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Toyota Tacoma Prerunner (owner experiences)
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I thought this was a little low so i called the dealer to see if this is normal and they assured me the mileage would increase after break in. well, to cut a long story short i got less than 16 mpg with the last tankful i ran through it so, in fact, it has gone the other way. This may be due to the cold weather but i won't know till spring i guess.
One thing i have noticed is wind seems to affect it a lot. A head or crosswind will really affect performance and has a tendency to push it around. I attribute this to the height which allows a lot of air to get underneath it.
I have found the best way to get a little extra passing power is to take it out of overdrive with the button rather than press the gas pedal. This will increase speed without moving the gas pedal and it is really peppy when not in od.
Overall i am pretty happy with the truck. It is my third Toyota. I had 217,000 miles on my '85 xcab four cylinder when i traded it in and believe me i put that truck through hell. That 22r motor has to be one of the best.
How about the stereo in the prerunner? Not bad for standard equipment huh!!!!
Anyhow, in the bonehead department i screwed up my tailgate rolling a 1200 pound round hay bale out of the truck and am going to have to replace it. I would like to get a real nice metal flow-through one. I had one custom made for my old truck after i got rear ended but it wasn't the best quality. However it did improve gas mileage. Does anyone know if these are available and where to find one.
BTW, are there are nice after market aluminum wheels that will fit the '01 PreRunner? What company and size is recommended? Is 16" a good diameter to start with?
it might sound naive but i am not quite sure what the trd package is..
thanks for your help
Anybody have problems with squeaky driver's seat
If you are looking for the black OEM-style overfenders for the Tacoma, I'd highly suggest the "OE-Style" fenders made by Bushwacker. I purchased a set of these from autostyles.com (abotu $308 out the door vs. $800 plus from the dealer), and installed them myself on my 98 Taco 4x4. They look excellent, and took only about 2 hours to install. As a plus, all newer Tacomas already have mounting holes for the fenders, which means no body drilling to mount the fenders.
Best of luck!
-Jason
I'm very happy with the truck so far, just wondering about a few things.
Any solutions-this is very irritating
All of this has been fun to do and it has paid off quite well....not to mention the very noticeable power increase. I recommend every tacoma owner to try these things to get better mpg.
Thanks
Travis
where did you buy yours? $20700 sounds good what
were the options?
kongti
When the truck was purchased, the dealership's service department was swamped with vehicles. So, the sales consultant wrote up a "we-owe you" for the clean up and removal of an ignition shut off alarm (a dealer add on that I didn't need for $300). Anyway, a few days later, I go to get the truck cleaned up, and 4, yes 4 &*%$&*% hours later they bring me my truck. Everything is fine up until that evening. Get in my truck, look in the right rear view mirror, and the mirror is full of scratches. After a closer look, it is obvious that the Einstein's waxed the mirror, both right and left. During the day it's not noticeable but at night, with the headlight glare, it blows.
Now, I called the selesperson/manager/pric&$, and let's just say customer satisfaction was the least of his concerns. Any thoughts as to what I should do? Take it to the small claims court? File a complaint with BB? Like that will solve something.
For the life of me, I still can't figure out who the hell would buff a mirror. I still kick myself for going back for the clean up.
Thanks,
Steve
air cond., alloys, 6 speaker cd/tape/radio, v-6, auto, SR5, TRD, power windows, locks, and mirrors, daytime running lights, sliding rear window-tinted, extra mile option(glass etching, pin stripe, bodyside moulding, spare tire lock, carpet floor mats, cruise control, 3yr./36,000 mi. roadside assist. and rental car), and Securikey Plus, which is an elaborate alarm system I'm still trying to learn all about.
I could not believe cruise was an option till I saw how they bundle it with all that other "stuff". I think if I had not been rushed at the time of delivery(7pm on a friday nite), I would have done a little better, but?
I just put a Covermaster Camper on it, and it is great, really beautiful match on the style and paint, and my mpg. went from 16.8 to 17. I ordered the spoiler to keep the back window a little clearer and to cut the drag, hopefully. Seems like it did!
2001 Prerunner sr5 v6 automatic transmision
At 1800 miles I make a brief highway trip (20 miles). I make a stop and then continue for about 5 miles. When I slow to an idle to make my turn the engine noisily clunks and dies (much the same as a standard would if I had not downshifted). When I start it up again It runs fine in Park and Neutral but as soon as its placed in gear (any gear including reverse) it clunks and dies as if it is stuck in too high a gear to take off.
After towing it in to the dealer the mechanic witnesses this problem once but it goes away once he gets it into the bay. With no problem left to fix it gets turned back over to me like a ticking time bomb.
Fast forward to 5000 miles. I go on an extended higway trip (150 miles) I stop for gas, get back on the road and have no problems. 60 miles later when I exit and slow to an idle... Bingo! same old problem.
Towed it to a dealer (this time out of state)and they are convinced it is the Torque Converter. After they change it ...No Joy!
Final result is the Transmision has been replaced and so far so good. I'm just curious if this has been seen before. Thanks for the input!
John
This truck is NICE! Smooth, seamless power from the 3.4L DOHC V6. Those 190hp comes on fast and pulls strong! Cab is quiet, ride is smooth, feels refined like a TALL Camry!
Already thinking of making it louder and obnoxious with TRD Supercharger (+50hp) for $2300, along with TRD headers and exhaust. hmm... i'm gonna have Fun with my new Toy!
The women really dig the head-turning rugged good looks. I feel like royalty riding tall with legendary Toyota quality & build. Drivers in any other new trucks/SUV's get jealous when my ride pulls alongside.
The Tacoma's ain't the cheapest ride you can buy, but hell i KNOW it's the BEST ride you can Own!
15 years from now my Grandkids will be riding tall and proud in this truck!
More than i can say for my poor (not very old) Ford... which blew its head gaskets after 65,200 miles and 6 years.
I'm about to move north to Iowa from Georgia and am a bit worried about the winter weather I'll experience. I bought my PreRunner V6 with Georgia winters in mind and suddenly find myself facing tough Iowa winters. I wouldn't be concerned if I had a 4x4, but I bought the 2WD PreRunner.
If anybody has some experience with a PreRunner in snowy weather, please share your experiences. Can you share some tips for making my truck a good snow vehicle?
Thanks much,
Bill
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls
It lets you see Recall details on various makes, models, and year.
You'll be happy to know that there are ZERO Recalls for 2000-2001 Toyota Tacoma's!
Toyota Quality is not only Legendary but it is Fact!
Not so for Ford, Chevy, and Dodge (
You'll see that there are Already 4 or 5 RECALLS on Brand NEW 2001 models like Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10!
And we're not talking little stuff, but Serious stuff like: brake lines, airbags, seatbelts, fuel systems, tires, hoods flying off while driving, cooling systems, mislabeled GVW ratings.
Ford Quality is JOKE One!
Chevy, like a CRock (sits on jackstands like a Rock)
Dodge... um, i can't think of anything for Dodge.
So if some Chevy/Ford/Dodge owner starts disrespecting your Toyota Tacoma ride... point them to the Recall Database to see just how many recalls their vehicle has. They'll shut up real fast!
Because Toyota is the BEST!
1) I too was looking at headers for my DoubleCab 3.4L V6! But i think the TRD ones re-combined into 1 pipe.
I was hoping to get something "dual exhaust".
Do you know if TRD or Toyota has any headers for dual exhaust?
I guess i can just get my muffler man to split it and have two tips sticking out the back.
there's just something about dual exhaust that gets me goin, hehe.
2) TRD Supercharger...hmm... that gets me drooling too, but cheapest i saw them going for was about $2300 online. it sure would be hella fun though!
does the Supercharger replace your entire intake manifold?
I thought on the doublecab that it had 2 catalytic converters so you could do dual exhaust. I may be mistaken thought since it has the same 3.4 as the ext-cab. Go to www.toyotaguys.com and check out what they got. About the cheapest on the web or anywhere else for all Toyota stuff.
This is true for all 3.4L Tacoma engines no matter the body style.
John
I would suggest however for towing 2000Lbs. with 900Lbs. payload in the cargo box that you opt for the TRD package. It's a bit stiff when empty but you'll never have to worry about the towing capacity of your suspension.
John
Basically, I don't have a tachometer, and I'm looking for engine RPM at these given speeds:
20 MPH
45 MPH
60 MPH
70 MPH
80 MPH
If anyone would be willing to take note of their tachs when they're driving around and get back to me on these, I would be greatly appreciative. Thanks.
be a pretty stiff suspension. Is this normal for these trucks?? I guess I'm used to the
smooth ride of an extended cab truck. Can reducing the tire pressure help to smooth
out the ride?? Any suggestions???