What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

I got 18.5mpg last tank on my 5k+ lb truck on 34s.

You guys are doing it wrong.

 

with 4.10s and 35s I got 17mpg after correcting for tires on my last tank. pretty much all highway between 50-80mph

 

Got 14 on my last (all city) tank lol. F me. Although, I haven't reworked it for the slightly larger tires but I doubt its much better than that.

I'll get about the same on the highway thanks to our strong desert headwinds, roof rack with an air brake on it (round LEDs) and keeping up with 80mph traffic. If I can cruise at < 65mph the whole time I'll get a couple mpgs better, but not very easy to do on our highways.

 

The 02 gets over 20.5 highway and I havent driven the 99 a whole tank of straight highway in months, so no comment.

 

There are so many variables between all of our trucks with the aftermarket parts we add, style of driving and upkeep of maintenance on 15+ year old vehicles that it doesn't do a lot of good to compare MPGs lol. Unless you're seeing an abysmal drop in mileage all of the sudden or something along those lines.

 

Hey guys, need your guidance, I've been eyeballing 1st gens Tacomas for a while and these 2 pop up this week here in Puerto Rico. The extra cab (2003) is a manual transmission and the reg cab (2004) is an automatic. They are running for about the same price and both have low mileage for their years. Besides the extra space I will love to own a manual truck, but the reg cab is more rare in these parts and looks extremely well taken care off. If you were on my shoes, which one would you pick!!! Thanks in advanced!!!

 

The manual. Because it's much better than the slushbox and you'd get the extra space

 

Ex cab for the manual and extra cab space.

 

I would check both out and see what you like and what feels best to you

 

Looks like the manual is winning. But I will definitely look at both!!!

 

Don't worry, your number is closer to what everyone else is getting than they think. No one is getting >20 mpg regularly on a 20 year old truck that shipped from the factory with 18-21 mpg EPA ratings under ideal conditions.

(Speedometers, Odometers, and Gas Mileage - All Lies!)



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Does anyone have a definitive list of bolt sizes and thread pitches for front end parts? Most importantly the four bolts that hold the LBJ to the spindle? But a list of other bolt sizes would be awesome too. Wanting to replace as many as possible when I out the truck back together. Guess I could go buy a bolt checker but figured I'd ask here first in case someone had already compiled a list. I have a 2003 4x4.

 

You can easily get over 20mpg on a stock 1st gen if you pay a bit of attention to how you drive.

I pulled 26 mpg highway more than once when my truck was closer to stock, and averaged over 20. *That was under ideal conditions driving an average of 55 or so mph in the mountains, which also helps.

 

I'm sure someone here has that info, but if it helps I would suggest picking up some OEM bolts from Toyota or someplace online that sells them, for the lower ball joint assemblies on both sides.

For my 2004 4x4 those 4 bolts that hold the LBJ to the spindle were part number 90119-10933. Should be the same for your 2003

 

I get at least 20mpg, very seldom do I ever get under 20mpg.
Most the time I get between 20 and 23 miles per gallon depending.if I’m driving in the mountains less. Highway as high as 25mpg at 65mph in 5th gear but not too often.

4:10 rear, 5speed, 15” rims, and of course superchargered,

 

Agree. I've hit 21 recently with the turbo. Don't think I went faster than 55 for the entire tank. Even went over a mountain pass. If 55 is your daily commute with few stops 20 avg should be easy, especially stock.

 

Finally got my tundra brake upgrade done! Definitely long overdue

 

Nice, that mod was one of the most worthwhile I did to my taco.

 

Okay, just got back from the dealer and I cannot get this dust boot/seal on it's own and would basically have to purchase a new starter. Anybody have one laying around? Is it worth it to try and use heat shrink and electrical tape if I can't find a replacement?

 

One of, if not the, best mods you can do to a 1st gen