Hadelson
New member
Trust me, its already boasted and you would be surprised how fast they are!
Engine /Transmission woefully outdated!
- Thread starter Redsoxx1918
- Start date
Trust me, its already boasted and you would be surprised how fast they are!
Hate to disagree but the new tacoma engine and transmission combo is horrible. I had the truck for 2 years and I got rid of it. The constant shifting of gears , horrible cruise control, bad sitting position and not great MPG, leaking differential, missing gears from Drive to Reverse and so on. Maybe you drove the truck for a little while but after owning the truck I can actually say that Toyota messed up big time with this engine and tranny combo
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Totally agree. The Tacoma engine is a joke compared to the 1-GR and not counting all the problems i had with the truck/ I am glad i got rid of it
83Mule
New member
Dear Toyota.....are you hearing this? Do it right when you mess with the Runner or DON'T touch it at all. The half measures in the Tacoma will see you paying for it in sales to the Domestics until you fix it right. Toyota man since my '78 SR-5 PU.....listen to the TOYOTA customers.:lever:
Jetboy
New member
I believe it may have been re-programmed since you had yours. Not sure. I didn't notice any issues with gear hunting. It might even be something that having extra load keeps the transmission in the lower gear and having a full load and larger tires actually makes it perform better? The truck I was in was a double cab long bed with about 1,000lbs of gear for 3 people for a week plus offroad equipment. And 34 10.5 17 tires.
Either way the transmission is great in other vehicles too. I've had the same transmission in our IS and our RX along with the same engine. IMO it's a very advanced engine. It's the best direct injection engine design on the market.
The problem - as I see it - is that it's a variable effective displacement engine that's just a bit too small for the Tacoma/4runner. It's very similar in performance to a 2.0L 4cyl turbo - but much more reliable, durable, and - if sized properly - it should be more fuel efficient too. The atkinson cycle allows it to effectively run at around 2 liters of effective displacement. And rather than using boost to run up to 1.5 or 1.8 volumetric efficiency through a compressed intake, it relies on the valves to do the work of adjusting the air volume up.
The benefit is that it should have a lot longer service life than a turbo. Bearings that spin 100k rpms are really hard to make last for a lot of miles. Ford actually published it's design life for the ecoboost - and it's only 175k miles. That's not something Toyota would likely ever accept outside of maybe it's Halo sports cars. But the two companies have very different demographics of buyers. Tundra owners keep them longer than any other truck - including the Tacoma, which is #2.
And it should also be more fuel efficient. You can't run turbos lean without dramatically shortening engine life. The problem IMO is that it's simply too small of an engine for the task, so you're running it high in the output range almost all the time on the highway, and then its fuel savings evaporate. If it were more like a 4.5L v8 - I'd bet you'd get 2-3mpg bump in actual use.
What I'd love to see is a mild hybrid like FCA just announced. It's a brilliant system if it's done well. IIRC it will apply to all gas engines in the Wrangler and Ram trucks. They use a alternator/generator/motor that will add up to 150 ft lbs or torque from 0-1500rpms. Not only would that really assist in towing and racing - I don't race, but I do tow some - but it would also be really useful at certain times offroad. Especially if you had engineers who were serious about exploring its capabilities. For example: water crossings. Imagine for a second if you could flip a switch that shuttered the intake, opened the valves to spin freely, and then used electric drive for even as short as 500-1000 feet. Water crossings would be a breeze, no snorkel needed, no engine stalls, just easy low stress water crossings. Similarly you could also use the generator to power a lot of camping gear. No more need for dual batteries and solar panels. You've got a high output generator already built in. And a simple circuit with start/stop and battery monitoring would keep you charged all the time. - don't get me wrong here. There was a JKU stuck on the Rubicon last year with an ECU failure during the jeep jamboree and an entire team of FCA engineers couldn't make it run - at all. No limp by mode. No reset without being in a shop with live internet (can't do it in the field apparently even with FCA's team and resources - including things like a helicopter) because swapping ECUs won't work either. So I understand the fear of tech not working. But the concept CAN be done very well and very reliably with the right engineering team behind it and the right resources applied to manufacturing it properly.
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I drove the 2018 before purchasing the 4runner and believe me it has the same issues as my 2016. I did both TSB on the transmission and even though it got a little better it was still hunting gears like crazy. I felt the truck was under powered in the low rpms and that you have to push the gas to pass another vehicle. I think the engine is not that bad but the tranny just plain sucks. A truck that is going 40 mph and is already in 6th gear is not ideal. If you want go to the tacoma forum and you will see the amount of people selling the truck and trading for even the Ridgeline. Just my .02 cents
johnbt
Member
My 2016 TEP is just right for what I bought it for - driving on the beach in deep sand and pulling a heavy 16-foot boat and trailer out of ponds and lakes that don't have ramps. It's geared just right. I don't want any more wheel spin than I've got already and I like the KDSS enough to definitely get it again.
And it will cruise at 70 to 80 all day in traffic on I-95.
I'm satisfied. Well, the sound system did suck some.
"and that you have to push the gas to pass another vehicle."
Do tell. Every vehicle I've driven since I started driving in 1965 worked that way. The other pedal is the brake - it stops you.
And it will cruise at 70 to 80 all day in traffic on I-95.
I'm satisfied. Well, the sound system did suck some.
"and that you have to push the gas to pass another vehicle."
Do tell. Every vehicle I've driven since I started driving in 1965 worked that way. The other pedal is the brake - it stops you.
My 2016 TEP is just right for what I bought it for - driving on the beach in deep sand and pulling a heavy 16-foot boat and trailer out of ponds and lakes that don't have ramps. It's geared just right. I don't want any more wheel spin than I've got already and I like the KDSS enough to definitely get it again.
And it will cruise at 70 to 80 all day in traffic on I-95.
I'm satisfied. Well, the sound system did suck some.
"and that you have to push the gas to pass another vehicle."
Do tell. Every vehicle I've driven since I started driving in 1965 worked that way. The other pedal is the brake - it stops you.
"and that you have to push the gas to pass another vehicle."
Do tell. Every vehicle I've driven since I started driving in 1965 worked that way. The other pedal is the brake - it stops you.
[/QUOTE]40mph in 6th gear. You have to push the pedal all the way down to get it moving , due to lack of low end torque!
Jetboy
New member
Worth a look if you're curious about the future of Toyota transmissions.
https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/powertrain/transmission/
https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/powertrain/transmission/
Redsoxx1918
New member
So you’re saying that Toyota should just leave most of their vehicles alone and never advance with technology? Is the 5th gen the best or should they have stopped generations ago? And you’re also saying that you have no confidence that Toyota can produce a modern drivetrain that can produce better power and fuel mileage. Hmm.. interesting opinion.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
johnbt
Member
"So you’re saying that Toyota should just leave most of their vehicles alone and never advance with technology?"
Just the 4Runner. If I'd wanted another Highlander or Avalon I would have bought one. Or a Forester Limited with limited slip rear diff, big wheels and disc brakes all the way around like my '01. Zippy, not not fast like an '06 Avalon (6.2 0-60) My '10 Highlander towed my boat just fine, but it was really just a heavy AWD V6 Camry with 19" wheels.
I admit I enjoy driving my girlfriend's '16 Avalon Touring every once in a while. That's why I bought it and didn't get her what she said she wanted - just another 4-cylinder Camry with a radio.
Just the 4Runner. If I'd wanted another Highlander or Avalon I would have bought one. Or a Forester Limited with limited slip rear diff, big wheels and disc brakes all the way around like my '01. Zippy, not not fast like an '06 Avalon (6.2 0-60) My '10 Highlander towed my boat just fine, but it was really just a heavy AWD V6 Camry with 19" wheels.
I admit I enjoy driving my girlfriend's '16 Avalon Touring every once in a while. That's why I bought it and didn't get her what she said she wanted - just another 4-cylinder Camry with a radio.
MossJenks
New member
Wow. All the way to the floor you say? That must be a lot of work!
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Hadelson
New member
Interesting. Wouldn't be surprised if new engines developed with higher torque at lower RPM to utilize new transmission ranges.
Speculating.......perhaps 6th Gen runners with Turbo Diesels?
Jetboy
New member
The new transmissions will offer a lot of real reliability benefits. First - the direct shift transmissions can lock up the torque converter in every gear or nearly every gear. It uses a lot less of the torque converter - meaning both better efficiency and way less heat generation internally. And that means cooler operation at lower speeds in lower gears. That's a big plus for reliability. It also uses a single rotating axis (single shaft) which also increases durability over other designs.
And the gear range is fantastic based on early models. Imagine having a 5.5:1 first gear! That's nearly identical to having dual 2.28 cases in a 3rd gen. Crawl ratio would be 55:1 with 3.73 diffs. Currently we're at 35:1.
And the gear range is fantastic based on early models. Imagine having a 5.5:1 first gear! That's nearly identical to having dual 2.28 cases in a 3rd gen. Crawl ratio would be 55:1 with 3.73 diffs. Currently we're at 35:1.
jrandom
New member
The question is not necessarily to update or not to update but how big will the update leap be. I think most of us would expect that they will drop at least a 6AT in for the next generation, the power plant on the other hand? who knows.
I can say, that I don't necessarily like the mouse trap where the tasty knock sensor is: 
Who wants to pull the upper and lower intake manifold and all the hell associated with it to replace a $150 part.
The LandCuiser, is it still really a LandCruiser? It is certainly no longer the LandBruiser that it once was but more of a LandYatch. Just sayin
I can say, that I don't necessarily like the mouse trap where the tasty knock sensor is
: Who wants to pull the upper and lower intake manifold and all the hell associated with it to replace a $150 part.The LandCuiser, is it still really a LandCruiser? It is certainly no longer the LandBruiser that it once was but more of a LandYatch. Just sayin
