Should I ReGear My 4 Cylinder?

Yeah not for camera gear but driving down caliche roads and un development costal land in a hond civic isn’t the best time. Their have been a couple of jobs I lost out on near spacex and the border wall because my car couldn’t make it through the farm land.

 

well I’m glad I asked here before I did it lol

 

sc it. I would sell it though and get a tundra.

 

I've got a 2020 SR 4x4 with the 2.7. I hated it at first but after learning to use the Sport mode, turning the ECT on and getting a Pedal Commander its really not that bad but then again it still has the stock tires on it. It scoots along up hills and on the freeway, I'll see how it does loaded up with my camping gear this summer.
With the 2.7 you've got legendary reliability and they are simple and easy to work on, unlike the guys with Camry motors that gotta shell out 3500.00 to fix oil and coolant leaks.
I'm curious as what Toyota is going to offer with the 4th gen, I'm thinking a turbo'ed 4 banger

 

If you are saying traction is the issue, I’d get a AWD car (or cross over suv) unless I needed to tow something big, haul something big, or drive where I thought a car could not take the abuse.

 

Ford already does this with the Ranger. In fact (as far as I know) the 4 banger with a turbo is the only option for that truck, and it gets higher horsepower, better torque and better MPG than the Taco. I'm a little irked that Toyota isn't doing this already. But like you said, I'm getting used to the feel of the 2.7 DCSB, and ECT really helps a lot.

 

that is actually the main reason I got the 4 banger. Because for me it’s a nice looking presentable work truck with that legendary engine. I don’t want to spend more than I have to maintain or repair it. I was offered the V6 but because I put so many miles on my cars I didn’t want to worry about it too much.

Yeah probably with the new rangers being as zippy as they are Toyota really has to step up their game with how they drive. I’ve wanted a Tacoma since the 2nd gen but never made enough to own one till now. Come to find out they are pretty slow and basic but in an understandable way. Reliable and timeless is the way I see Toyota they might not be crazy fast or flashy but it’s rare to find a old toyota car or truck that doesn’t look good or isn’t fairly reliable.

 

He’s already driving around in a lower gear. 5th gear with stock gear ratios is the same as 6th gear with 5.11 gears. So going to 4.88’s wouldn’t be any worst for his mpg’s than how he’s currently driving.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aO2vC_iMTI

 

I’m in areas like this once or twice a week no more than that definitely not mudding but having the ground clearance and larger tires helps. Before I would have to reschedule if locations were located in areas like this. Now if situations are much worse thank the photos I just avoid them totally because I normally don’t have a tone of time to screw around in the mud so o didn’t really need a 4x4. Maybe in the future when I decide to do more adventurous drives on my free time I’ll trade in the truck for something bigger and more capable.

 

Mines a manual, but I love having it geared to 488s. It does run high RPM on the highway, but the trade off is worth it in the mountains (most of my driving). If I’m driving for mileage, I can still get 23-24mpg without my topper on and keeping it under 65.

 

Is your current truck 4wd? If not, an AWD car would be a huge upgrade for driving down roads like that. 4wd would be slightly better. Bigger more aggressive tires as you mentioned help too. But you don't need a 4000-5000 lb pickup truck with an undersized engine for that.

 

Yeah....that's another thing it took me a while to figure out. I drive from Houston to Dallas fairly often. It's a boring drive so I try to hurry it up, but my MPG improves a lot when I keep it to 70-ish.

 

No it’s only 2WD and I have thought about it but haven’t really been in any situation where my 2WD wasn’t sufficient. I don’t go into too crazy of situations mainly just areas I know I can’t with a car. My wife has a RAV4 so we already have a suv kinda lol maybe in a year if I really end up not liking the 2WD I’ll trade it in for a 4x4

 

An AWD car can go anywhere a 2wd pickup can plus a lot more places. It's a night and day difference. An unloaded 2wd pickup is the worst or near the worst vehicle in low traction situations. I have owned 3 of them. Pickups can generally tow more, haul more, have more ground clearance, and are sturdier. Add 4wd and they also do awesome in low traction situations.

 

I’m going to keep that in mind if I start seeing myself in places where I need a 4x4 then I’ll probably look for a new truck.

is it true that you have to use the 4x4 feature regularly to avoid parts breaking? I’ve heard the from a couple friends.

 

Nothing you said suggests to me that you need a 4wd pickup. It sounds like you need a lightweight car with some zip; maybe with AWD to help you get down some sketchy roads with confidence. The fastest car I've owned is a 1990's Mitsubishi Mirage. It was a ton of fun to drive on the road and super cheap. I also had a Subaru, with a 4 banger, that wasn't so fast but it went everywhere I asked it to (except when I got it stuck).

 

what if I just want a truck? lol

 

Get a bigger engine or a smaller truck.

 

that seems to be the popular idea. I’m going to give the truck a little more time and if I can’t get use to it I’ll probably do what everyone is telling me lol but it looks like re gearing doesn’t seem like it will make much of a difference.