V6 or v8?

U

ur2ez

New member
Alright all, I'm sure this question has been asked but honest I went through pages of searching trying to find it and couldn't...partially because you can't search for anything with less than 3 characters.

I've decided I'm selling my dream car that I bought last year (twin turbo Toyota Supra) for a 05 or newer 4x4 4runner (want to take advantage of the genuine platinum Toyota warranty Shaun is offering through this site so it still needs to be under manufacturers warranty).

Anyways...on to my question. I do a fair amount of hunting, fishing and hiking and like to get back in away from the other hunters. This requires good 4x4 but I don't want to take it anywhere crazy either. With that in mind...is either the V6 or the V8 considered "better" for offroad purposes? Both stock and with MINOR modifications, such as the OME lift at the most (if anything)?

Thanks guys!

-Aaron
 
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I don't know if the V6 or V8 is better off road but just what ever you do change the stock tires out as soon as you get it. If you can stand the noise and the slight drop in "MPG" get a good mud tire.
 
I have tackled some crazy hills in my V6, on some of the trails I have seen 4 cylinder taco's do just fine. I would only get the V8 if I tow stuff or you like the extra HP. If I was on a hill that the V6 couldn't get up then I wouldn't even attempt that hill with a V8 for fear of the car rolling over. I have never been in a situation where I needed more power off road. The bottom line is if you want the extra power get the V8, but the V6 (in my opinion) will do fine off road.
 
ur2ez said:
you can't search for anything with less than 3 characters.
Click to expand...
Use a wildcard in your search. You'll find this topic has been discussed many times, and you would benefit from reading what has been posted before.
 
Thank you to those who actually tried to answer. I went through 4 pages of search results and all anyone wanted to argue about was "which one feels better to drive" or "which one is faster" or "which one is more reliable".

I know the V8 has more torque, I know the mileage expectancies and all of that. What I didn't find in 4 pages of search results was which one is more effective off the pavement. Obviously they have somewhat different drivetrains and all of that in addition to the motor so I didn't know if one handled the desert and logging trails better than the other.
 
I love my v8 and extra horsepower never hurts. If you do pack your truck with tons of gear. You will wish you had a v8 and hey all the Fj guys drool over our v8. You wont regret it.
 
Ex-Toyota employee here and my vote goe's to the V-6. Why add more weight, an insignificant amount of hp & trq, and more to your insurance premium/monthly payment with a V8? It is over-rated if your a 4x4 person as the V8's ONLY significant advantage is towing and that's only when it come's too a camper etc etc.
 
I dont think you would regret getting either engine. My thought is why pay more to buy the v8 plus more in gas and when gas starts getting more expensive the v8 may depreciate faster than a v6. I think the v6 has plenty of power, and would only get the v8 if i had to tow something like 5000 pounds.
 
Seriously , I have a V8 , dont tow much except a tractor ( pretty good size John Deere on a 6x10 trailer). The V6 would handle it without any problem. I just wanted a V8 !

Gas was not an issue and still is not because there is virtually no difference , and a lot depends on your driving. If I drive my V8 like a normal person and another guy drives a V6 like a hot rod , he will get worse milage than me , it's all relative.

Off road , the name of the game is torque , not HP depending what you are doing. The added weight of the V8 is also insignificant , cost for the V8 option is more expensive. Dont let factors like insurance ect.. factor in what you want. Again is an insignificant amount ( 27.00 diff. ) on my policy for 6mo. wow !

Weather it be for on road or off I would never hesitate to buy a V6. If I was to buy a new one tomorrow and the dealer had one on the lot with all the options I wanted and it had a V6 in it I would be fine with it because it does have some damn good get up and go.

My V8 just silently purrs , its so quiet , it hardly has to work hard to do anything. Goes like a SOB.

Good luck in your decision , PM me if you have any questions about the V8.
 
Falls said:
Seriously , I have a V8 , dont tow much except a tractor ( pretty good size John Deere on a 6x10 trailer). The V6 would handle it without any problem. I just wanted a V8 !

Gas was not an issue and still is not because there is virtually no difference , and a lot depends on your driving. If I drive my V8 like a normal person and another guy drives a V6 like a hot rod , he will get worse milage than me , it's all relative.

Off road , the name of the game is torque , not HP depending what you are doing. The added weight of the V8 is also insignificant , cost for the V8 option is more expensive. Dont let factors like insurance ect.. factor in what you want. Again is an insignificant amount ( 27.00 diff. ) on my policy for 6mo. wow !

Weather it be for on road or off I would never hesitate to buy a V6. If I was to buy a new one tomorrow and the dealer had one on the lot with all the options I wanted and it had a V6 in it I would be fine with it because it does have some damn good get up and go.

My V8 just silently purrs , its so quiet , it hardly has to work hard to do anything. Goes like a SOB.

Good luck in your decision , PM me if you have any questions about the V8.
Click to expand...

Very well put;): .
 
Well I found an extremely clean V8 with only 17k miles, so I pick it up Saturday morning :)

Thanks for the advice guys!

-Aaron
 
How much oil goes into teh V8 vs the V6? maybe a quart diff?

Does the insurance company see a diff?

My friend's wife traded in their '05 V8 for an '07 V6 Runner and she gets almost 3 more mpgs around town with the 6.

Unless you're towing I don't see the big deal with the V8 unless you have to beat that V6 in the 1/4 mile. ;)

I'd probably have to have the V8 just because. :)
 
Let's get a few things out of the way...do NOT read this post IF you care about gas prices, insurance rates, or a V6 lover. But, if you are asking about off-road performance, then read on...

The V8 has more torque...and has more torque down where you need it most while off-roading...the first few ticks of the RPM needle. The 4.7L V8 has at least 80% of it's torque as low as 1500 rpms...remember, it was designed for the Land Cruiser initially. The torque curve is flat. Although off-roading involves other stuffs (e.g. gearing, low-range, etc.), it never hurts to have an engine that can provide tons of low-end grunt. It may turn out to be what you just need to inch up a rockledge (or boulder) that much easier (and consequently, safer for your vehicle). It may be the difference between applying a tiny bit of gas (very good) and applying a moderate amount (less good). The V8 engine's extra weight is a non-factor when you're going 5 mph off-road...remember, you're not a Porsche that needs to have 50/50 weight distribution nor low-center of gravity.

Therefore, IF you had to choose between the two powertrain for off-roading reasons, then V8 is the way to go. Is it the only choice? No. The V6 is plenty powerful...remember, it's in Toyota's only dedicated off-road vehicle (FJ Cruiser). The 4x4 technology otherwise is the same in both vehicles (ATRAC, DAC, HAC, transfer case, auto tranny, etc.). No one will fault you for going either direction, but since you asked, i answered with my opinion.:)

Glad that you got a 4runner...welcome to the forum.
 
Thai said:
Let's get a few things out of the way...do NOT read this post IF you care about gas prices, insurance rates, or a V6 lover. But, if you are asking about off-road performance, then read on...

The V8 has more torque...and has more torque down where you need it most while off-roading...the first few ticks of the RPM needle. The 4.7L V8 has at least 80% of it's torque as low as 1500 rpms...remember, it was designed for the Land Cruiser initially. The torque curve is flat. Although off-roading involves other stuffs (e.g. gearing, low-range, etc.), it never hurts to have an engine that can provide tons of low-end grunt. It may turn out to be what you just need to inch up a rockledge (or boulder) that much easier (and consequently, safer for your vehicle). It may be the difference between applying a tiny bit of gas (very good) and applying a moderate amount (less good). The V8 engine's extra weight is a non-factor when you're going 5 mph off-road...remember, you're not a Porsche that needs to have 50/50 weight distribution nor low-center of gravity.

Therefore, IF you had to choose between the two powertrain for off-roading reasons, then V8 is the way to go. Is it the only choice? No. The V6 is plenty powerful...remember, it's in Toyota's only dedicated off-road vehicle (FJ Cruiser). The 4x4 technology otherwise is the same in both vehicles (ATRAC, DAC, HAC, transfer case, auto tranny, etc.). No one will fault you for going either direction, but since you asked, i answered with my opinion.:)

Glad that you got a 4runner...welcome to the forum.
Click to expand...

Thai,

Thank you...exactly what I was looking for (couldn't find everything, wasn't sure if there were some differences other than "just the motor"). Gas is irrelevant to me, I just sold a car that if I babied it got 11-12 mpg of the premium plus and if I didn't want to baby it, required $5.99 a gallon 101 octane (boy was it fun though...). Insurance is irrelevant as well, if $20-$30 a month AT MOST was enough to sway me away from a vehicle...then I probably can't afford either of them in the first place.

Thanks again!

-Aaron
 
Alright...everything went as planned and I picked up my 4Runner yesterday morning :) It's an 05 4x4 V8 Sport with leather and all the other options...and only 17k miles :)

Need to get a good wash and wax done, but here's some pics from the trader ad...

Sale2-1.jpg


Sale2-1.jpg


4Runner


-Aaron
 
Let's not forget the V8 "technically" can take regular gas.

V6 - 18 gallon fill up at $3.20 = $57.60 (21mpg, 378mi on a tank)
V8 - 18 gallon fill up at $3.00 = $54.00 (18mpg, 324mi on a tank)

378-324 = difference of 54 approx. miles on a tank. @ $3.00 for regular, 18mpg, you're looking at 3 more gallons to travel the same number of miles in the V8 as you would in the V6, $9.00 total, minus the premium fuel difference of $3.60, you're looking at $5.40 per tank difference.

Fill up once a week, driving 17k miles per year, at you're still only looking at an annual increase in fuel cost of about $281 (plus the one-time cost of the V8 upgrade)

Bottom line is that it's not worth debating on whether or not to get the V6 for better fuel economy. It's a truck. If you want fuel economy, go get a daily driver 4cyl vehicle. In other words, glad you picked the V8 :) It's a good choice.
 
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