Toyota Tacoma or Tundra for Smaller FWC?

[303Dizzy]

Based on lots of reading, I just bought a 2002 GMC 2500HD 8.1L for my new to me Hawk that we are picking up in September. I have a 2000 AC Tundra and didn't want to go down path of overloading it. I drive assertively and don't want to have to worry about stopping/cornering/acceleration.

MPG's with that 8.1?

 

[radarcontact]

I have a '15 Hawk and originally carried it on a 1/2 ton Chevy. Was at or beyond the capacity of the truck. Don't know what you're going to equip your camper with, but IMO they always end up a lot heavier than you think. Just a casual look at your post and I would say Tundra over Tacoma hands down. I ended up getting rid of the 1/2 ton for a 3/4 ton, much better in every way except MPG. I don't drive the truck daily, so the MPG thing isn't as big of an impact as it might be for others. There's been a lot of threads on WTW about carrying FW campers and payload capacity - I think I had a thread going on that over a year ago. Try to calculate as accurately as possible your GVW and see if that meets the specs of the truck and camper combo you want. I can tell you from experience, having an overweight vehicle is no picnic. Feels like the Titanic going down the road LOL - think inertia. Braking is sketchy, too. My $0.02.

 

[Vic Harder]

MPG's with that 8.1?

Almost irrelevant, as safety comes first. Still, not good. over 12,000 miles I have averaged 11.11 mpg. Best was 12.36 doing 55 mph in the mountains. Worst is in cold weather (-25*F) at around 8.5 mpg, city driving. It really gets about 10 mpg no matter how you drive it, empty or fully loaded.

So I can drive 80 mph uphill on interstates with glee, knowing it really doesn't affect my mpg. And the truck corners, accelerates and stops without any fuss or drama.

Main reason I got the 8.1 was for the Allison transmission. Love that thing.

Oh, and I could have gotten a diesel, and averaged around 14 mpg. I paid $7K for my truck. An equivalent diesel would have been at least $17K. That's a 4 mpg improvement for $10K more money. At an average of 5000 miles per year, the ROI is 3.5 years. Not worth it to me.

 

[knoxswift]

My 2c is a properly setup Tacoma is a great rig.

However, out of the box either Tacoma or Tundra would need some re-configuration. Toyota hasn't setup the suspensions all that great and the Auto transmission isn't great (go MT if you go Tacoma). Don't get me wrong you could do an Eagle with a stock Tacoma and some helper springs. That is how I started out but over the years, suspension upgrades, Gearing changes, brake upgrades...I'm against Air Bags for a true off road build...when the build is finished it's a setup that will last years.

Mine is going on 9 years old will turn 200K by the end of this year. 18-20mpg unloaded w/33s and 14-16mpg loaded. 12-14mpg loaded and towing a motorcycle trailer.

 

[lactic]

18-20mpg unloaded w/33s and 14-16mpg loaded. 12-14mpg loaded and towing a motorcycle trailer.

I just want to know how you are getting that mileage! 2017 auto DCLB with Fleet shell, E rated 33s, Fox suspension, airbags. Seem to average 12-13. Regearing in my future...

Love the size of the Taco though! It has taken me many places where a Tundra or larger truck would have some serious pinstripping (not that that’s a bad thing!)

 

[moveinon]

I have a 2011 Tacoma and fully equipped Fleet and am really happy with it. My mixed mileage runs right at 15-16 with camper and 21-23 without. I do a lot of forrest service roads and mild off road and need the turning radius of this truck to get to a couple of places I like to go. If you go this route it is worthwhile to upgrade to airbags and/or springs as the Tacoma springs are made for comfort not load carrying, E rated tires and upgraded shocks. I don’t have a problem with breaking with the camper on, but it is easy to increase breaking by going to ARB slotted rotors and green pads, or even more breaking with a big break kit or cheaply with Tundra brakes. My gearing works fine with camper but gearing has changed on the newer Tacomas and quite a few people are re-gearing those even without hauling a camper. The weight on my truck and camper loaded is right at 300 lbs over weight and I am fairly minimalist. If you like to camp with 10 gal of extra gas, full water, custom bumpers and winch, a chain saw and dual batteries you might want to rethink a Tacoma because the weight adds up a lot faster than one would think.

 

[knoxswift]

Correct I only recently have these new MPG #s with my Gear Swap. Also I'm an Access Cab so I think it's lighter than your Double cab? Do you have the 4.0? or 3.5 v6?

When Choosing Gearing keep in mind the Use Case and choose the right RPMs for what you want to do.

This website was key in my build:
http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html

Yes the Tacoma does fit in many narrow trails I wouldn't want to bring a full size...

EDIT:
OH and from your picture I think you have a bigger FWC. I have an Eagle so about 175lbs lighter than that Fleet dry weight.
Access Cab vs. Double is another 200Lbs difference.
It all slowly adds up...

 

[pollux]

i have a 2016 4wd Tacoma carrying an 2015 Eagle camper. For the rear suspension, I added a Hellwig help spring and a Boss airbag on top of the helper spring. I just completed a 4000 mile trip back from Banff. Perfect setup, no problem.
I was able to run the engine at 2000 rpm at 75 mph on flat roads and got good mileage.