only problem with the V8 T4R: speedometer

[Jan777]

first: a fantastic car, the longer I own it the more I like it!

But I live in Europe and travel all over the continent at a usual travel speed of 170-190 km/h. The US speedometer is limited to 110 US Miles/h, so I often drive over the limit and need to check my speed on the GPS.

Admitted its a marginal problem, but with a V8 one would expect to have a speedometer which goes at least until 130 US Miles/h!

 

[WI_4Runner]

Wish I had that problem.

 

[JimInTN]

190 km/hr?

Maybe it's because no 4th gen 4runner should be traveling at almost 120mph.....

 

[Jan777]

why not?

it's stable and has good grip, the engine runs at 190 km/h with 3000rpm, so certainly no engine overload

only downside is rather poor fuel economy, but that comes with the power and the size

 

[JimInTN]

Except at that speed, in a vehicle that heavy, coupled with the rotational mass of the big tires and heavy wheels...I'd venture to say with reaction time figured in it'd take you over a 1/4 of a mile to stop.

Not to mention SUVs aren't exactly sports cars...being top heavy and having tires most likely not rated for those speeds.

Nevermind the fact you're obviously distracted taking pictures with your phone while doing it!

The v8 is meant to tow...not keep up with guys in m3s on the autobahn, but I'm not preaching...you do what you want.

 

[TOY2G]

Except at that speed, in a vehicle that heavy, coupled with the rotational mass of the big tires and heavy wheels...I'd venture to say with reaction time figured in it'd take you over a 1/4 of a mile to stop.

Not to mention SUVs aren't exactly sports cars...being top heavy and having tires most likely not rated for those speeds.

Nevermind the fact you're obviously distracted taking pictures with your phone while doing it!

The v8 is meant to tow...not keep up with guys in m3s on the autobahn, but I'm not preaching...you do what you want.

This guy is why the speed limit in Oregon and Conneticut is only 55mph. Lol

I am however wondering how the OP defeated the shut off. My 2003 T4R V8 shut off at 111mph. By shut off, I mean killed the accelerator.

I was not playing around when I found this out. My wife was in labor and we were more than an hour from the hospital at 1:40 am.

 

[mpyle]

Now that's some balls! Grip yes but stopping ability at that speed:crazy:

 

[S p a r k y]

I was not playing around when I found this out. My wife was in labor and we were more than an hour from the hospital at 1:40 am.

Did anyone else think of the beginning of Talladega Nights here? Reese Bobby, "guess how fast were going baby!!"

 

[94toy22re]

On my 2007 sport v8 with 265/70/17 tires it hits 119 mph (Garmin GPS) and I held it their for about 10 miles before letting off!

 

[m85476585]

I might have hit around 115 mhp in a 2008 V6 once. It didn't shut off, but I didn't spend much time at that speed to find out.

Of course the engine can handle it, but the suspension and handling are not optimized for high speed. It's a SUV, so it has a risk of rollover that gets worse as you go faster. Too much overcorrection with the steering could cause it to roll. I'm sure you will say that you are a great driver, and that's fine, but I'd rather drive something that can tolerate mistakes better because I know I'm not perfect.

If you have to drive an off-road capable SUV at over 100mph frequently, a 4runner is probably the best choice. At least it's not known for Death Wobble. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncTgYl7P_TE
But something with sportier suspension than a 4runner would be even better.

In the US, at least, most replacement tires that people put on 4runners are not properly rated for the top speed. I think the most common is 118mph T rated tires, but if you're spending a lot of time at that speed you should have 130mph "H" rated tires or better. Those are less common is SUV sizes. I think Toyota originally specified "H" tires, but for most people in the US a lower rating is good enough, and they are cheaper. In Europe I'm sure higher speed rated tires are more common, but I just wanted to point out that most people on here shouldn't try to test the limits of their 4th gen, or at least check your tires first before you do.

 

[HiVel-JR]

OP is fine... I lived in Germany for years...

Drove all over Europe. Never had one issue as an American driving too fast. Driving is treated much different over there and is very expensive to get a drivers license. And very expensive if you screw up. No one rides in the left lane like all the a-holes in this country do.

It is also natural selection going that fast over there.

I had a 92 535 Xi and it was a tank. Its handling was far worse than my 4runner. I took some old videos driving around. I could only get it going 250k down hill... what a POS... LOL.

enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydTgVkG7s0

 

[AKmoney]

According to this old test article published at Car and Driver, the V8 4th gen 4runnerhas a governed top speed of 116 mph or 187 km/h. I guess that means the speedometer doesn't go high enough...but not by much.

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/toyota-4runner-sr5-v-8-4wd.pdf

 

[WI_4Runner]

Except at that speed, in a vehicle that heavy, coupled with the rotational mass of the big tires and heavy wheels...I'd venture to say with reaction time figured in it'd take you over a 1/4 of a mile to stop.

Not to mention SUVs aren't exactly sports cars...being top heavy and having tires most likely not rated for those speeds.

Nevermind the fact you're obviously distracted taking pictures with your phone while doing it!

The v8 is meant to tow...not keep up with guys in m3s on the autobahn, but I'm not preaching...you do what you want.

I don't think the V8 4Runners were built/marketed to tow as a primary use. Mine does it's job pulling a 3k boat, but put the same boat behind a V8 Tahoe/Yukon and it's night and day difference

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I don't think the V8 4Runners were built/marketed to tow as a primary use. Mine does it's job pulling a 3k boat, but put the same boat behind a V8 Tahoe/Yukon and it's night and day difference

That has to do with vehicle size and mass as well. A Tahoe is s Full sized SUV and will provide more control with larger/heavier loads.

 

[t-man]

The 4runner is a very stable vehicle stock and not top heavy at all. If you have good tires on it, which is your own fault if you don't, then you won't have any issues. I would drive mine all day at those speeds stock.
Brakes, hell we have excellent brakes on these trucks! Top notch besides a sports car.
Weight? At 4700lbs it's pretty much a lightweight.
Handling? Again, in stock form this thing handles very well, especially for an SUV.
Hell I drive 80 on the freeway with no sway bars and 35" tires without any issue or complaint. I wouldn't drive faster nowadays, it's not set up for that, but stock. Hell one guy on here road races his professionally! and does quite well at it too.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I pegged the speedo on mine when it was stock; ithink around 120ish, I forget exactly. But ever since then I've never really had the desire to get it that fast, I'll tap 90~95 if I'm on a long empty road trip and need to get somewhere far or make up lost time (very rare), otherwise most times I'm happy around 80~85ish. It handles well at high speed with the suspension and tires it has; I just don't feel the need to push it that much, it's a offroad SUV, not a sports car. I know in Europe I'd be tempted to push it faster since some places let you; but then I'd probably be a bit more conscious of fuel as it is far more pricer there than here.

 

[AKmoney]

The 4runner is a very stable vehicle stock and not top heavy at all. If you have good tires on it, which is your own fault if you don't, then you won't have any issues. I would drive mine all day at those speeds stock.
Brakes, hell we have excellent brakes on these trucks! Top notch besides a sports car.
Weight? At 4700lbs it's pretty much a lightweight.
Handling? Again, in stock form this thing handles very well, especially for an SUV.
Hell I drive 80 on the freeway with no sway bars and 35" tires without any issue or complaint. I wouldn't drive faster nowadays, it's not set up for that, but stock. Hell one guy on here road races his professionally! and does quite well at it too.

I disagree with these comments. It's a body-on-frame truck designed for utility and off-road capability, not sustained high speed traveling. That doesn't mean it can't be done, especially if you're comfortable footing the fuel bill, but there are better choices out there.

I can't even imagine the fuel bill on a V8 4runner driving those speeds. Gas in Europe is like $8/gallon!

If you drive 80mph on 35" tires with no sway bars your truck is a rollover accident waiting to happen. All it takes is one minor evasive maneuver and you're toast.

Personally if I wanted something that could comfortably (and safely) cruise at 120mph and yet still have credible off-road capability then I would look at something with more road performance bias such as a Cayenne or a Touareg or a Range Rover Sport. Luckily here in the US, this isn't a decision most of us are faced with.

 

[Slowgoat]

first: a fantastic car, the longer I own it the more I like it!

But I live in Europe and travel all over the continent at a usual travel speed of 170-190 km/h. The US speedometer is limited to 110 US Miles/h, so I often drive over the limit and need to check my speed on the GPS.

Admitted its a marginal problem, but with a V8 one would expect to have a speedometer which goes at least until 130 US Miles/h!

That is a problem I wish I had!

The Autobahn is a lot of fun; I once took a turbo V6 diesel Audi wagon and put it through its paces near Munich for a week. It was incredible!

 

[WI_4Runner]

That has to do with vehicle size and mass as well. A Tahoe is s Full sized SUV and will provide more control with larger/heavier loads.

Certainly much more to towing then just what's under the hood.. In fact, I've towed my boat w/ the same engine, 4.7L V8, but in different SUV's. I found the Sequoia to be a better towing vehicle then my 4Runner is due to its extra weight and wheelbase length.

I enjoy the V6 vs V8 towing threads here.... At the end of the day, a 4Runner is a midsized SUV and can only pull, control, and stop so much weight. The latter two variables seem to largely get ignored, but are what get you in the most danger when towing.

 

[Jan777]

oh my oh my

these comments remind me of my experiences of driving in the US - got held up in every single state on the way from Florida to NY! "Hello officer, no this is not reckless driving, it's how we drive in Europe!" was my standard response. The nice thing was that I got tickets I actually did not have to pay since I am not a resident!

You guys on the other side of the Atlantic = sorry to be so frank = don't know what driving is! Crawling over 10lane highways and getting a ticket for "reckless driving" if one does not indicate at least half a mile before changing lanes. Uff - never again!

The Toyota 4Runner is a very stable SUV also in high speeds, with proper tires no problems at all in high speeds! It depends of course also on the driver! Yes I don't throw the T4R into turns like I do with my motorbike! And yes, I keep a good distance to other cars, especially since most of them only see my back lights anyway!