Enough Already! Your Truck's T, HP and RPM Explained

Wucat · Sep 16, 2023

http://www.speedhunters.com

Pike's Peak Hill Climb, "3.5L Toyota V6 to over 700 horsepower. This output results in a 0-60mph time of 2.2 seconds, and a gearing-limited top speed of 160mph".

Not a Tacoma.

aficianado · Nov 6, 2023

i admit, i read the first post and skipped to the last post.

danny15l · Jan 11, 2024

Ammalone72 said: ↑

Neither did my i4 cylinder turbo ford ranger.
Click to expand...

Did your ranger hold gears on cold starts when accelerating? My 20’ did and I had to take it in for the TSB. Didn’t help lol

Dinasour73 · Feb 7, 2024

hiPSI[OP] initial post: ↑

I don't know how many threads are here that start with "My truck is slow" or "My truck has no power" or, my favorite, "My truck shifts too much!"

Let me explain.

Your truck has plenty of horsepower. 278 to be exact.
Your truck has plenty of torque too. 265 lb. ft of it.

So why do so many think the above figures are not enough? I mean, it takes around 7.5 seconds to go 0-60 and that's in line with other vehicles with close to the same weight. What's wrong?
I'm pretty sure it's the last variable, the elusive RPM. Can't see it, can't smell it, but you sure can hear it!
Let's talk relationships. No, not that kind, mathematical relationships! You see, a lot of things in life can be shown through math. Let's go:

Horsepower Formula
HP= (T*RPM)/5252 yes, it is that simple. 5252 is a constant derived from a... never mind but time is involved.
So, if that is the Horsepower formula, the Torque formula is, with a little Algebra:
T= (HP*5252)/RPM

So now that we have those out of the way, let's see how they apply to our trucks and why our trucks have no power, shift all the time and are just generally big piles of dogsh... Anyway, we need both Torque (gets you going, pulls things up hills, etc) and Horsepower (keeps you going, since it is a function of Torque and RPM)

Here's a fun 3.5L fact:
Maximum Torque is attained at 4600 RPM
Maximum HP is attained at 6000 RPM (!)

Fun 2.7L Fact:
Maximum Torque is attained at 3800 RPM
Maximum HP is attained at 5200 RPM

Do any of you see any RPM above that is less than 3800? No? That means that YOU ARE GONNA HAVE TO REV THAT ENGINE UP TO AT LEAST 3800 RPM TO EVER SEE ANY MAXIMUM OUTPUT. Seriously. And for the V6 you need 4600 RPM to feel the good stuff!

(Another Fun Fact: Torque and Horsepower will always be the same numerical value at 5252 RPM. Cool right?)

Bottom line, TLDR, etc,
You have to push the pedal down with this engine. Newsflash: You had to push the pedal down on the 2nd Gen Tacoma too. Seriously.
This engine is designed to run at higher RPM's. It will run fine, It will last. Yes, with the automatics it will shift... a lot. It will shift because you are expecting more torque yet you are keeping the engine at the same power output (cruise control is a fine example) so your truck takes matters into its own hands and shifts for you. It will shift when going up hills because you are trying to maintain a speed (Horsepower) but it needs more torque to keep that same speed so it again, shifts for you.

People will argue that its just programmed wrong. Programmed for efficiency they say. Well, of course it is. That's what most people want out of a vehicle and it comes at the expense of a bit of what some call "drivability." Yes it shifts a lot but it does so to improve mpgs. Want to improve the shifting a bit? OV Tune has a thing that will change the shift points and changes the power around a bit. Some people are just fine with their truck the way it is. Some people just bought the wrong vehicle to start with... should have bought a race car or something.
Personally, I think that most (not all but most, especially with the new models) people who are dissatisfied have came from a vehicle that was a lot different than this truck. I came from a 4Runner with the 4.0. You had to push that pedal down too. This truck is similar to the 4Runner. But this truck is not a BMW. Or an Audi. Or a 7.11L Power Stroke Diesel. Or a Miata, or a Surburban, or a Civic. It's a Tacoma.
Click to expand...

Amanelot said: ↑

K
Click to expand...

Dinasour73 · Feb 7, 2024

HiyohVery good Mr. Mechanic. Put the
pedal down and ride with pride.
Hiyoh Silver. Away.!
l

Mendoman · Jun 7, 2024

Old thread. Still relevant!

fxntime · Jun 7, 2024

OP forgot to add in weight and air resistance.

It's why my NA Miata feels like it has more powah then a v6 taco even though it has a piddly 115 HP.

GunnerTheRunner · Aug 23, 2024

Thanks for this, needing to upgrade from my '99 which is actually running good at 245k but as expected lots of little things are wearing so not as confident driving down remote roads and into mountain snow. It's impossible to find a manual long bed V6 TRD. Still not sure if the 3rd gens will give a good 200k though.

Jtaco78 · Sep 7, 2024

Amanelot said: ↑

ya but mah ford ecobewst didnt hunt 4 gears
Click to expand...

My ecoboost was in the shop 6 times before 50k miles

MK Ranch · Sep 25, 2024

Being a first time Tacoma owner and a first time Off-Roader, all of these complaints of the 3rd gen Taco are new to me as well. What I can tell you is that I studied trucks for my purpose for well over a year and picked the Tacoma for a few reasons. 1. Ruggedness, capability and reliability. No one does it better 2. Aesthetics. Its all opinions, but I think its the best looking truck out there 3. Ease of maintenance, repairs and upgrades/mods

In my time with the truck (close to 2 years), I've done everything I've intended with it, other than pull a small teardrop camper. Its been PERFECT. I understood before purchase that the engine in this truck produced its Torque and HP at high RPMs, as OP stated and I also understood that it "gear hunted." I see that many people have issues with this and I'm surprised. Smaller engines typically are designed this way(maybe not the gear hunting), and not only that, but the engineering and reliability of Toyota is LEGENDARY...why would you question how this engine and transmission works?

The last thing was my dealership offered a lifetime warranty on the drive and power trains (anything mechanical or that touches fluid, no electronics) as long as proper maintenance is performed and logged. So, even if the engine does fail, they will replace it.

TOYOTA

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