It's okay to complain about your 3rd gen thread

You have the automatic?

 

Sometimes when I read these threads, I cant decide if its a genuine problem, or if its someone who doesn't remember what vehicles used to be like.

I used to drive a 78 Bronco - 3 speed automatic, 351 V8. I just looked it up, 156 hp when new, three fewer ponies than the four-banger taco with 2.5 times the displacement, five bajillion times the weight. (It was a steel mammoth, you needed to press the brake pedal yesterday to get it to stop.) It could do 65mph most days, but it damn sure wasn't happy about it. It could also climb hills all day long, as long as you were ok with being the last person to reach the top.

The problem is that speed limits are higher than ever, we are going ever faster, and the environmental mandates demand that the engines be ever more efficient. 75mph is damn fast in terms of resistance. As in, the amount of power needed to go 75 is exponentially higher than what was needed at 55 mph. And the manufacturers need to find a way to do it without spewing a thick blue haze out of the tailpipe to boot. That's some engineering voodoo to pull that off.

At 75 you'd be surprised how much a gentle breeze can penalize the truck. A 5 mph intermittent headwind can cause the truck to kick down a gear to keep speed. (It's like instantly accelerating to 80 mph, again exponentially increasing power to maintain.) So can half-a-percent grade, almost too small to feel. The constant gear hunting is uncomfortable, yes, but some of us old farts are just happy that it can keep speed. My 2000 frontier couldn't even do that. Instead of downshifting, the speedo would slowly inch down to 70, then 65, then 60... all those people I just passed would get pissed and pass me on the uphill. Then I'd pass them right back on the down. I'll take gear hunting over road rage any day.

You might be having a genuine issue, but then again its possible that it might be part of the design. If you can't sacrifice speed, and you can't sacrifice emissions, something in the equation has to give. That something is low-end torque. If you want comfort, drive it like it was a truck of the older generations - allow it to slow down when the weather or hills pop up.

 

Maybe take off the lift and/or 33" tires?...

 

I had an 1986 bronco with 351w. Even with the low hp rating that v8 put out 250tq at 2000rpms making it feel like it had more power than my wifes 2nd gen. Low end tq is key.

 

Not normal. Just take it to the dealership and take a service advisor for a ride. If your truck is continuously banging back and forth through the gears at 66mph something is wrong.

 

Finally somebody sane who isn't a total condescending dick fanboy. Thank you for existing.

I did take it back to the dealership, had them run every test possible, look for any freshly released ECU, and finally after dealing with front house people I spoke to the tech manager who himself told me and I quote, "I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but the newer tacomas are underpowered, and that's why they're behaving this way. The 4.0's had the right amount of torque but Toyota wanted their trucks to get better gas mileage and this is the result. Only advice I can give you is to call corporate and file a complaint"

I'm actually mad at myself for not bringing this up earlier.

Yes these tucks are underpowered.

Yes the tech manager at Toyota knows more than all of you.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-t-hp-and-rpm-explained.574429/#post-18992914
Not trying to be an ass but this might help explain your problem. Hope things work out for you.

 

Calling someone a condescending dick fanboy makes you a condescending dick

 

That's because he said what you wanted to, no, NEEDED to hear so you could justify your total lack of how things work into fact.
I took time out of my day to patiently explain simple physics to you. My explanation was correct. You apparently do not want to hear fact, you would rather hear fiction as long as it jibes with that fantasy going on inside your head.
Good luck bro. Test drive next time.

 

First you said

Then I said

Then you said

Are you fucking dizzy? The tech manager basically echoed your first comment, and now you wanna speculate what went on in his mind.

 

So....whatcha wearin?

 

I have had my issues with my 3rd gen... but It actually got fixed finally... after 5500 miles of frustration...
Better late than never eh

 

How? ECU flash? 3.5 or 2.7?

 

Apparently a dick and a fan

 

You doing the helicockter again?

 

More like a weed whacker

 

Affirmative.

 

Cant say I am enjoying my first 20k.

Hood replaced (ongoing issue)
Pass Front Bearing \ Hub replaced
Radio Replaced
ECU reprogram
Blindspot Sensor

And I feel like it stumbles on cruising throttle