TOYOTA TACOMA vs FORD RANGER- Part XI

2k1trd · January 2001

I wasn't being defensive,i just think people shouldn't complain about something they chose to buy thats all.Did the dealer hold a gun to his head and say to buy the TRD option?

barlitz · January 2001

There is a winner at the end of each quarter and final score,If it ends with 0-0 I win.example at the end of 1st quarter score is 0-0, I win $500.At half time if its 10-0 I win again and so on,If I were to have 6-3 Balt,Giants.I would need it to land on that combo at the end of each 1/4.like 6 to 3 at the end of 1st or half time or 3rd or final.There are 4 winners and 0-0 is one of the best combos to have especially with 2 defensive teams,I think I have a good shot at the 1st quarter.We'll see!
allknowing sorry for my spelling and grammer hadn't had my coffee yet,I agree with you also 2k1trd,you can choose what ever you want I never said the ZR2 option was cheap either sticker is close to $27000.which is ridiculous also,thanks for my good negotiating and 0% financing, otherwise no way.

scape2 · January 2001

today to see a new 01 Ranger parked beside an 01 Tacoma. The Ranger was black and the Tacoma was blue, both were 4x4 models. The Tacoma's grill looked god awful. I believe this is going to loose Toyota sales. However, shame on Ford, still putting cheap 235 tires on their 4x4's... I sure wish they would dump the damn bean counters!

lariat1 · January 2001

What makes the trd package so great? From what I have read all it is is a locker ($400 at the drivline shop installed and it work at all speeds) bilstien shocks ($250 installed) set of helper springs ($50) and a set of skid plates ($180). So where is the other $350 go?

2k1trd · January 2001

350 bucks for the TRD decal!.....lol

2k1trd · January 2001

Did you notice the hood on the 01 ranger?...looks cool,kinda like a cowl induction style.

modvptnl · January 2001

allknowing · January 2001

I don't think we need to go through the same TRD discussion again. If you wish to believe that the TRD package is what you've supposedly read, don't get the package as it's certainly not for you. If you want to take the time to read past posts and research actual information on the TRD package, do a little homework on your own and maybe you'll find that the package is more than worth the money as I did.

cpousnr · January 2001

planning on spending the weekend, however, if anyone was watching the weather, something about a major storm coming into the area from So. Cal.

Anyway, decided to leave before the 8-14 inches of snow arrived. Did not quite make it. . .

Drove from basically Sante Fe to Springer NM in 4X4 high, better traction that way. Suspect in the worst spots, where the whiteout was, was running through 6-7 inches fresh snow on top of packed snow/ice. You see we were following a plow truck, but he turned off and we continued. That is where the fresh unplowed snow was.

Any way, the Ranger made the trip real well.

It is real nice to just reach up, twist a knob and your seamlessly into 4X4 high.

cpousnr · January 2001

Something about a guy complaining about his son driving the Ranger in a rain storm and slowly going thru a puddle and hydrolocking the engine?

Well, while getting fuel yesterday, noticed a build up of blown in snow around my KKM filter.
The wind was blowing enough for the snow to be parallel to the ground.

Given the heat of the engine, would suspect my engine injested some H2O also.

No hydrolocking.

Further suspect the facts of the bogus story that spoog posted. . .

scape2 · January 2001

already has done homework on the TRD package. I find more and more around the net at other chat rooms the cat is out of the bag about this TRD package. Very limited for the everyday user, not functional for the everyday person who needs to tow or haul. Ads absolutely no value to the truck either. Check Kelly Blue Book between the difference of a regular Tacoma and one with the Sticker...

bess · January 2001

It doesn't look like to me he is denying that the TRD has options (however few) that currently aren't offered on the Ranger from the factory.. He's just offering an opinion that the TRD package is a bit high in price for what you actually get..
I didn't hear any 'whining'.

The TRD package is perfect for several groups of folks:
a. Those who don't want to spend the time going to aftermarket shops/parts in order to do some medium duty off-roading.
b. Those folks think it looks really cool. Face it, the TRD sticker and gadgets give the truck a 'rougher' look than the average 4x4 from the factory.. If someone really wants that image, then $$ really isn't an issue and Toyota knows that, so the price is bumped up on this package..
This is the same reason SUV's are marked up so much.

Sure, one can claim that Ford is missing out by not offering a package that has similar options to the TRD. I'm sure Fords corperate folks have crunched the numbers to see if this is worth doing.. So far, Ford's Ranger sales don't seem to be suffering..

cthompson21 · January 2001

Doesn't the TRD package throw in some better tires too? And a clutch start cancel switch?

I think Ford should have at least put some 265 BFG's or Michelin's in their off-road package. I would have gladly paid the extra couple hundred bucks. I'm just waiting for my Firestones to wear out, so I can put a bit bigger (much nicer stance) and better handling tire on my truck.

Is it just me, or do things tend to become repetitive in here?

Is it just me, or do things tend to become repetitive in here?

Is it just me, or do things tend to become repetitive in here?

Is it just me, or do things tend to become repetitive in here?

pocahontas · January 2001

they were off topic and/or hostile in nature. Also, for the sake of continuity, other messages in direct response to these posts were also deleted.

And now back to the discussion of the TOYOTA TACOMA vs FORD RANGER. Thanks!

Pocahontas
Host
Pickups Message Board

bess · January 2001

Hehe, now your spamming us with the
'some posts have been deleted messages''

hehe, just kiddin..

Oh, to stay on topic.. uhh, I owned a 1989 Ranger, 200k miles still going strong.

eharri3 · January 2001

A ford with 200K? How is that possible? I thought you could only do that with Toyotas. By the way Spoog, I find it interesting that you completely ignored what I said some 55-60 posts ago... did you ever end up going into those Tundra and Tacoma problem rooms? It's funny... I've found problem rooms for just about every make of import in the Maintenance and repair section... Tacomas and Tundras, Maximas and Camry's, even Corollas. Were you too embarassed to admit that myth of unfailing import reliability was shattered?

pocahontas · January 2001

Also, glad your Ford Ranger has done well for you.

Btw, my sister just bought a Tacoma double cab and my brother owns a Ford pickup. They both love their trucks. Not sure they've had any heated debates on the subject though. Maybe I oughta send them here....

Talk later. ;-)

Pocahontas
Host
Pickups Message Board

eharri3 · January 2001

Defect Investigations 1989-2000

Ford Ranger - 20

Dodge Dakota- 14

Chevy S10 - 51

Toyota Tacoma - 2

Safety Recalls 1989-2000

Ford Ranger- 32

Dodge Dakota - 28

Chevyy S10 - 47

Toyota Tacoma - 6

Technical Service Bulletins 1989-2000

Ford Ranger -2,279(yes, 2,279)

Dodge Dakota- 940

Chevy S10 -448

Toyota Tacoma - 150

-------

eharri3 · January 2001

" The Ford truck suspensions are made for on-highway use only"

- Fourwheeler.com

" The Ranger rattled like a diamondback offroad"

- Edmunds.com

" If buying a used Ranger, take it for a very,very long test drive"

-Edmunds.com

" The Tacoma has a higher payload than the Ranger, therefore we put more weight in the bed"

- Fourwheeler.com

" OF all the 4x4's, we vote Fords 'most likely to break on heavy trails"

-Edmunds.com

cthompson21 · January 2001

I always miss the good stuff.

david6 · January 2001

I have a 2001 Ranger 4.0L 2wd, with Limited Slip.

I passed up buying a 4x4 when I was able to get this set up, but I wasn't sure how well I'd do in bad conditions. Well, I drove through packed snow about 2 or 3 inches thick, extremely slippery, in the Allegheny Mountains this weekend for an hour, up and down hills on very curvy roads. I'm happy to say that I had great traction, with only a little fishtailing easily controlled, and I got through some pretty dangerous situations. It was especially satisfying to pass up two Jeep Cherokees, even though they were probably just being more cautious than me.

The point is that I chose the Ranger over the Tacoma in part because I wanted to save the money I would have spent on 4x4 by getting the LSD with thw 2wd, figuring it would get me just as far. It looks like it was the right choice in that respect. Now I'll just wait and see how long-term reliability goes - Consumer Reports rated the 2wd Ranger almost as well as the Tacoma, so I was willing to take the risk. Not that I would buy a Ford car, mind you, but the Ranger looked to be okay. Plus I got a great deal. So, for those currently comparison shopping and not in the Arctic circle or running the Rubicon Trail, I would suggest the Ranger 2wd with Limited Slip as a very good choice.

briancorr · January 2001

For those who are interested, Toyota does offer a limited slip from their kazuma add on dept. Just FYI. It is a little pricey though. One add I saw was for $995 installed.

jim232 · January 2001

Howdy. We have a 1990 Ford F-150 and a '98 Toyota Camry and like them both so you could say I'm fairly impartial on this Ford vs. Toyota thing.

Anyway, I wandered into this forum and have a question on the terms seen here. I know what a limited slip differential (LSD) is, but could someone please explan as objectively as possible what a "locker" is and how it works. Also, please explain an "open axle".

I'm no mechanic or even a particularly automotive kind of guy but can understand if you type slowly :-).

Also if you would, please keep the partisanship out of your reply. I've test driven the Ranger and the Tacoma and they both are good trucks and both have their strong points. I just would like a better understanding of what a locker is and an open axle. Thanks in advance for your help.

eagle63 · January 2001

I'll try to use an example to show the differences as I'm certainly not an expert in the mechanics of how differentials work. but here goes:
suppose you have a 2wd pickup with an open axle that's parked in your driveway. the left (rear) wheel is sitting on a patch of glare ice, and the right wheel is on dry pavement. When you put the truck in gear and step on the gas, the wheel that's on the ice will spin, while the wheel with good traction (on the pavement) will do nothing.
If you had a limited slip in this same scenario, the wheel on ice would still spin, but *some* power would be applied to the wheel with traction, thereby allowing you to get out of the driveway. With a locker, both wheels would spin at the same rate, also allowing you to escape the driveway.
A simplistic scenario, but more or less accurate. Some others here can probably give you a more technical answer.

briancorr · January 2001

Good description. The only thing I might add is that you wouldn't want to drive around under normal day to day conditions with a locker engaged in the rear. A locker is really for when you are stuck or are in low traction conditions (sand, mud, rockcrawling, etc.) A limited slip is more often used for daily driving conditions as it will allow some power to the wheel that isn't spinning.
I have had trucks with limited slip and open axles and haven't had a problem under normal conditions with either. I have been stuck in a truck that has a limited slip so it certainly isn't the solve all solution (in my case, the tow strap was!) but that was in ice and once in mud.
I don't have to deal with ice very often in TX so a limited slip may be more beneficial in other parts of the country.

lariat1 · January 2001

An open diff sends 100% of the power to the wheel with the least traction. A LSD splits the power and sends 70% of the power to the wheel with the least ttraction and 30% of the power to the wheel with traction. A locker splits the power 50-50. Open diffs increase tire life but make a 4X4 a 2wd because only 2 wheel will spin in low traction conditions. Lockers have increased tire wear and take a while to get used to driving due to the "locked" axel pushinfg the vehicle straight when power is applied to the rear end(if you let off the gas the locker will disengage). A LSD is a compromise between the two.
IMHO a LSD is a must for a truck there is no weight on the rear wheels so traction is low to start with and running around up here in Alaska in 4wd for 6 months is not reasonable.

scape2 · January 2001

These folks pretty much summed it up! An "open" axle is the least useful. For a truck you want at least a limited slip diff. Limited slips help with towing, hauling and pulling. A locker is the one you want for serious offroading purposes. Lockers are limited however and not to be used for everyday driving like the LSD can be. There is a room here at Edmunds that has some good information about diffs.
Hey David6, you have a new SOHC 4.0 in a 2WD?! This truck must move pretty good! Is it a Supercab?

david6 · February 2001

Yup, it moves pretty well...

-- I wrote a nice little rambling post on my initial impressions, but I decided that belonged in the Ranger III room, not here, since it wasn't comparison-like in nature. --

th55 · February 2001

How many people like that new "Billy Bob teeth"
Toyota Tacoma grill? Anyone getting over
25 mpg with the small 4 cylinder, 5 speed
4x2 standard cap truck?

scape2 · February 2001

chat rooms around the net the grill isn't going over too well. I would be willing to bet Toyota will change it within 2 years.

jray18 · February 2001

Tacomas are up for redesign for 2003!!!! On the subject of open axle i have a 2000 ext cab 4x4 and i do a lot of playing in the mud here. All tires spin if they are in the mud i notice not only one as mentioned above mabey i read it wrong!

lariat1 · February 2001

If both wheels have the same amount of traction available they will both spin with an open diff.If one wheel has more than another the wheel with the least traction will spin. A perfest way to see this is cross a deep ditch at a 45 degree angle and you will see the two wheels that are in the air will spin and the others will not.A LSD or locker prevent that and allow you to drive both wheels on an axle.

scape2 · February 2001

Your a mud type of guy huh? I stopped doing that because I hated the clean-up afterward. It would take me at least 2 hours to get all that mudd off the bottom of my truck alone, not to mention having to wash it a couple of times :-)
Boy, this room has really cooled down.. I wonder where spoog, allknowing and Y2Ktrd are??

2k1trd · February 2001

Well i got to work on a 97 explorer with the 4.0 SOHC engine and when it was cold the engine kind of made like a rod knocking soumd on light acceleration untill the engine got some heat in it and also on hot re-start it would make a rattle sound from the front of the engine.Ive noticed that all the 4.0 have this rattle sound on hot starts (timing chain tensioners)even my friends brand new explorer sport did it (kept it for 4 months and got rid of it)....not to inviting.

scape2 · February 2001

the SOHC 4.0 had a timing belt??

allknowing · February 2001

The service schedule for the Tacoma says to re-torque the propeller shaft "nut" annually. The service manual doesn't specify what they mean by the "nut". Are they simply referring to the nuts connecting the shaft to the rear end and the powertrain, do they mean the the staked nut holding the whole assembly together, or is there another "nut" I'm not seeing? If they mean the staked nut, it means removal of the whole propeller shaft which will be a royal pain in the butt and may make me want a Ford next time. Anyone know the answer?

allknowing · February 2001

Thanks for missing me vince. This place is kinda' dead. Maybe we've argued every possible difference between the Tacoma and the Ranger already.

eharri3 · February 2001

that this whole all the rooms I usually frequent are getting quiet. Is everyone all argued-out?

2k1trd · February 2001

Chain driven cams.

2k1trd · February 2001

Personally i wouldn't worry about that nut and as for removing the shaft...well it's about a 5 min job with the right tools and oh yeah the ford shafts are removed in the same manner (4 bolts on each end)and the x-cabs have a center support bearing also (2 bolts holding it up...no biggy)

cthompson21 · February 2001

Maybe nobody can find the rooms with this "improved" format???

Why is it when something finally works well, it's immediately replaced?

cpousnr · February 2001

Nah, don't get a Ranger. . .

But you have to admit, that new 2001 Edge looks real sharp with the new frontend etc. . .

But an automatic...barf...wrecks the crawl ratio. . .

cpousnr · February 2001

just hitting 38,000 on my 99 XLT, only problems so far are the door interlock(light stayed on), wipers switch and the replacement of the syncro. If you remember, the complaint I had was missing 2 shifts 2nd/3rd at high speed shifting.

I don't really think there was a problem with the tranny.

- Still on original brakes, but fingers are crossed. . .going to do a rotate this friday and will have Discount Tire check out the front pads.
- 18-19mpg in town, 21-22 hwy
- hauls all I have ever needed.
- never a serious 4X4 engangement problem
- does not use a drop of oil, but I still recomend going to synthetic around 10K

Still like the truck.

cpousnr · February 2001

spiking trees after the election results. . .

cthompson21 · February 2001

I definately recommend going with the synthetic oil, especially with the 4L. It really helps to settle down this normally noisy engine.

So far the problems on my '98 Ranger XLT 4L 4x4 auto-5spd-tranny have been:

- Speed control recall. I never had a hint of a problem, but you can never be too safe.

- Sloppy U-Joint. I was sometimes feeling a slight thud when accelerating from a stop. Instead of just replacing the U-Joints, they replaced the whole driveshaft. Go fig. It seemed like a bit of overkill to me, but it seems to have cured the problem. I think some of it may have been "axle wrap" that is supposedly common with 4x4 trucks. If anybody has more info on "axle wrap", I'd be glad to hear about it.

Other than this, I've just changed the oil and put in gas (premium of course). I've added a KKM Tru-Rev Kit and a Gibson cat-back exhaust, which I highly recommend both.

I get about 16-17mpg mixed and about 18-20mpg highway due to the auto. But, it only drops off about 1-2mpg when towing over 2000lbs of sleds and gear, so I can't complain.

I'd definately buy another Ranger in the future if they're still the best value out there, but I have no reason at all to trade my current truck. It'll definately be around for years to come.

eharri3 · February 2001

Caused by the fact that trucks are usually rear drive with a solid axle and leaf springs. On hard acceleration, the large amount of torque coming through the drive shaft causes the axle to twist excessively as the tires rotate. This compresses the leaf springs, which then rebound or bounce back, causing the axel to hop up and down and lessening the amount of power that makes it to the ground. At least that's the case if by axle rap you are referring to what is also calld axle hop. My explanation is not the best, as I have a hard time doing it without pointing to a diagram. Hope it helped at least a little.

ed

jray18 · February 2001

The room picked back up a little bit!

cthompson21 · February 2001

Thanks for the info, but I think the "axle wrap" I've heard about is different than regular wheel hop, which is what it sounds like you're describing.

I've heard axle wrap explained like this. It is the twisting force that builds up in the axle during braking (harding braking = more built up force). When you apply the gas, this built up force rebounds through the axle and creates a thud or bump.

Sorry for the very poor explanation. I'm not really sure if I believe this phenomenon exists.

cpousnr · February 2001

"My man's goin down the road in the big XLT,
He's pushin the limit, straining the old tranney,
Hits the light, stops to shift to first,
Bang, the sound that sounds real worse...
It's the axle rap. . .I said my man it's the axle rap..."

Oh, sorry, you spell it wrap. . .
Oh well. . .

eharri3 · February 2001

you got it, wheel hope was what i meant, but I should have realized your phenomenon occurs on braking. I guess in a way it could be considered the reverse of axle hop. Though to be honest no pickup, 4x4 or 4x2, that I've ever ridden in has exhibited this type of behavior.

TOYOTA TACOMA vs FORD RANGER- Part XI

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