WHY is the 3.4V6 such a dog when Toyota....

Well, this may sound silly but it's been in my mind forever:

How is it I can hop in a 4 cylinder Camry and the thing boots, or why the V6 in a Toyota car is basically a rocket ship?? Yet all 3 Toyota trucks and Taco's (88,94,03) 4 cylinders and V6's I've owned have never had any balls.

Is it as simple as the weight being that different? Isn't a Camry only about 500 to 700 lbs or so lighter than a standard pickup?? Or are the heads, or cam, or intake different in the cars? I waited for years for Toyota to come out with a V8 to keep up with other trucks people tow with and their V8 is a nice powerful motor (although it seemed tame in the Platinum model versus the TRO - another mystery). But why is it that the V6 in a truck has always been a dog and requires a turbo or supercharger to get it to it's potential.

Are there any other mods aside from gearing changes (which basically just brings an oversized tire truck back to stock) that provide any better throttle response? Is it worth buying a cam and header with some intake or ignition changes? I don't drive very fast, don't care to, but sometimes I find Toyota 4 bangers and V six motors create a danger because I can't get out of people's way or merge fast enough in some situations...

I had hoped by now I could afford a Tundra but currently all the money I saved up is being used to pay for things that are now 50% to 100% more than they were just a couple years ago.

 

Weight, gearing, tuned for torque.

 

You would have hated the 3.0 in the older models.

Or the 3.4 in a Tundra.

It's all about perspective. How much of a hurry are you in.

 

Probably mainly the beefier tires. If you jacked up a Camry and put it on 31s it'd be just as much of a dog.

 

My 3.4 has more then enough power for me. 1000 pounds in the bed pulling another 2000 pounds

Coming from a youth of 500 plus Horse Power I guess it all comes down to what you compare it to.

Take the Toyota 22re engine in a Celica that runs just fine for just over a 100 hp. Drop that same in a 4x4 Pick up big difference.

 

This sums it up.

It's a small utility truck, not a rocket ship.

 

I don't know why people expect race car performance out of an old pickup truck.

 

And if you do expect it, put out for boost...and expect lots of trouble getting the launch you desire.

 

Well I regeared and my truck gets up there in the freeway with plenty speed, even on 33's with steel wheels. If I was on stock tires/wheels then I'm sure it would feel like a rocket ship in comparison. Even when stock it did a fine job merging on the freeway. Maybe something is up with your truck.

 

I think a lot of people do unrealistic comparisons of today and the past. The 3.4 is a fairly bullet proof engine. That's just what Toyota designed it for. It's not exactly the most fuel efficient nor powerful but it exceeds Toyotas expectations for longevity when properly maintained. I'm guessing TRD is just a sticker and was never meant to imply "race truck"?

 

Yes, all perspective. I loved my 1992 with its 3.0. Did everything I wanted it to do and then some. Even with the 150hp and questionable head gaskets.

 

thats the cutest little trailer I ever did see

 

Challenge accepted

 

Yes,the impact of rotational inertia is not obvious. I saw a test of that TRX Dodge truck with the hellcat engine, if I recall correctly it barely made 5 secs 0-60. Thats very fast for a heavy truck with very large tires but you would think it would be faster based on HP.

How fast are the V6 Toyota 5 lugs? My guess is fairly quick.

Edit - I looked up 0-60 for the TRX and Dodge claims 4.5 sec so perhaps the test I saw was not dialed in or did not remember correctly.

 

you bought a pickup truck, not a sporty sedan.

It's designed to go off-road, carry rocks and dirt in the bed, and tow stuff.

What did you expect?

Apple to oranges my friend.

 

the 01-04 srunner v6 5spd would run around 15s in the 1/4 with a good driver. Supercharged low 14's high 13's.

 

Nope. 5 lugs aren't "fast". The S-runners are, at best, "quick" but any decent sports sedan will beat it in the twisties, and anythign with a decent weight distribution (i.e. weight over the drive wheels) will beat it off the line. Unless you throw turbos or SCs and all sorts of other stuff at them, they aren't fast.

People here are missing the point. Sure, you can make a pickup truck quick by adding ginormous hellcat motors or turbos. But you cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, compare some domestic truck with a hellcat engine in the same universe as a Tacoma. One is designed to be a long lasting reliable vehicle that can carry rocks and tow stuff, and the other is designed to compensate for penis size at traffic lights.



Tacomas aren't "fast" not because of heavy tires or aerodynamics, or lack of engineering, or anything else.

They aren't "fast" because they weren't designed to be.

 

No problems here, 3.4. Local towing, longer trips, use the 4R, wife needs more comfort.

 

I had an 88 Ford Ranger that would out run a Toyota Tercel from a stand still. My buddy was amazed that my 4x4 truck would out run his car. But these vehicles weren't built for speed. I figure as long as my Tacoma will merge safely on the interstate, will pass slow moving cars when needed, and cruise at 70 mph, then I'm happy with it.
I traded a 2007 Mini Cooper S for my 2003 DC 4x4 back in 2010. Everyone thought I was nuts, but like I told them. I can't haul anything in the Cooper, yeah is was really fast, got 34mpg at 80mph, but other than that it was useless for me. I didn't want to put a bucket of fish in the back, or throw a dead deer in the hatchback either. I think trading it for the Tacoma was the smartest thing i've done in years.

 

The cams are slightly different too.