Better Mpg, we can do better if..

So I stumbled across this article I was going to copy and paste but it’s really long so I’ll just include the link the advice and the opinions and the numbers in science behind it are all sound. I think it’s a very good read and should answer a lot of questions about our trucks as far as power, mpg and shifting issues.

https://www.outsideonline.com/2420999/how-to-modify-tacomas

 

I don’t know…this makes too much sense.

 

Very insightful article.
Confirms my thinking as I scan the posts here on TW.
Sure, add the new wheels, 33"+ tires, 3" lift, heavier duty suspension - Oh, and don't forget the bumpers & winch - and then where are you with performance?
Gotta then change the gearing = more $$$.
I'm relatively happy with my essentially stock '21 TRD OR AC auto. Not totally happy with the tranny's shift points, but maybe a tune can remedy that.
But other than the cap (with rack) and some superficial mods, I have no plans to go crazy.
I'll be happier than most and spending far less on fuel over the life of my new Taco.
And I won't be bitching about MPGs (currently at about 19 MPG around town with a bit of interstate miles).
-
JMNTBHO (Just My Never To Be Humble Opinion)!

 

That is clearly a banned topic on TW!

 

You know they're not gonna let us 2 stockers on the Hooter's lot on Saturday evening, we ain't kool-nuff.

 

Stockish Tacos don't make for interesting Instagram or forum pimping. Vanity is an alternate universe from reality.

 

So keep it stock.

That's just not gonna fly around here.

 

"Large tires roll more easily over larger obstacles off-road."

Guy's a damn poet. Where's TacomaBeast to scrawl his name on red-rock cenotaphs?

 

When shopping for a heavy truck in the shape of a brick with fat, heavy tires with large rolling resistance, fuel efficiency was on the top of my list.

 

Life is too short to own a stock vehicle.

 

Wes always likes to shit on the 3rd gen tacoma. All these things are common sense for any truck, but of course he picks on the 3rd gen. The whole article can be summed up in one sentence "Figure out your needs, research, determine what you're willing to spend (including mods to meet your needs), and then buy the appropriate vehicle that fits." We don't need an article that basically says toyota designed a truck for the EPA and you're an idiot to want to change that.

 

I mean, he might hate on the platform but he's not wrong

Overall, my advice is to appreciate trucks for what they actually offer, not what you hope they can offer. In its stock form, the Tacoma is a great truck for normal, outdoorsy people, but it lacks the payload and power train necessary to support much in the way of modification—at least within a reasonable budget. When shopping, consider your needs and wants, then buy a truck that’s already capable of meeting them. Don’t try and press something unsuitable into a role it’s not designed to support.

 

That’s the motto I live by haha

 

Get this guys pee out of my cheerios already..

 

I remember reading that article once before and there is truth to it. Whenever I spend time on the Tacoma FB groups, 2 of the most common questions of new Tacoma owners are -What the biggest tires I can fit on a stock Tacoma?- and - What type of lift kit should I get?

 

I'm well beyond hangin' in Hooter's parking lot. Maybe Tractor Supply.

 

And then some time in the future they're back bitchin' about their fuel mileage.....

 

But that's every vehicle. Ford doesn't build it's F150 for you to modify it or do crazy things with it either. When I went bigger tires on my Jeep I also expected a regear. That's not a weakness in the powertrain. I just think he wrote an article a bit disingenuously, but where he could also defend what he said with his caveats.

If you're making a fair article understand other reasons you might buy the tacoma for also, like you don't want an unreliable piece of shit ranger (I know Wes had a ranger for a while not sure if he still does) that will break down when you're not close to a dealer. Being able to carry 400lbs more payload doesn't help you much if your truck isn't running. https://www.motorbiscuit.com/dont-count-on-the-2021-ford-ranger-being-reliable/

Just my 2 cents.

 

I sort of both agree and disagree with what you said. I agree to the extent that if it will never meet your needs no matter what you do, then don’t do it because you are wasting your time. But if a said product that you want isn't available, but close enough that if you mod the shit out of it it will be pretty much what you want, I say mod away…

 

Of course I have the tires, the lift and the shell…. But the advice in the article is sound for ppl who haven’t taken the leap yet. For me… it’s too late. I’m just glad I have a wife that says to me when I came home with the $3400 shell “hey you didn’t tint your windows did you!!?”
No dear I did that when I first got the truck 2 years ago love