How does the 1st gen handle high speed highway cruising?

Cruise control ... ? .... We don’t need no stinkin’ cruise control!


Of all my main vehicles in the last near 30 years, 2 have had cruise & 2 haven’t. 1 of the 2 that did, I would forget how to operate it.
Because of traffic & speed variances, I rarely use cruise even when available.
The only time I used it on my xB was when driving very late at night, on virtually deserted roads. That was pretty much just so I can maintain speed, while my eyes scanned for deer & road irregularities.
& by “empty” I mean no car visible for a mile & only passing 5-7 cars (going the other way) in a 20-30 minute stretch- the roads you DO NOT want to break down on, as you may not be seen at all for 15 minutes or more.

 

"Chuck Norris drives a Tacoma. Chuck Norris is super cool. Don’t you want to be super cool too? Be like Chuck and get a Tacoma truck"

 

That's how the laws of interta work. The faster you go, the easier you get over things, and the less time you spend on the uphill to slow down. You're also much higher in the power band at that speed.

Try doing the speed limit occasionally.

Yeah, a manual transmission doesn't try and shift for you...

It's not an issue with the power. It's an issue with the engine/trans management system being too sensitive while the cruise is engaged.

 

Actually I use CC in my 4Runner but for reasons probably not intended by Toyota designers. I set it to 50km/h for driving across the country but use pedal to control the speed (above it). I take my foot of the gas when getting into developed areas that have speed limit 50km/h enforced (speed traps). This way I don't need to watch my speedo driving across villages as CC is keeping me legal and out of trouble. This is especially useful where there is a speed camera - they are setup to take your picture if you drive even 1km/h over the limit.

 

Unless you have out of state plates...

 

It is always off even on unmodified truck depending on the tires you are running. Comparing to GPS my Tacoma was about 7% off when I run on Michelin 235/75R15. Now it is still over but very close (within 1-2%) with BFG KO2 30/9.5R15. 4Runner with BFG KO2 265/70R17 is also about 1-2% over GPS. But that is OK, as when I set 50km/h on speedo, GPS is showing 49 at that assures me I will not get a photo in the mail.

 

To be honest I didn't drive too differently than other highway driving. I thought my gas gauge had broke so I stopped to fill up but was only able to put in a couple gallons. Most of the drive was between 65-80 mph, and lots of neutral rolling in the downhill sections. Some for miles at a time. I almost never rev over 3k rpm and prefer to floor it in lower rpm to get over a hill instead of downshifting. Leadville is over 10,000 feet in elevation and much of the drive is over 7,000. Maybe low air resistance or the change of air to fuel ration was just perfect for mpg. Who knows, but I have done it several times for short periods.

 

Careful about flooring it at lower RPMs...thats how you lug the engine and that'll do far worse damage over time than worse MPGs will

 

Of course nothing under 1,500 rpm. ( I know how to drive a manual) I just meant using 4th gear going up hill on the highway instead of downshifting to 3rd.

 

If I floor it under 2,500 my engine will ping like crazy from running lean (thanks supercharger), I can't usually do more than 1/2 throttle until I hit 2500 RPM then I can mash it safely.
Usually shift at around 3200-3400 which puts me right back around 2500 so I can safely accelerate again

 

I will say this, my 98 cruises much better than my 17. The 98 feels like it really loves to run at 80 but I keep it between 70 and 75. Occasionally on long trips I'll get going 85 and the truck just runs beautiful. My 17 feels much safer at higher speeds but the the gear hunting as most have heard is very annoying, but that's why it get's 21 mpg and the 98 gets about 17-19 at 75 mph.

 

For any car I use a rule of thumb that the engine is the most happy providing power at the rpm where the engine gives max torque. For stock 3RZ-FE it is about 4000 rpm, for 5VZ-FE it is 3600rpm. So if you want to floor it, make sure the engine is around that rpm, otherwise it will put extra load on rods and bearings. Of course there is nothing wrong with cruising at lower rpm when you don't need immediate power - that saves fuel and brings better comfort, but when you need some acceleration better downshift accordingly. In my truck with MT and 3:58 gearing and 29.5 inch tires when I need a max acceleration I can short shift from 5th to 3rd at 65mph and I'm still good on the 3rd till 80mph (not that I want to drive that fast )

 

I have no tach ... hahahahaha .... guess I’ll just have to guess!

 

Then you need to bring a calculator: engine rpm can be calculated from speed, tire size and current gear ratio . Or better listen to your engine

 

IE-> guess
An “educated” guess, but still a guess ...
hahahahaha

 

i have never heard of this before I have always 'gently' accelerated (no flooring or mashing lol),
the only time (usually) my engine is over 3k rpm is in 5th gear, and by then i think its going 90mph or close to it.
my truck may be quicker then i ever realised i need to get some fresh oil in there and try it out i guess

 

Not really. Just around 3000 rpm at 80mph. A little over at 85 mph. The 2.7 was built to rev. It likes it. I usually drive like an old gieser never really taking it past about 2500 rpm the majority of the time. It starts idling a little rough after a while so I rev it up to 3000+ and sometimes past 4000 rpm once in a while and then it idles smoother. Lugging a 2.7 doesn't do them any good in my opinion. They need to be revved from time to time. The 2.7 is an industrial grade engine. The were designed to be "beaten". That's why they last so long when they aren't.

 

Believe it or not? The best mileage I've gotten with my 2.7 was on a 1700+ mile trip with around 750 lbs in the bed running at 80-90 mph I averaged 25 mpg on that trip.. Mine is right at 3000 rpm at 80 mph as well. The 2.7 was designed to rev. I normally get around 19 driving to and from work every day which is pretty much interstate except for a few miles to and from the interstate. 15 miles each way. It's hard to tell real fuel mileage with the way I use mine in the winter because of the temperatures where I live. I don't shut the truck off for various stops like fueling or stopping at a convenience store. I even let it idle when the temps are down around zero if I go grocery shopping for a half hour. Winter fuels decrease mpg and I idle a lot. Summer fuels deliver better mpg and I take my trips in the summer and there is a lot less idling.

 

You are correct. The 2.7 really wakes up once you get past 4000 rpm. It was engineered that way which is why they last so long as daily drivers and not worked as commercial vehicles which is what the were engeneered for.

 

noted