do with the throttle response of the Tacoma.

 

I've always heard that 1 lb of unsprung weight translates to roughly 10 lbs of sprung weight (although that estimate seems a bit high).

 

You won't feel it in the power department much. What you will notice is your around town mpg will be better. Constant acceleration of the mass (stoplight, traffic, turns, etc) is what kills the city mpg. Lighter wheels and tires help that tremendously.

 

Op it wouldnt be difficult to take the hood right off n see if you notice it. Suckers heavy but then ago its a pickup. Id say take the bed and hood off and give it a go. Probably take a few hundred pounds out without much more than bolts.

Id ask why though. You want lightweight (weak)suspension in a pickup, why pickup? If you wanted power and speed, why tacoma? Makes literally no sense to me but sure lets talk about sweet carbon fiber hoods (they already make fiberglass with a functional fake scoop)

 

It's stated in the first post that I wasn't concerned about having a "fast" truck. But the gripes I hear in the 3rd Gen forums are always the same:
- not enough power
- poor acceleration
- poor gas mileage

My thought is, don't just add more Hp -- perhaps also invest in other areas that will overall increase the vehicles performance.

 

Exactly. Its got enough torque to spin the tires and enough HP to merge, its just way to hard to coax it out of the truck most of the time.

 

I agree, these trucks are already not very heavy and I am sure Toyota already has done quite a bit to keep it on a diet.

 

Right but the most popular mods are lifts and big tires. So while they complain they dont care to change it. Especially if it ment several grand for a carbon fiber hood, atleast a grand for "lightweight" suspension which would mean you cant use your truck as a truck... think a motorcycle or sports car is a much better investment than trying to make a vehicle do what it wasnt intended to.

Have you seen that offroad bently continential? You can do about anything your budget allows in vehicles. Does it make any sense in the real world? Nah.

Will say te37s look great on tacomas but not many looking to drop a grand a wheel for a couple pounds

 

I say just ad a supercharger, and be done with it!

 

Not an option anymore/yet.

 

power is definitely lagging on these trucks I would like a super charger or a turbo because i am not sold on the tune idea