Need advice. 4 or 6 cylinder

but fords are ugly and breakdown alot

 

Had a 2011 I4 4x4 5 Speed. Couldn't get out of it's own way. Loved the truck, just wasn't enough power. Stepped up to the 6 and loving it.

Go V6.

 

What? NOBODY changes their position on TW.

Did you just get tired of holding up the banner and arguing with folks?

 

No. Tired of 2nd gear kickdown while doing 65mph uphill with a lload, sustaining 5k rpm is only so enjoyable

 

ah nonsense. i tow this 5 days a week with mine up hills and everything.



difference is with 4cyl you have to downshift to 3rd on long steep hills and go up the hill at about 3k rpms or so at 45-50mph where as with the v6 you could go up the hill at the 55 or 65mph depending on the speed limit.

really if not many hills where you live 4cyl is fine but if it's tons of hills get the v6.

i have to go up those same hills even when not towing in 4th gear at about 50-55mph or so. the 4cyl is not the master of hills or anything but it is doable.

 

Next time I'll record video just special. My truck a little bigger config and more of a load at altitude. And by hill, does that mean mountain ranges? Cuz I was driving into Sierra's

 

Ive never owned a tacoma, but i opted for the v6. The reason being is last summer, my niece and her boyfriend followed us to Tennessee from West Virginia, and coming into Virginia there is about an 6 or 8 mile 10% uphill grade, he has a 4cyl tacoma, and i had to constantly keep slowing down so he could keep up with me, and his was just a regular cab 5-speed. Wasnt towing anything but him, her, and their luggage. So when i went to buy mine, i have a 900rzr, so i wanted to make sure i had the power to tow it. And for the record, i do

 

The 4cyl have plenty of power at 4000-4500 rpm, and they'll get 23-24 mpg on cruise control at 70 mph on the freeway.

 

gotta decide do you want the power to go up hills which may or may not be that often or do you want to get better mpg's.

both are nice but it's one or the other.

sure on steep hills you wish you had the v6 or a turbo that kicked in thrusting you up the hill with ease.

...but when it comes time to fill up the tank and pay the truck payment you are glad you have the 4cyl.

alot of it is you have to learn how to drive the 4cyl. on hills you have to really rev up the rpms pretty high.

 

I actually think this is the right answer.

The four is right for some folks. I drive a four. Those folks already know who they are.

But if you're on the fence about whether you think it'll have enough power or not - if you're "asking the question" - then you'll probably be happier with the more powerful V6.

 

Yeah, like 4800 rpm. Constantly.

 

no way not that high.

mine has never been past 3500 i don't think.


just ask yourself this question. can you handle going up hills a little slower? say at 45mph while everyone in their v8's are flying by you at 60mph?

if you can't handle that then you need to get a v6.

 

I kid.

 

if only toyota would have put a straight 6 in the reg cab or even a 5cylinder or maybe a 3.0L 4cyl?

or maybe a turbo?

if they did that then that would just lower the sales of the v6 models. it's all a ploy just to get you to spend more money.

 

I'd love an i6

 

The 2.7 is among the largest four cylinder engines ever produced, and would not work well if it was any larger. It's a "square" engine where the bore equals the stroke, so it's a slow turner. To maximize that "industrial" quality, I modified mine with simple bolt on accessories to hit a higher torque peak at an even slower 2,800 rpms as compared the 3,800 rpm stock torque peak.


Greg

 

I had a 2.7 PreRunner and drove it up into the Sierra mountains a lot, drove it out to Wyoming and through Colorado. It did just fine in the mountains. No problem climbing Tioga pass from Highway 395.

The biggest thing I noticed is when I had cruise control on and came up to even a moderate rise, the engine kicked down. I considered that pretty minor and would not hesitate to get another 2.7. Having said that, if getting out of the gate fast is important to you, then go with the 6. If not, the 4 will treat you well.

 

45mph with a tail wind in 3rd gear gets your heart a pumpin'. I hated that slow A$$hole, now I'm him.

 

V6 and never look back.

 

For the record maybe someone should record themselves going up a steepish incline showing speed and RPMs, they could also simulate a pass by downshifting and giving it the beans. Its just a suggestion so that people have some idea.