New to the 4 Banger Taco family!

Just purchase a 2020 SR5 access cab Tacoma (cement) and would love any advice or tips you may have learned along the way. I purchased it with 17 miles on it and it now has 170. I'm getting 28-30 mpg highway 60-70 mph, 23-25mpg 70-75 mpg, and 20-22 at 80mph.....so far. I'm really enjoying and hearing about how everyone here hates the 4 bangers due to acceleration speed and towing capacity, I'm actually enjoying it! It's my first truck coming from a 94 camry, 01 corolla, and recently a 09 civic (My fiances, which we just sold today). I always bought used beaters but this time I went with what I wanted! I do have a couple of questions:

1) I would like to install the towing equipment with the wiring and stuff maybe next year. Is it best to have the dealer do it or can my mechanic do it?

2) Any advice you want to pass down from your experience?



Thanks!

 

I have an `18 SR5 AC 4 cylinder 4X4 in the Barcelona Red. Ignore the haters on here, mine does everything I ask of it.
I'm not an off-road enthusiast or rock crawler, BTW. I hunt and fish and pull a small boat one in a while.
Every once in a while you will find an OEM hitch advertised in the BST thread if you want to go that way.
I went with the Westin Class 3 receiver hitch. (I'll look for the model # if you are interested.) What differentiated the Westin from the others is that it comes with a "bed liner" type of coating on the metal instead of just some thin paint. The Westin also comes with Stainless hardware.
For the wiring harness I went with the

$71 Curt 56349 Vehicle-Side Custom 4-Pin Trailer Wiring Harness, Fits Select Toyota Tacoma

Curt 56349 4 pin wiring harness. It is a "no cut" harness that plugs directly into the factory harness. Again, you may be able to find an OEM one on here if you want to go that way.
You are getting great gas mileage. The best I have gotten is 21.5 going 70MPH.
If you are in the rust belt section of the country, get the undercarriage of the truck rust proofed. I did it myself with Fluid Film. (Do a search and you'll find plenty of instruction.) Good luck, and welcome to the club.

 

for your towing stuff read this and DIY it
https://www.etrailer.com/

 

No hate here. My 1st 2 Tacos were 2.7s. Zero complaints. The 4.0 in my '15 is great. But power just isn't that big of a deal to me.

One thing to keep in mind though....the 2.7 is offered in the Taco to meet a price point....not fuel mileage.

And I've always been a fan of the stock steel wheels. I even bought a set that I run my snow tires on.

 

Hey nice truck man! I have a 2016 sr5, 2.7 2wd. Bought it with 60k miles. I love it. Its given me on multiple occasions the same gas mileage as my old 2008 civic (36mpg), if i drive very lightfooted at 55.

Im finding out just how easy it is to work on. Ive done all fluids, spark plugs, and filters myself. Doesnt sound too impressive but ive never been handy and im proud of myself. Hearing stories of the 2.7s reliability makes me smile. Im an over maintainer so im pretty confident she'll be on the road for a long time.

Congrats on your purchase dude! After the beaters youve owned youve got a brand new ride! Maybe one day ill be able to buy new lol. Must be cool to see under 30k on an odometer!

 

Hey thanks! Yeah whatever you think will suit me best. I’m new to all this lol. I would like to tow a small boat down the road so whatever you think is necessary. Model number would be great

 

I wanted used. But couldn’t justify the price when I can get new for $1000 more

 

Thats cool too. I was just trying to hype you up lol

 

Oh, forgot to mention dude, keep an eye on those bolts in the bed of the truck. My 2016 has rust on the bolts. Maybe coat them with something? I wish the previous owner of my truck kept them looking new.

 

2011 Base Access Cab 4-Banger 4x4 here. Love it, does all I want/need. Don't track mpg cuz I don't care (if I did, I'd get a Prius).

As for the hate, just the tiny penis club...

 

i too have a 4banger

no issues

if U want to remain happy .............start posting on a classical music sight

lots might have bought a f150

 

Oh good thought

 

I drive a f250 for work. Don’t want ford as my main vehicle. Didn’t even think twice! Plus I like the reliability factor. Knowing I’m in the Tampa region, I can sell this to some contractor and get most if not all my money back for it if I decide to sell it

 

2014, 4 cyl, a/t A/C
Love it!

 

Did you ever find that model number?

 

Same here. Best vehicle I ever purchased. I initially thought the lack of power was a weakness for this truck. But I began to appreciate the tremendous benefits of this engine which include longevity, simplicity, ease of working on it, lots of space in the engine bay, etc.

 

Congratulations on your new Tacoma purchase! Our Timbren SES kit would make a great addition to your new truck build. It prevents any sag in the rear keeping the truck flat when it tows anything as well as making for a smooth ride at all times. You can find info on our SES system HERE

Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have and good luck with the new build!

 

No thank you spam bot

 

No spam or a bot here. Just a guy at a desk sharing a product we make to help with towing. If you decide to go with a different solution or none at all, I still look forward to seeing what you do to your Tacoma with all the options to choose from these days.

 

Sorry, got busy and forgot. I'll do it in the morning.