Is my V8 slow?

[Forenaftrunner]

By comparison to my wifes GX 470, my 2008 V8 4Runner feels slow. Given that both have the same engine and I use regular unleaded in both, I would think they should feel about the same.

On the contrary, hers feels significantly faster than mine. I probably wouldn't have thought about the quickness of the 4Runner were it not for her GX, but I'm beginning to wonder what's going on here. Both of our vehicles have about 7000 miles now so they should be all broken in.

Is there a difference in the final drive ratios that could account for the difference in acceleration? Could my V8 not be up to snuff?

Also, hers has a much nicer sounding exhaust growl when I get on the gas than mine. Maybe they have different exhaust systems?

If anyone can enlighten me about the GX vs. the V8 T4R, I'd appreciate it.

Maybe someone in the Mass./RI area with a V8 wants to try mine out and see if I'm just being crazy?

Thanks.

 

[eskimochaos]

By comparison to my wifes GX 470, my 2008 V8 4Runner feels slow. Given that both have the same engine and I use regular unleaded in both, I would think they should feel about the same.

On the contrary, hers feels significantly faster than mine. I probably wouldn't have thought about the quickness of the 4Runner were it not for her GX, but I'm beginning to wonder what's going on here. Both of our vehicles have about 7000 miles now so they should be all broken in.

Is there a difference in the final drive ratios that could account for the difference in acceleration? Could my V8 not be up to snuff?

Also, hers has a much nicer sounding exhaust growl when I get on the gas than mine. Maybe they have different exhaust systems?

If anyone can enlighten me about the GX vs. the V8 T4R, I'd appreciate it.

Maybe someone in the Mass./RI area with a V8 wants to try mine out and see if I'm just being crazy?

Thanks.

Im sure its just your imagination. Have your wife drive you in your car and you will see that it is quick. I always feel like my car is faster when riding as a passenger rather than driving.

The 4R is faster by a few tenths of a second as well.

There is more insluation in your wifes car as well. They are the exact same car except for the body. They come off the same assembly line.

 

[progress4m]

Re: Re: Is my V8 slow?

Im sure its just your imagination. Have your wife drive you in your car and you will see that it is quick. I always feel like my car is faster when riding as a passenger rather than driving.

The 4R is faster by a few tenths of a second as well.

There is more insluation in your wifes car as well. They are the exact same car except for the body. They come off the same assembly line.

x2!

 

[Scoobs]

BTW a 2003 V8 does not have 235HP. That was the rating that Toyota gave it before the new HP ratings came into effect in 2006. It actually has less than 235HP when measured using the new ratings . Her 2006 263HP rating is accurate. Your 2003 235HP is not accurate. There is more than a 28 HP difference between these engines.

Ironically it was primarily the "quality" Japanese manufacturers whose engine horsepower ratings were reduced by the new SAE ratings system. Most GM engines were actually rated as producing more power under the new ratings system.

 

[Forenaftrunner]

Re: Re: Is my V8 slow?

Funny story, my wife had a GX also. I think you might have an issue with your 4Runner. Mine is an 03, so it has the non VVT-i V8 that makes 235 HP and hers was an 06 with VVT-i with 263 HP. The gearing is all the same, simply due to the lighter weight (by I think several hundred pounds) of the 4Runner body, mine would out pull hers any day. Not by much, but it could.

I never noticed any difference in sound, either. I hope your 4Runner is okay

Since I first posted this topic, I've done a bit of research. You are correct that the GX is considerably heavier than the 4R. About 600 lbs! Maybe the GX just feels faster to me because of the extra mass being moved. I'm going to see if my wife will drag race me in an attempt to put my worrying to rest.

As an aside, Car and Driver lists the non-VVT-i V8 4Runner at 8.0 in the 0-60 sprint and 16.4 at 84 mph through the 1/4 mile. They list the GX470 with VVT-i at 7.2 in the 0-60 test and 15.7 at 88 mph through the 1/4 mile. Those are significant differences. No disrespect, but I can't understand how your older 4Runner felt quicker than her newer GX.

BTW, Car and Driver lists the VVT-i 4Runner at the same 1/4 mile time as the VVT-i GX470 so I think they are likely pretty close. I'll post again if and when I get my wife to race me.

 

[Scoobs]

Unless the gearing in the GX is different than the 4Runner there is no way a 600lb heavier GX can have the same acceleration numbers as a 4Runner with the same engine. Personally I think C and D has been getting lazy in their testing the last couple of years. They probably just took the 0-60 of the GX and plugged it into their stats for the 4Runner.

 

[Scoobs]

Actually it's more likely that they used the 4Runner stats for the GX. The last test of a 4Runner by C and D was in April of 2005, 4 years ago. This article was a laugher at the time I read it 4 years ago and still is. Their biggest complaint about the 4runner was the hood scoop? They gave it a 5th place finish. What a joke.

The link won't work. Anyway you can go to C and D and search "4Runner" and you'll find the article.

 

[qballjr13]

Re: Re: Re: Is my V8 slow?

I'm going to see if my wife will drag race me in an attempt to put my worrying to rest.

I love this! I can picture the look on my wife's face if I EVER asked her to drag race me! :headslap:

 

[BROOKLYN]

anyone know exacy spec of a v8 05-09 runner vs the same for gx
im curious to know, this is the only vehicle i know that finding speed spec is like winning the lottery

 

[Forenaftrunner]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Is my V8 slow?

I love this! I can picture the look on my wife's face if I EVER asked her to drag race me! :headslap:

I thought the same thing. I asked yesterday and she's agree to race me. I was shocked. I'll keep ya'll posted!

 

[SubSonic]

Yeah I know about the revised ratings, I just didn't want to add that in there. The 2005 models had vvt-i and the non sae horsepower which was, I believe, 276 horsepower. Comparing that to the 03 is accurate, which is a 41 horsepower difference. But I hate horsepower as a method of determining performance, torque and redline is far more telling

Agree with most of what you say, except the redline thing. Torque is every bit as important a measure of power as anything, I agree, but redline really doesn't affect it.

As an example, in an internal combustion engine (with no turbos, superchargers or NOS), Tq is always going to exceed HP up until 5252 RPMs, period, regardless of the computer's redline. That Tq > HP until 5252 RPM is set in stone by physics - whereas redline is an arbitrary number set forth by the engine maker to keep it from vibrating apart or otherwise hurting itself due to internal blueprinting and as-designed tolerances (to keep pistons from hitting valves, to keep valve springs from breaking or coilbinding, to prevent engine from drawing more air/fuel than the injectors can provide - thus leaning it out to the point of burinng a piston, etc).

To the point, a manufacturer's redline can be wherever they want to set it - but that's not going to affect where peak Tq and peak HP occur - that's going to come from the engine's design and operating specs, but Tq is always going to exceed HP below 5252, HP will always exceed Tq above 5252 RPM, and at 5252 RPM Tq and HP will always be equal. Where a car maker sets their redline usually just involves marketing (if they set it just above peak HP, for advertising) or safety (if they set it below theoretical peaks in Hp or Tq, for engine longevity).

 

[eskimochaos]

Yeah, I'm aware of all that. I meant it more as a reference to how the engine will behave. For example, an older Honda S2000 makes 240 HP, holy smokes! Woo hoo! But it only makes 152 ft-lbs of torque. No one throws that figure around very often, and it gets outperformed by cheaper cars with less horsepower (WRX).

Basically, my point is not to tell someone that a car makes 240 HP, we can't make much sense of that. Tell them that it makes 152 ft-lbs of torque and has a 9000 RPM redline. Then I'm gonna go into it knowing that if I keep the RPM up in the stratosphere, it will perform. Likewise, low redline and high torque and I know to keep it in a different part of the power band.

I'm an engineer in the jet engine division of Rolls Royce, I basically have horsepower coming out of my nose at any given time, we all hate it and think it is arbitrary and dumb.

Kinda off topic but may I ask what type of engineer you are. I'm currently a sophomore mechanical engineer with an aerospace engineering minor and looking to get into the aerospace industry. (Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman etc).

back on topic - did you win the drag race yet?

 

[eskimochaos]

I have a masters in electrical eng. I worked on the avionics package for the 787 with Boeing when I first graduated 4 years ago. Now I'm with Rolls Royce North America. I kinda changed disciplines along the way and focus mostly on fuel injection in gas and diesel turbines now. It's kind of a cross between chemical/electrical/mechanical.

Stick with it, especially if you enjoy it!

You have a PM.

 

[BROOKLYN]

we are getting way off topic but what ever,
i live in jersey and was seriously thinking of returning to school
for a engineer degree for mechanics but feel there not enough work in the tri-state area for this field

 

[EH007]

In a word I'd have to say yes, your (and my) 4Runner is slow. Regardless of your engine, the 4Runner couldn't really be considered quick in my mind. It does have enough power to get moving pretty well, but it's still on the slow side if you compare it to the average vehicle on the roads today.

Funny thing though, I found out today that the 4Runner is a bit quicker than a new Camry (most likely a 4 cylinder) when a guy next to me at a light didn't want to let me into his lane to get on to a freeway entrance lane. I floored it at the same time that he did and was able to pull on him enough to safely get in his lane without cutting him off. LOL.

 

[Forenaftrunner]

In a word I'd have to say yes, your (and my) 4Runner is slow. Regardless of your engine, the 4Runner couldn't really be considered quick in my mind. It does have enough power to get moving pretty well, but it's still on the slow side if you compare it to the average vehicle on the roads today.

I agree 100% that the 4runner is by no stretch a fast car in today's world. I'm a recovering speed freak. My previous car was a Subaru Legacy GT. I've had a 911 C2 and a Formula Ford race car (SCCA). In fact, the T4r is the first automatic transmission car I've had in 22 years of driving. The change going to the 4Runner was shocking. These are NOT fast vehicles. On the other hand, I slowed myself down considerably, which is a good thing. The half hour highway ride to and from work used to be like a time trial. I'd regularly hit 100+ mph. Not so smart. Now I just cruise in the middle lane at a steady 70-75 and feel much more relaxed.

My original post was written only because I feel like my wife's GX470 is faster than my V8 4runner (and this shouldn't be the case). I still plan to drag race her and I'll post results here when I do.

 

[diego]

... I still plan to drag race her and I'll post results here when I do. [/B]

Is there any chance we can get some video of this? :driving:

 

[rjyhdc4]

Agree with most of what you say, except the redline thing. Torque is every bit as important a measure of power as anything, I agree, but redline really doesn't affect it.

As an example, in an internal combustion engine (with no turbos, superchargers or NOS), Tq is always going to exceed HP up until 5252 RPMs, period, regardless of the computer's redline. That Tq > HP until 5252 RPM is set in stone by physics - whereas redline is an arbitrary number set forth by the engine maker to keep it from vibrating apart or otherwise hurting itself due to internal blueprinting and as-designed tolerances (to keep pistons from hitting valves, to keep valve springs from breaking or coilbinding, to prevent engine from drawing more air/fuel than the injectors can provide - thus leaning it out to the point of burinng a piston, etc).

To the point, a manufacturer's redline can be wherever they want to set it - but that's not going to affect where peak Tq and peak HP occur - that's going to come from the engine's design and operating specs, but Tq is always going to exceed HP below 5252, HP will always exceed Tq above 5252 RPM, and at 5252 RPM Tq and HP will always be equal. Where a car maker sets their redline usually just involves marketing (if they set it just above peak HP, for advertising) or safety (if they set it below theoretical peaks in Hp or Tq, for engine longevity).

Are you saying the 5252 rpm point is the same for all engines or just the 4runner?

 

[diego]

Are you saying the 5252 rpm point is the same for all engines or just the 4runner?

HP is a calculation based on torque (regardless of engine) ... i.e.:

(RPM X Torque) / 5252 = Horsepower

Horsepower and Torque will always be the same at 5252 RPM.

 

[Mark86]

My mom has a 2007 GX and I have a 2005 4Runner with the new V8. My 4Runner feels much more powerful than the GX. I have driven both of them on the same roads and my 4Runner definitely has an edge. My mom and dad both agree with me as well. When I push the gas in my 4Runner, your head snaps back in the seat and you feel the truck accelerating. While the GX is not underpowered, you don't get that extra jolt when you floor it. Now if only my mom would drag race me...

The V8 4Runner is actually fast for an SUV. Most of the SUV's that are faster than it are high performance vehicles (X5 4.8, Cayenne S/Turbo)

I doubt there is anything wrong with your 4Runner. But I want to see video of your drag race.