Why not get a V8 4X4.....

[DC runner]

Just to chime in. The low end torque is where it is at. I have to agree in full. The reason we don't feel much difference between the 04 and 05 is in the torque. 10pounds, when we are talking 320-330 is less than 1% change in overall pull power.

I have a buddy who has an 03 v8, I have the 05 and honestly I can tell 0 difference. Regardless of how it is calculated or determined, these v8's have nice low end power.

Low end power is what gets you going. It is what starts the heavy weight moving. Once moving, it requires less power to move. Momentum is your friend. I would rather have the low end power for towing, hauling, 4x4ing all the way around. When you get stuck in a crag and you need brute force to get out, low end power is where it is at.

Anyway. I honestly love the v8 in these things. Any of them. The difference between the 03 and 04 is more of a datasheet difference in most scenario's and they are all just smooth and powerful engines.


My .02 cents.

 

[kavalis]

i just got my '03 SR5 V8 about 2 months ago. and it was a long search and i test drove a lot of 4Runners. I drove an '05 V8, '04 V8, '04 V6, and two '03 V8s and i must say that the V8 had obvious power over the V6. Dont get me wrong, the V6 had some jump but the V8 was so smooth and quiet and had much better acceleration than the V6. I also noticed that the V8 in the '05 and the '03 did not feel much different from eachother. I was expecting to be blown away with the extra 30 horses but i really didnt notice it that much. I also dont regret buying the '03 V8 (only had 77,000 miles when i got it) and gas mileage has been roughly 17-19. I got 21 mpg steady on a 2 and half hour drive. hope this helps at all.

Thanks for the info man. I’m going for the ’06 for the mid-cycle generation refresh also. :surfer:

 

[NJshadow93]

Thanks for the info man. I’m going for the ’06 for the mid-cycle generation refresh also. :surfer:

yeah good point. im putting in the '06 LED taillights this week so that takes care of those and also putting in the projector lights this week. i like the circle fog lights on the '06-'09 but then again i like the location of the daytime running lights on the '03-'05, gives the truck a more aggressive look IMO :driving:

 

[kavalis]

yeah good point. im putting in the '06 LED taillights this week so that takes care of those and also putting in the projector lights this week. i like the circle fog lights on the '06-'09 but then again i like the location of the daytime running lights on the '03-'05, gives the truck a more aggressive look IMO :driving:

where are daytime running lights on the '03-'05 located as opposed to the '06? :shrug:

 

[progress4m]

where are daytime running lights on the '03-'05 located as opposed to the '06? :shrug:

They used amber parking light instead, just like on LX470. I believe Toyota went back to that on 5-th generation. Personally I do not like any lights that I have no control of.. especially when I am going hunting, so I have a switch installed on my truck to control those lights.

 

[JB.]

where are daytime running lights on the '03-'05 located...

 

[kavalis]

They used amber parking light instead, just like on LX470. I believe Toyota went back to that on 5-th generation. Personally I do not like any lights that I have no control of.. especially when I am going hunting, so I have a switch installed on my truck to control those lights.

I know, it looks like on the 5th gen they dropped them back down again :wow:

 

[kavalis]

Nice looking rig. Just what im looking for. I do like them better down there. My search now includes ’05. :trophy:

 

[NJshadow93]

where are daytime running lights on the '03-'05 located as opposed to the '06? :shrug:

yes on the '03-'05 they are down by the fog lights and on the '06-'09 they look like parking lights.

EDIT: Sorry i wrote this without seeing the past couple posts lol

 

[LandRvr Convert]

I have done a lot of research before buying my truck and it is interesting to note that to this day you can not find one case of catastrophic TB failure on 4.7 V8 and I believe that engine outsold 4.0 V6 by the factor of at least 3 or 4 (count Land Curser, LX470, Tundra, Sequoia and 4runner), However you do not need to look far to find the cases of timing chain jumping on 4.0 V6 as this forum has it.

I have owned a total of 5 cars/trucks in my life. I have had only one timing belt/chain failure. It was a timing CHAIN that broke.......not a belt. I love my V8 Runner. I have never had a case of "V6 envy."

 

[DC runner]

We tend to over emphasis the belt failure, to good results. The resulting loss of confidence ensures that everyone replaces them.. if the maintenance schedule says 90k, you can bet they built in a very large safety factor on them.


Then, you have the exact opposite on the chains. Chains can break. Normally they usually just stretch out, but like anything, given enough time.. they break. We over exaggerate how strong they are, and the result is, people ignore them and depending on the climate and driving, at around 180 or 200k you see some pop.

The reality is this. Toyota wouldn't put them on the v8 if they had not over engineered them. While everyone SHOULD absolutely consider them and in general follow the service schedule, but if timing belts were as prone to breaking on all vehicles as urban myth would have us believe I.E. All the time...

We would never use them. That said, the urban myth of millions upon millions of timing belts exploding every second of every day, does mean we don't forget them.

I have heard more stories of chains stretching, finally to the point of engine damage, than I have of belts snapping or chains snapping.