Tacoma wind struggles?

[kmcintyre]

I had an Eagle on a v8 Dakota at one time. I had to plan on passing anyone about 15 mins ahead of time. I didn't have the gearing you are talking about and we didn't/don't drive fast but it was kind of scary but probably 18mpg. Then I went to a RAM 1500 EcoDiesel. That was a great setup. An Eagle on a full-size pickup means the FWC was behind the cab more and we go 21mpg and great power. The issue there was (even with upgrades) we were still overweight and were more worried about the brakes. Now, we have a 1 ton, 6.6L, diesel with a flatbed. No issues. Of course, we get about 17mpg.

I guess what I'm saying is there are trade-offs with any rigs (cost, fuel, etc.) and you have to find that balance. If the truck meets your needs, I think the gearing will help with the "power" but not the other things.

 

[TacomaAustin]

A little late for the original poster - but I found the following video of a 3rd Gen Tacoma owner who claims at the end of the video the need to boogie down the road with the transmission set to 4th gear. Keep in mind that the Tacoma has 6 available gears.

 

[Vic Harder]

Running in 4th makes sense. Torque (and thus best mpg) peak is over 4000 RPM.
Enough Already! Your Truck's T, HP and RPM Explained | Tacoma World

 

[Argonaut20]

What Ski3pin said is right. You can't change the drag coefficient of your rig with add ons. Air resistance increases as the square of velocity, so doubling your speed quadruples the air resistance. Air resistance at 80 mph is four times the resistance at 40 mph. With a head wind, it only gets worse as the effect is like you are increasing your speed.

 

[ntsqd]

That article linked from NASA indicated that you can indeed alter the drag coefficient of a vehicle with "add-on" devises. You may not be able to make a huge, dramatic change, but you can change it.

 

[JHanson]

It is true that going to a higher number gearing does reduce the size of the pinion gear. I put about 150k miles on a set of 4.88's that were already in the truck when I bought it. Sold the truck with them still in it and going strong. Research which mfg of gears people are getting the most service life out of. Break them in on dino oil, and then put in brand name synthetic (Mobil 1, Redline, etc.).

In my case the 4.88's and 33-10.50 tires "corrected" the speedometer. Said differently, that tire size and gearing combo restored the factory speedo calibration. Right now you're traveling further than your odometer is indicating and the trans' shift points are off because of this.

Also know that it is a fact of life with Toyota engines that if you use their full power band that they do use a little oil. I could drive that truck as a DD for months and not use a drop, but take it on a big trip where I was spinning lots of revs (to get over those same NV passes) and at the end of the trip it would be down a 1/4 to 1/2 quart. My current 3.0L is the same way. I do not see this as a negative, just as something to be aware of.

Thom,

I'm curious about your statement that it is a fact of life that Toyota engines "use a little oil" when their full power band is utilized, as not only have I never heard this before, but it goes directly against pretty extensive personal experience, from the days when I hauled a trailer full of sea kayaks around Mexico with my FJ40 up to today. We towed the Overland Expo command trailer back and forth across the country several times (and up the Mogollon Rim to Expo West nearly a dozen times) with our 2012 Tacoma with a Four Wheel Camper also on it. We travelled extensively in a 1993 Toyota pickup powered by a 22RE, mounted with, first, a Wildernest, then a FWC. Then a 2000 Tacoma with the V6 and a FWC. Then the 2012. I just finished hauling a cargo trailer full of household goods from Tucson to Alaska with a 2014 Tundra powered by the 4.6 V8. In not one of those vehicles did such use produce the slightest trace of oil use. The only Toyota we own that uses any oil at all is our 1993 HZJ 75 (with 280,000 km on it), which burns a half quart or so every 2,000 km, no matter what we're doing with it.

 

[buckland]

My eagle (2011) was first on my 5 speed 4 cylinder Tacoma. I wanted to put a sign on the back... I'm peddling as fast as I can! Went down to 3rd on many a hill. I found myself rocking in my seat urging her on!!

 

[ntsqd]

Both my 22R (before and after the engine shop that I worked in rebuilt it) and the 4A-GE consumed just a little bit of oil if you used the upper rev range for any extended time period (like say 3rd gear at 55 pulling the grade on the 6 going West into Tonopah). I put 125k+ on the 22R overall and it was always like that. Other 22R drivers that I mentioned this to thought it normal. I've read others say the same about the later engines.
I never saw the 2F in the FJ60 exhibit this phenomenon.
.

 

[TacomaAustin]

My eagle (2011) was first on my 5 speed 4 cylinder Tacoma. I wanted to put a sign on the back... I'm peddling as fast as I can! Went down to 3rd on many a hill. I found myself rocking in my seat urging her on!!

I miss my four cylinder 2015 Tacoma Access Cab with a 5 speed manual, but you are correct with regards to down shifting into 3rd to stay in the peak power band of the 2.7 liter when headed up steep inclines. I just upgraded to a 2005 Tundra SR5 access cab, with a 4.7 V8 that has gobs of torque at 2000 rpm.

Due to the current market craziness, the Tacoma sold for more than what I paid for in 2015.

P.S. Old habits die hard - even with the V8, I'll push the button at the end of the shift lever to switch off the overdrive on a steep incline when the camper is mounted. There is no temperature gauge for the automatic transmission on a 2005 Tundra.

 

[rruff]

Air resistance increases as the square of velocity, so doubling your speed quadruples the air resistance. Air resistance at 80 mph is four times the resistance at 40 mph.

True. Fuel consumption to overcome wind resistance should be roughly proportional to V^2 as well. These things are aero bricks and adding a camper doesn't help...

Just as an example, say at 65 mph, flat and no wind, 70% of your resistance is aero and 30% rolling, and you are getting 15.0 mpg. At 85 mph it would drop to 11.0 mpg. Slowing down is the best thing you can do to reduce fuel consumption.

 

[rruff]

Like said....33" wheels on your combo are counter productive...not just in height, CG and wind, but those 33" wheels and tires weigh a ton and they are un-sprung weight which takes more to move down the road....style vs function.

If you like to get into remote locations, bigger tires are the best way to get more ground clearance. More traction is nice also... and heavy duty tires are a must, regardless of size.

Unsprung weight effects suspension performance, but takes no more energy to move down the road than any other weight.

Tire weight does take more energy to accelerate and decelerate, but at worst case (all the weight is at the outer circumference) it's only 2x weight elsewhere. So if you have a 6k lb loaded Tacoma and you add 10 lbs per tire, that's only ~1% increase. You'll never notice that.

The big unknown variable with tires is rolling resistance. Truck tires are never tested, and this value varies a lot. You can't tell by looking at them or weighing them.

 

[rruff]

Sure definitely. Been reading a lot on regearing with my setup. Feel that would help immensely in between climbs/wind issues etc

The regear will not improve your power output at all, and so it won't increase your speed going up climbs or into headwinds. It will help a little in acceleration but that's it.

As others have mentioned, you can set a max gear to use. If the transmission is hunting, just set this to 5th or 4th and let it rev. On my Tundra it's called S mode. I have a toggle switch on the shifter that lets me move the gear up or down.

 

[ntsqd]

Blanket statements aren't always correct.

For instance; while it doesn't take any more energy to sustain a given road speed with a larger tire, it does take more energy to get a larger tire up to that speed and it requires better brakes to slow down a bigger tire at the same rate as the original tire size.

Changing the axle ratio doesn't magically add power, but it can put the vehicle in a different location within the engine's power curve. So while it doesn't add any power it can put the engine in a rpm band where it makes more power more efficiently.

Same is true for mpg's, it's not a direct relationship between vehicle speed and mpg because larger tires and/or different axle ratio changes the rpm vs. mph relationship and changed correctly can put the engine at it's most efficient operating rpm for the road speed desired.

 

[Vic Harder]

+1 to what Thom said.