22RE vs 2TRFE 4 Banger reliability stats;

Hate to burst your bubble but it won't quiet down much. Mine went through an entire rebuild at 385,xxx and while it got quieter(ish) it's still loud. I like the aggressive sound of it over the 2TR but that's just me. Good luck with your pick up

 

22RE noise is largely valve clearance related. Get the engine as hot as possible before adjusting the valves and make sure to set them with a tight drag on the appropriate feeler gauge.

 

According to my readings, you can adjust it cold with a slightly higher tolerance.

Have you done this with success?

 

I've heard of that, but never tried it when I had mine. A 22R tends to tighten up over time, so it's better to have them a little loose than a little tight.

 

The 3.4 is a very durable motor, but I question the longevity of any V motor over an inline motor. For one, the 4 has less moving parts, less power, less torque, so it isn't causing a whole lot of strain on itself, the frame, chassis components, etc. Inline motors have more low end torque whereas V motors have more top-end power. But, engine longevity can be manipulated by the way the driver drives the vehicle, a V6 driven nicely will probably last as long as a comparable 4 driven the same way. But either of them driven hard won't last as long. Also on a side note, the 3.4 isn't available on the 2nd gen Tacoma, the V6 they have now is the 4.0 which is from my observations a very solid power plant as well.

Good luck with what ever platform you decide to go with, either way I am sure you will be happy with it. Can't go wrong with a Toyota truck!

 

Fewer parts is always a bonus.
About power/torque though, I can't agree with your points. The overall torque and power will be higher with a larger engine, but per the size of the engine, you're really looking at the same thing.

2TR-FE: 4-cyl, 159 hp, 180 footpounds.
1GR-FE: 6-cyl, 236 hp, 266 footpounds

Scaling the 4-cyl to 6-cyl linearly by the number of cylinders:
2.7 * 6/4 = 4.05 (displacement matches)
159 * 6/4 = 238.5 (horsepower matches)
180 * 6/4 = 270 (torque matches)

You see, they're effectively the same. Each cylinder produces 45 footpounds and 39.75 horsepower individually, multiply by the number of cylinders to get final number on a linear scale.

The main difference between the power/torque output is against the crankshaft and crank bearings, which are made 50% heavier on the larger engine to compensate for the larger power/torque. In other words, the power level itself does not contribute to a reduced lifespan.

About high vs low end torque; that statement can be generally true, but with one piece of clarification -- it applies when comparing engines of the same displacement. So if you compare a 4-cyl 4.0 with a 6-cyl 4.0, the 4-cyl will tend to make a greater torque at the low end compared to the 6-cyl.

Example;
The 6-cyl 4.0 makes 266 footpounds. If you scale that linearly and figure that torque is directly related to displacement, you might guess that a 4-cyl 4.0 would make the same 266 footpounds, or 66.5 footpounds per cylinder. In reality, it will make more, perhaps 75 footpounds per cylinder for a total of 300 footpounds. This is because it has a larger surface area to catch the force of combustion more efficiently, but also because the engine is TUNED to a lower speed to compensate for the added weight of the pistons themselves. You therefore end up with a 4-cyl 4.0 that makes more low end torque, but LESS high end power.

At least, that is the way things used to work before valve timing could be manipulated electronically. Now, of course, you can tune to the low end AND the high end in the same engine.

Of course, a 4-cyl 4.0 would be one hell of a shaky bastard. There is some point where its just silly to go too big of displacement per cylinder.

 

22re's have shitty head gaskets.. But If you dont have a moron driving it then it could last for a very long time

 

Which motor designation would be the 2012 2.7L I4 be?

I'm guessing the 2TRFE...

I have the 4 spd auto tranny in my access cab and glad I don't drive rush hour on the freeway as the gearing makes it a real dog!!!

If I could do it over I would get the 6 cyl or better gears for the 4 cyl!

My last truck was a 2004 Chevy Silverado w/4.3 L and 5 spd manual and I thought that it was slow, but it would blow the doors off my Taco trk which I think is heavier than the Chevy was.

Ron

 

I would vote 2TRFE, only from the trend I'm seeing. 22RE has been hailed a legendary motor. However, 2 of my friends have blown HG's around 150-200k miles. They are not as bulletproof as everyone makes them out to be.

The 3.4L's I've had have been super reliable with zero issues. There have been issues with head gaskets on the early 3.4L's, but there are multiple reports of 3.4's going over 500k miles without issues.

The 4.7L V8 is another great engine. Only 160k now, but UOA tests show it's one of the best wearing motors Toyota has produced. Many 4.7's in the high mileage status as well. Many equal to 22RE mileage. Heck, even the POS 3.0L V6 has reported 1 million miles by some dude, which is even a feat for the 22RE.

Point is, I have NO problems buying a new(er) Toyota engine, be it the 2UZ, 1FE, 2TR, etc. I'd take any of those over the uber-underpowered 22RE any day of the week.

 

Very good points, I learned something new today!

I hear this a lot out of the drivers of automatic 2.7's. My 5 speed manual is geared good though, only times it gets really sluggish is in a solid headwind or a really really steep grade. There's lots of times I wish I had a V6 Taco, but don't really see myself needing one.