Something we all know that Toyota told us but didn't catch

OMFG, ROFLMAO.

 

People forget gen 3’s are 2to 300 pounds heavier. I can always feel the difference of a 200 pound passenger. I bet the 3.5 would cook in a 2nd gen.

 

Because 2nd gens never had any issues right?

 

My auto is great, no complaints. Did you check your transmission fluid and get the TSB done?

 

I checked it before it was a big thing on this forum, I have done all the TSBs and continue to report on them when they come available. I currently use the SSP and as it does help, there is still a lot of unnecessarily shifts on the highway due to the engine getting bogged down in 6th gear trying to save on gas. The auto is not great due to the transmission and its gearing. They can do so much better to truly make this engine shine.

 

My favorite part of this video is the reference to self cleaning ovens.

 

The 3rd Gen tranny and ECU programming hamper this engine. Whether it is the Atkinson mode, the gearing or the programming, I don’t care. I just want it fixed.

This is why so many of us are purchasing the OVTune. I’m not doing it for power, I just want the truck to feel normal.

 

Have people seen better MPG numbers?

 

1 or 2 less I believe

 

I happen to build this engine (7GR) as well as the (2GR) in the plant I work in. It is not the Tacoma model, but for the passenger cars; internally, they are same though. Nominally the two V6 engines make similar power, but in the vehicles they "feel" different. I personally prefer the 2GR, as it is less noisy and less complicated. I believe the update was done mainly for corporate fleet mpg averages as mandated by the EPA. A lot of the "weak power" issues are due to the transmission tuning. It tries, as you all know, to get to 6th as quickly as possible to help with mpg. It's irritating but that is how a lot of larger vehicles are improving their economy. I expect this engines longevity to be as good as the outgoing 2GR. It is currently in the new highlander, sienna, Camry, soon to be in the new Avalon and Lexus GS 350 along with current Tacoma.

 

Atkinson is not the problem. The engine is not the problem. The transmission is not the problem. The problem is THIS engine paired with THIS transmission.

This is from a post I made in the OVtune thread:

"While I have been very happy with the OVtune (1.02C 87) throttle response and somewhat improved shifting, for those of you who are hoping the AT transmission hunting can be completely cured with a tune, I think you will be disappointed. Toyota screwed 3rd Gen Tacoma owners from the outset and OVtune can make it better for sure, but the intrinsic problem is a poor eng/trans combo (essentially a "hardware" issue).

"Both the Tacoma and Hilux use the AC60F. The difference is that the Hilux comes with diesel engines all over the rest of the world, which have an abundance of low-end torque and can actually use the double over-drives in the A60F without having to dance around the gearbox every time you want moderate acceleration. The Tacoma does NOT have an abundance of low end torque and must hunt for it...it's that simple.

"The Hilux 2.8 TDI makes 332 ft\lb of torque AND 273 ft\lb of torque is available at just 1200 rpm.
The Tacoma 2GR-FKS engine makes a peak of 265 ft\lb of torque...at 4600 rpm. I shudder to think what it makes at even 2000 rpm (much less 1200 rpm) compared to the Hilux.

"We (AT owners) basically got screwed by the bean counters because they used a bad engine/transmission combo, I assume for economies of scale. There is nothing inherently wrong with either the engine or the transmission, they just aren't paired well together.

"It seems the AC60F was designed with a TDI engine in mind and they just decided to try and make with work with a mid-displacement NA gas engine and that was a bad idea. This Tacoma eng/trans pairing is so obviously bad to anyone that drives one, it makes me wonder if they had originally planned to sell diesels here for the 3rd gens, but then changed their minds...?"

 

Well could you imagine what the price of a US diesel tacoma would be? Even though a diesel limited Double cab hilux 4x4 with fabric seats, bed liner, 17" TRD wheels, floor mats and tow package in the rest of the world is $45.000 U.S. dollars roughly.

Plus they are trying to meet the standards they have to meet here that the rest of the world doesn't have. That would be why we have a shit combo engine/trans.

 

It takes a little time to adjust your driving style for this engine, torque is never going to feel like a Big Block 366 Chevy but it is adequate and gives decent MPGs, feels much better with a Manual Trans too.

 

Not so many man. They sell 16K Tacomas... a month. A very few have purchased it if you compare it to the sales numbers.

 

Again, they sell 16K of these a month. Sales numbers are increasing. Pretty sure if this was a problem sales would not be going up. We have a few hundred people dissatisfied with the power issue here. With all due respect, so what. Even if it were a few thousand or even ten thousand those numbers are miniscule compared to the sales.
Bottom line, you have an opinion that is shared by a small group of like minded people. OV changed some software for you guys. That's a good thing but don't inflate the importance of it.

 

I’m positing that most people aren’t aware there is a problem. This explains why you only hear about it on places like this. Just because the majority doesn’t pay attention or doesn’t care doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem.

Also, Just because people are buying something does not mean there is not a problem. This is why the industry has recalls and service bulletins. Millions bought Volkswagen diesels even though they were polluting at an illegal level. They didn’t know their was a problem.

Can you at least agree with this?

 

I’ve never driven a big block Chevy. I’ve never driven and 8 cylinder vehicle before. I’ve driven 4-cylinder Hondas and Subarus my whole life. CUVs, sedans and coupes. So I am not used to a huge amount of power in my vehicles.

I can honestly tell you I was not impressed with the performance when I bought my truck. There is a noticeable lag when I need to pull out in front of traffic or merge onto the freeway. The truck constantly hunts for gears. And the truck used to stutter to a stop anytime I started it cold, backed out of my driveway and then put it into drive. All of this was acknowledged by Toyota when they released theee different TSBs for this problem.

A year after I bought my truck, I bought a 2012 V6 Highlander which has the engine that is the precursor to the 2GR engine. To this day it surprises me how much better it feels than my truck. Acceleration is immediate, shifting is smooth. It just feels “normal”. After two of the TSB updates, my truck still doesn’t feel like that, although thankfully fixed the reverse to drive problem.

I’m not looking for power in this truck, I understand that a V6 truck isn’t going to be fast, but I just want it to feel like the older Toyota V6 engines. And I don’t think that is unreasonable.

 

Sorry to cut in, but the comment "most people aren’t aware there is a problem"- if most aren't aware, maybe the problem isn't there?

I am constantly amazed by members posting about the engine/ transmission of the 3rd gen, since I really like the way my AT trucks drives.

Maybe, just maybe, most people who own a 3rd gen (and aren't members of TW) feel the same way?

 

Sure, I will agree in premise, but you have to define it. Right now, some of you have an "opinion" that this trucks drivetrain is a problem. Shifting, torque, etc. That is an opinion. It is not measurable. It's only a problem if you think it's a problem Right?
If the transmission was self destructing but operating fine up until catastrophic failure for example, that would be an example of a problem people were having that they didn't know they had.

Another example: I had a Honda that had cylinder deactivation from six cylinders to four. Let's say my vehicle never activated to six, instead it was stuck in four cylinder mode. But, I was fine with the power and efficiency. It might be a problem for some, but to me I am fine with only four cylinders. Its a problem but not for everyone. Right?