2.7 with the 6 speed auto

From my testing I haven't been able to replicate this issue

 

Alright, maybe not 50hp Lol, but you gotta admit the AC robs power

 

TBH I think this is probably easier for me to notice in other types of vehicles, my truck is so damn slow I can't notice a difference

edit: I must say it was never quick to begin with, as I knew going in to it, but its definitely getting worse as time goes on. I keep up with the maintenance religiously; but it's very temperamental.

 

Oh it for sure does i would say 10% but when the truck only has what maybe 120 to the tire it is felt. This truck is not as bad especially with a regear but ive slow 4 banger commuter cars that i would turn off the AC at a stop light and turn it back on when i got to cruising speed or off on an on ramp until i was merged on the highway lol

 

Haha I currently do this in my taco just so nothing explodes (not literally lol) turn the AC off for a minute to merge on to the highway then it goes back on after I'm at a cruising speed.

Nothing to do with ac, but I must admit the LCE headers are looking pretty nice after reading about them. I'm guessing I would need to do more research regarding emissions and post install tuning before taking on a project like that though.

 

I've got a superduty w/ the 7.3 gasser and challenger w/ the 6.4 Hemi, when I drive my taco it's a culture shock with the lack of power

 

Header is a nice upgrade for power overall "smoothness" of the engine. I was impressed the exhaust note hardly changes slightly deeper but the the 2tr stock when youre pushing it, the engine does not sound happy in the upper revs. Even though the truck can take it, it sounds taxed and angry. The sound of the engine changed more than the exhaust note with the header, it just sounds smoother less angry throughout the rev range. Header has a flange for the stock secondary air injection so no issues with emissions. Took a look like everything in life it has jumped up significantly in price, i got it about 2 years ago and it was $600 now its $800. a 4wd regear with prebuilt ecgs diffs cost me $18-1900 with doing the work so it just depends money may be better spent else where. I will say the header and regear makes the truck drive completely different its still slow but it feels like it has a little grunt now. It pulls harder with a lift, slightly bigger AT tires, and being 500lbs heavier topper tools some gear, than it did empty bone stock off the lot

Yeah jumping from vehicle to vehicle makes the change feel more drastic, my company work truck is a newer 3.5 ecoboost f150. Going from 400 horse and 500 torque to this n/a 4 banger is hard to not notice. I just love the overall simplicity of the drive train, something nice about plain once in a while

 

Yep, simplicity is the main reason I got one.

 

Update on 5.29 gears:
Finally have my gears installed, took forever to get carrier bearings. Good news is the truck is much more enjoyable to drive around town. Acceleration off the line is much better and it shifts through the first couple gears much faster. Dare I say it drives like a normal truck should. At cruising speed, it runs at least one gear higher than before. At 60 mph it will actually shift into sixth and stay there on flat ground. On mild/moderate hills it will downshift to fifth or fourth, where it used to shift all the way down third. Much more confident on the road. Bad news, it still struggles at speeds 70+. It's not a gearing thing, its the motor. It simply doesn't produce enough produce enough HP or torque to hold higher speeds. At 70 mph it struggles to hold fifth gear, and at 75-80 the slightest hill will kick it down to fourth. If you're interested in the RPM change, the RPM/speed chart I posted earlier is spot on.

Final thoughts, yes I'm glad I spent the money on 5.29 gears. Good investment for a more enjoyable driving experience. This truck will never be an good interstate cruiser, but it's better than before. I haven't fully explored it's low-range capabilities yet, but I'm sure it will be great. For those interested in cost; Nitro Gear Package was $1400, labor (12.5hrs) and oil was $1800. Please don't tell my wife

 

Stock tune? and what size tires?i have more weight than stock, a lift, 235/85/16 tires some skids but also a tune and header with gears and unless a big hill or going up the mountains it never sees 4th at highway speeds. Look into atleast a tune with the gears it may be the answer youre looking for. Its still sluggish yes but the tune will help it be under load and hold the gear with giving a more aggressive pedal feel so its less laboring on your foot/leg. Also a tip around town speeds 60 and under i keep it in S5 otherwise it shifts into 6th a little early and you have an extra downshift slowing the truck helps a lot. Like you said its still a slow truck but with gears it feels to me how it should have, just need to understand its a basic slow truck for todays modern cars. The trade off is hopefully long term reliability, simplicity, and cost of ownership. Ecgs i saw offered 5.71's for the rear i did not see it for the front i am not sure if its not listed on their site or only an option for 2wd's. I am happy with 5.29's but doing it again i would give them a ring to see if 5.71's were available front/rear.

 

Damn I like that truck!

My 4cyl only has 4 speeds, I'd like two more gears.

 

Yes, I have the OTT tune set at the most aggressive setting. Yes, the tune helps with the gear-hunting issue and it seems like the 5.29 gears also helps it hold gears longer, but it really doesn't add much power. Maybe a few HP and little more torque, but not enough to rock your world. Now keep in mind I live in Denver, so I'm running 5000-6000 feet in elevation just running around town. You lose about 3% power for every 1000', so I'm already down 15-18% which makes a slow truck even slower. Tire size is 265/75-16, which works out to 31.7", no lift, no extra weight. Yes, I find myself using "sport mode" ha ha to help manage engine RPM and limit downshifts. I wish it acted more like my F-150 in manual mode. It would actually lock in the gear selected and you could give it all the gas you wanted without downshifting. I looked for 5.71 gears but couldn't find them for the 4-cyl, 4wd. I would not be afraid of 5.71's if they were available.

 

Got it wanted to make sure you had a tune or were aware i have the same OTT on spicy setting, doesnt add much if any power but helped drive ability. There are talks about VF tuner releasing some additional tools to tune the 4 banger that would pick up some power but we have been waiting a while for it. LCE header did make a nice power increase but the price of it has gone up so much the last few years its hard to justify the cost. It is a noticeable felt change though, if you were closer to me i would toss you the keys to see the difference. That makes sense being in Denver higher elevation hurts for sure. Truck drives different where i live currently NC 70mph speed limits and hilly vs when i visit family in NY or FL where its more flat and or lower speed limits. Ive had 265/75/16's and the tire size i have now same height just thinner and it made a difference as well. I have gear lock on the tune, what that does it replace the ect setting so you have to be in sport mode with ect on and it will lock it what gear you have selected even under full load it will now downshift. Sort of acts like a manual trans but not, having had a bunch of 5 speed slow shit boxes being able to lug or load up the motor. The auto trans even with gear lock under a certain load will unlock the converter so it kinda helps. Where i like gear lock is to play around a bit at slow speeds/taking off from a light, its nice to be able to come out of a corner in say 2nd give it the beans at 2500-3k and having it stay in 2nd under the load and letting the engine eat vs the unnecessary downshift to 1st. Yeah i only saw 5.71's offered in the rear diff, could be a big difference and the rpms with 5.29s i do not have the feeling like the engine is screaming even at 75-80. Funny even with the 5.29's and the auto, a bone stock 16-17 5 speed 4 banger still turns more rpms in high gear at speed.

 

I asked my tuner guy about the Gear-Lock option, but he told me OTT discontinued due to potential damage to the transmission. I'm guessing they had some idiots trying to pull their 6000 lb travel trailer across the country locked in 6th gear and cooked the trans. Wish I had GL, I hate stepping on the pedal knowing its going to downshift and scream to 4-5000 RPM. I guess I spent too many years driving a manual.

 

I did not know they no longer offer it but could see that happening since the converter unlocks and starts to generate heat. You have to have some common sense which in todays day and age is hard to find. I threw on a trans cooler a while back for the few times i tow something and figured it would help the overall life of the trans. I also have obd fusion with the dongle so i can monitor my trans temps in carplay, gear lock is neat at times but does not help much with highway driving not missing much. The gears and tune with s mode i never felt the need for ect function so figured why not have gear lock instead. Keep your eye out for a used header would be a worth while upgrade.

 

That's funny, we must think alike. I also have odb fusion to monitor trans temp. I hit 240 degrees pulling a long mountain grade (stock gears, 3rd gear WOT) which now has me wanting to add a cooler. Interesting observation; the trans runs cooler in 4th than any other gear. As soon as it shifts down to 3rd, or up to 5th, the temp starts rising. Probably has something to do with torque converter lock-up. I'm hoping the new 5.29 gears helps with this. Header sounds good...so does a supercharger, but I need to keep myself in check. I added a nitrous button but it doesn't seem to help

 

There is no converter lockup until 4th that is why and likely could be unlocked in 5th if youre under heavy load. I know other tuners do but you could talk with OTT they may be able to give you lockup in 3rd which should help temps but still grab a cooler. I picked up a trucool LPD 4454 it was like $100 bucks, i grabbed some better stainless clamps, aluminum stock, and rubber bushings to mount it but comes with everything you need. Its overkill but thats how i like it, cooler is twice the size than on a stock 3.5. Super easy install and for the money its no brainer, i could be wot up a mountain for 10 minutes straight without the trans getting too hot with this cooler. The truck cant produce enough power to generate enough heat to outwork this setup. If the budget allows you will be happy with the header, i also removed the charcoal filter in the top of the air box and added a afe drop in filter. Likely does minimal but placebo effect says it picked up 5hp, revs more free feels less restricted. When you have a vehicle this heavy with this little power what would be minimal to other setups is felt here. Like the nitrous button maybe you just need to up the jet size lol, hows the side center console saddles was looking to maybe grab them.

 

I like your cooler setup - thanks for sharing. Yes, I like the console saddles - great place to stash little stuff. I was afraid they might rub my leg while driving, but I don't notice them at all. Amazon $25

 

Alright, you sold me on the trans cooler. Got one ordered should be here next week. One last question - can you confirm the top line to radiator is “in” and the bottom line “out”? As I understand it, the fluid should run through the radiator first then through the aux cooler? Thanks

 

Cant beat it especially for the cost and ease of installation. Correct take the bottom line off, connect your new line to the bottom of the radiator then to the top of the cooler. Other line goes bottom of cooler to the hose you pulled off the radiator. Extremely easy took a little time just making the brackets nice, round the corners, added some rubber mounts, paint em black etc. Just depends how clean you want to get, amazing how much lower the trans temps are. There is a spot on the radiator support where the lines can feed through, i used some of that rubber edge banding just so the lines couldnt rub on the metal. Could also just slice an extra piece of hose too, get an extra qt of toyota atf it took 1/4-1/2. I used a small funnel to fill the cooler/lines the best i could. Filled the hose coming from the bottom of the radiator that goes to the top of the cooler and left it hanging up to not drip. I then attached a small hose to the top of the cooler when it started to drip, i yanked off the small hose and quickly attached the prefilled line that was attached to the bottom of the radiator.