Antman
Elite Member
That's not really how that works unless you are comparing drivelines that are very similar.:behindsofa:
The ECU will pick the best gear to keep the trucks in (hopefully), so they won't be in that 1:1 transmission gear at the same point in the powerband/wheel speed even if they had identical axle ratios. Highest available torque multiplier is the lowest gear for the speed at the time, this is a product of total drive ratio at the time and unless you are in first or final gear either engine can adjust it's the drive ratio as necessary to maximize speed or power.
e.g. if both the Tacoma and the colorado were in 4th (1:1 and 1.16:1 transmission ratio respectively) the drive ratio in 4th gear would be ~3.91 and ~3.96 respectively. In almost every gear the Colorado is at almost exactly the same drive ratio as the Tacoma Colorado/tacoma comparison.
Even this doesn't matter because the diesel Colorado makes it's power and maxes out at 2/3 the revs of the tacoma so they are never in the same gear at the same time respective to speed and acceleration. In order to go the same speed at max revs the Colorado would have had to be around 2 gears higher than the Tacoma at a 30% higher gear ratio. The Diesel Colorado is not meant for speed, I'd be surprised if you can even get it over ~90 MPH. :bored: But it pulls significantly more weight and gets better mileage.:yo:
Axle ratio is really only meaningful for performance in very similar powerband and driveline combos. e.g Jeep unlimited to 4runner. Or if you are figuring out whether a wheel jam will snap an axle or driveshaft first.
:sobbing:
OK- I agree with everything you say here and that there are many variables to consider.
But just for arguments sake, let's put the 3.42 axle into the Tacoma and take a run up that hill. The difference would be dramatic- time, fuel and speed would all suffer because the tranny would need to be in a gear (or two) lower the entire time.
Barring reliability, I would take the Chevy all day to tow that load. The test is just a small snapshot of it's towing ability. I would venture to say it's more capable in this area in every respect.