4cyl over 6cyl, any regrets?

rphillips, I don't think you want to do away with the torque converter lockup feature. Driving in O.D with the converter unlocked will generate a lot of excess heat, and will likely damage your transmission. When torque converters slip the shearing action on the hydraulic fluid generates a LOT of heat. Does your truck have cruise control?

My 2011 has the 5 spd manual. I drove both, and I agree the old 4 spd auto was a dog with the 2.7. A '98 Tacoma was lighter, also the O.D. ratio on the A340 4 spd auto in your '13 is too high for the 2.7. All 2nd gen 2.7 4x4 have the same 4.11 axle ratios, auto & manual. Yes, it's expensive to re-gear a 4x4, but that may be the only solution, or look for a decent truck with a V6, if you can go that route financially.

 

Mine's a reg. cab., so cruise & v-6 were not available. My idea was, if I could drive my Taco for just a day or so with the converter unlocked, I'd know if the extra appx. 400 rpm. seemed to work. I know driving in 3rd, with that extra 800 rpm. makes it real peppy & never shifts on hills, but just too high rpm. for daily driving, thinking 400 rpm. should be a good compromise. If so, the re-gearing will probably be worth the cost. Also just found a Taco gearing chart. I found the code on my sticker, it's A02A, according to the chart the first "A" means 7.5" ring gear, the "02" means 3.58 gear ratio, & the last "A" means 2 pinion open. So now I'm confused, mine is a 2013 reg. cab 2.7, auto. trans. 4X4. Tires are 265/70/17 & in high gear @ 2000 rpm. it's running right at 65 mph. If it is a 3.58, would a change to the 4.11 change the 65 mph. rpm. to appx. 2400? All imfo. appreciated.

 

I'm pretty sure those axle codes are for 1st gen Tacoma's only. Your 2013 4x4 should be 4.11 from the factory. ( http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html ) see this for a good gearing calculator. I used that for the tire size, transmission, and road speed that you gave, and it's indeed correct for 4.11 axle. I can see why you say 65 mph in 3rd gear (1:1) is a bit high on RPM , at 3000 it will probably hurt fuel economy. I still don't think you want to drive with the converter unlocked due to overheating on the transmission being a big risk, especially in hilly areas. I'd say 4.56 to 4.88 would give you that extra 300-500 RPM, but do check out that gear ratio calculator for yourself, and see what you think will work for your situation.

 

Man, that's really great imfo. thanks. but I'm still at square 1, Without finding a way to try it with the extra 300 to 500, to know how it works, the cost of the re-gearing is out. But the huge difference in pep & no shifting on hills, while driving in 3 instead of D, (appx. 800 rpm.), It seems 1/2 that much, (400 rpm.) should still be a big improvement over how it is now. Also more rpm., but straining less to keep it up there may not affect the mpg. much at all. Thanks for the great imfo. I'll keep searching & reading & maybe figure something out. It's all Toyota's fault, why the sheet didn't they offer the reg cab with a V-6, heck they knew I wanted one.

 

Loved it when I bought it, hated/regretted it once I started towing with it, supercharged it, loved it again, tried towing with the supercharger and realized I hated it again, tried to sell it, no luck, now I am just dealing with it.

 

my 2019 has a lot of power than i expected runnin 85mph at @ 2500rpm

 

I contemplated purchasing the 6 banger over my 2.7L 4 cyclinder Tacoma 4x4 when I bought it new in late 2011. Fuel economy stinks for both engines in 4x4 so it was a tie there. Friends back home in W.V./Southern Ohio who work in the oil fields and use Tacoma's as their work vehicles said go with the 4 cylinder if I wasn't planning on towing anything heavy. I did and have no regrets. If I ever buy another Tacoma 4x4 in the future I'll consider a 6 banger with 6-speed manual transmission.

 

I like my 2.4 4-banger Taco just fine. It gets a little wheezy making it up the hills around the city, but it's a huge improvement over the '94 Ranger I had. That truck had a 95-horsepower engine and was what I would call "dangerously underpowered."

 

OK, but it's a crappy header!

 

True it's not a cool header but it's better than the cast iron plumbing exhaust manifolds.

 

No, plenty of power for what I am using the truck for

 

Having a company truck now ('18 Chevy 5.3) makes me realize how slow my 2.7 really is. I only drive my truck on weekends and have had a couple close calls pulling out in front of people thinking i had the power of the V8 and merging sucks ass! Will not buy another 4cyl. Next truck will have the Ecoboost for sure.

 

I came from a 2015 Chebby Colorado that would pin you in the seat when you stepped on the gas to pass someone. 1st time I pulled out to pass in the 2.7 4 popper I liked to had a head on collision.

I do know the feeling. I have gotten use to it now.

 

I'm guessing speed wasn't the most important reason you purchased a Tacoma 4 cyl.

I appreciate the fact that Toyota sticks with what works because their main value proposition is quality which equates to longevity. They could have easily followed the trend and put turbo engines in the 3rd gen. I don't know if turbo engines are known to last 300,000 miles, but I'd place my bet on a Tacoma non-turbo generally lasting longer and with fewer repairs than any other mid-size truck with turbo.

 

That is why I traded my 2018 Honda CR-V in on this '19 SR. That and a few other things. I do miss driving the CR-V because it zipped around town like a breeze. In the winter you would freeze if you didn't have the seat heaters on. That is the sorriest heater I have every had in anything I have owned.

 

You're right. Speed was not a reason at all. I bought it because thats what i could afford at the time and it suited my needs.

 

Honestly though, I test drove the V6 2x4 a few months back, and the increase in power was not that noticeable. I know on paper it’s got 100 more hp, but it felt just as slow as the i4.

Happy with my 4cyl. It’s going to last forever and the maintenance is going to be cheaper. I could have bought a Ram 1500 with a V8 for the same price, but I wanna drive something I truly trust. The Ram would have had me paranoid.

Am I wrong? Maybe. We just have to wait and see in 15 years how the ford eco boosts and the silverados are doing. My mechanic friend tells me after 2010, every car is pretty much thw same reliability-wise. I dont know, we’ll see. I dont wanna deal with AC issues after 80k miles, so I stuck to my Tacoma.

 

Actually, I have been looking at the Ram 1500 V6, likely used and low mileage, the V8s drink gas, the V6 has reviews in the mid 20s mpg.

 

relative got a new 2o11 single cab that was not available in the V6

its slow as heck for pickup on freeway the few times they let me drive it, hit the gas at 60mph and just fails to move up into the 70s, is that how they all are

why cannot get v6 in single cab so you have plenty of power to pass safely on freeway when needed

 

There's something wrong with their truck. The "slowness" of the 4-cyl. Tacoma is getting up to speed. After that, the truck does a decent job for highway driving. My daily commute is mostly Interstate highway driving. I've never had an issue getting from 60 up to 70 or 80 mph fairly quickly.