Tell me about the tundra.

Lol. So you admit you have no experience with any other trucks... “oil leaking garbage” lol

 

Sounds like you might be a tech?

Someone tried to tell me (fleet guy for tundras).. On multiple occasions that the second gen tundras had issues with wheels cracking. He also said if you don't run them with premium gas even though it calls for 87, it'll piss off the ecu and you have to get towed and have some expensive repairs. I saw no complaints online, and paid no mind to his jabber. But always wondered if there were ever complaints about that.

 

I owned a Tacoma so I already expected a subpar vehicle after the issues the taco had. But had to purchase one unexpectedly and that was mainly due to one of the qualities it did have, which was resale value.

But, when on a topic specific forum, it's clear that nobody wants the whole story. Just a one sided confirmation of their personal beliefs. I know I'd rather hear both sides if I asked the OPs question.

 

I'm gonna disagree. Ford, Chevy, and Ram all advertise trucks capable of towing more than Tundra. And if they are equipped right they will, at least on paper. But there are 2 problems with that advertising. Very few of those trucks are actually equipped to tow that much weight. In fact a Tacoma will come within 1200-1500 lbs of the actual towing capacity of most 1/2 ton trucks on the road from the big 3. Some are rated no more than 300-500 lbs more.

The other problem is payload capacity. While many of those trucks will pull the loads, the tongue weight alone eats up almost all of the payload. You CAN tow 11,000-12,000 lbs with some of those trucks, but you'd better have a skinny driver with no passengers or other cargo inside the truck. Some are over the GVWR even without a driver. The tongue weight alone is over the payload capacity.

Ford, Chevy, and Ram offer multiple engine options, axle ratio's, and trim levels. Towing and payload capacity is all over the place depending on the options. Tundra only offers 2 engines and 1 axle ratio with each engine. If you choose the 5.7 V8, then you are already ahead of 90% of the 1/2 ton competition when it comes to towing and payload. In fact a Tundra comes pretty close to an F-250 with the gas engine when it comes to capability.

Fuel mileage:

If you get one of the other trucks with a small engine and axle ratio in the 3.15:1 range they will beat Tundra by 5-6 mpg, but won't come close to the towing and payload of Tundra. But if you go with an engine/axle ratio combo capable of serious towing the difference is no more than 1-2 mpg. The difference between 16 mpg on a Tundra and 18 mpg on an F-150 equals about 7 more gallons of fuel to drive 1000 miles. And those are realistic hwy numbers. Expect around 13 city for a Tundra and 15 city on an F150. You'll save more than that in repair costs over the life of the truck.

The Tundra is dated, it doesn't ride as well and is in serious need of a makeover. But it uses old school tech that is proven.

And FWIW I also own a 2014 F-150 4X4 Supercrew that I bought used 2 years ago. At the time I looked hard for a suitable Tundra, but never found a used one that met my needs. Ford was my 2nd choice and I had dozens of suitable options to choose from.

 

I agree with you on the towing as i said earlier. But it's a similar story with the tundra as far as getting towards its limits. Not sure if OP intends to tow a bunch. Within 1k pounds of the max tow rating for my combo, I'm sitting solid on the bump stops with double axle trailer. But adding air bags would make it a much better towing experience since the power is there for that weight, just not the rear suspension. I've towed the same weight with an older 6.0 Chevy 2500 with air bags... Suspension is there but the tired motor doesn't have the same grunt.

And i wouldn't or haven't tried to tow much with the 5.7 dodge 1500. I think it's rated at 8-9k, but it would be a dog with near that weight. It's fine with the trailer that's around 5k.

 

Not up here, we have a lot of oil field service trucks, worst we saw on them was premature brake wear and transmissions (again from severe use and neglect)

Most of the big issues were worked out since the face-lift in 2014, I don't think I've done any trans since 14, just oil leaks.

 

I love my tundra, the only advantage the taco has is a locking rear diff and the smaller size for off-roading. I can see how the tundra has limits to some trails the taco can go on because of its width but I’ve seen some tundras rock crawling, I guess armor and a good spotter are key. I loved my 2011 taco but the tundra has more power, more room/towing/payload.

 

Look up The Car Care Nut channel on YouTube. AMD is a rust belt Chicagoland Toyota Master Diagnostic Technician, and after twelve years opened his own shop, keeping up his Toyota and ASE credentials and training, along with the Toyota diagnostic systems. Watch the Tundra playlist, and others describing how Toyota's systems work and can be DIY maintained and repaired.

I'm looking forward to the day when I replace the ICE with a MFD drive (Magnetic Field Disruption drive, patent issued to a Lockheed aeronautical engineer in 1995), mag-lev to wherever the 2009 Tacoma needs to go. Normal operation will be "Off-road or "sans road"... Only ground contact will be to park.

 

it really is a tough choice I'm looking at getting a 1/2 ton and the tundra really sucks as far as power and mpg but the reliability might make it worth it

 

Which gen and year tundra?

 

Well spoken.

 

And also, let us not forget, the dreaded m'f'n SAIS, though! Smiles / Per / Gallon ^^^