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Old 01-09-2015, 07:29 AM   #1 (permalink)
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96 Taco Build/Discussion Thread

This is sort of an continuation of this thread, but got a new truck .
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ild-27221.html

So the story behind this truck is that I wanted one truck for MPG that I drove quite often, and a 4x4 v6 truck for hulling larger loads and having a bit a fun. Anyway, after tons of research and waiting for the right deal I ended up with a 1996 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 SX with a 3.4L v6 and manual transmission with the factory 31 inch tires. Trip home with it on the highway and ~60-65mph yielded around 27mpg (ultra gauge seems a tiny bit high on my first fill-up). First tank of driving it to work wasn't so nice at 18mpg, but that is with around 90% in 4x4 on snow and ice covered roads.

So far I'm noticing that the engine warms up a tiny bit slower than the 4cyl trucks, but not much slower. The interesting part is it keeps getting better and better mpg the further I go and the engine temp sticks right at 195F, so I'm suspecting the axles/transmission/transfer case warming up helps tons on the mpg. I'm probably going to put in some sort of synthetic fluid for everything including 5w30 for the engine as the owners manual calls for. Anything anyone suggests? I'm leaning towards Amsoil 75w90 full synthetic.

Now I know I have basically everything going against me except the fact it is a manual, but I'd like to get a nice summer average of 30mpg or better, even better would be year around average but I'll target low for now since it is a v6 and 4x4 .

I'll have to get some photos up of the truck factory and start getting things done up to help the mpg. So far seems the best mpg is around 40-45mph in 5th (in this snow at least) at around 28mpg, and 4th around 30mph I see 30mpg quite a lot. So hopefully in 2wd and getting the synthetics in will help with this cold weather even though they won't help keep the roads clear lol.

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Old 01-09-2015, 08:13 AM   #2 (permalink)
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Glad to have another Tacoma on here.

I put all Amsoil fluids in my 2005 Tacoma, except for motor oil I use Mobil 1 as it is more convenient to purchase that locally. Amsoil has multiple fluids of identical weights, so you need to be sure you purchase the correct fluid of that weight. Make sure you correctly use GL-4 or GL-5, which ever your Tacoma needs. Wrong fluid have the potential to eat syncros or cause excessive force to shift.

Do you know what gearing you have, and how many RPMs are you turning at your normal driving speeds?

With a 96, factory would have sealed beam headlights, so you can always convert them to LED, as there are DOT approved sealed beam LED replacements with good optics available from major manufacturers. (Not ebay drop in blind everyone junk.) Add some lexan covers over the headlight recesses and you would be set.
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Old 01-09-2015, 04:45 PM   #3 (permalink)
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I wasn't aware of the DOT approved LED headlights. I had to replace mine because one was burned out.

As for gearing, I suspect it is the 4.82 gearing (number is from memory), it is the lower geared option due to the 4x4 + 31in tires from factory. I don't remember the RPM exactly, but I know driving in 5th typically i'm around 2.5k rpm. I think that is around 55 or 60mph.

My dad picked up a 1995 T100 with the same setup except the standard factory sized tires and his is quite a lot higher geared even though it is still a 4x4 with the 3.4L. We already joked about swapping 3rd members even though that isn't a direct swap (mine has the locking rear diff package).

Ironically I was planning to run Mobile 1 in the engine. The oil change was just done, but pretty sure the last owner used standard dino juice most likely 10w30 due to the way it acts when I start it in the cold.

My dad found out you can replace the front hubs with the old stock locking hubs from say a 1986 4x4 Toyota pickup which i have 2 of . The benefit is the fact the guts of the front axle isn't always spinning. Should save a lil in mpg and wear on the axle I'd suspect.

I did the upper grill block this morning with the almighty trash bag mod (same as my corolla) and engine temps held in at 199.4F, warmed up as fast or faster than my corolla distance wise and mpg didn't change too much, maybe 1mpg at best but as normal we have snow on the roads, lots of 4x4 use.
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Old 01-09-2015, 06:05 PM   #4 (permalink)
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We have basically the same truck

I'm happy to answer any questions or if you want someone to bounce ideas off of feel free to do so. Good luck on your mpg quest. In my opinion it's about the most versatile truck there is with the v6 in it along with 4x4. I honestly feel any smaller an engine would have a hard time pulling my 6x10 trailer when it's full and 4x4 is a must have around here right now

Last edited by mikeyjd; 01-12-2015 at 06:46 PM..
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Old 01-10-2015, 01:56 PM   #5 (permalink)
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@ the RPM comment, I was way off. 2.5k rpm in 5th gear is 61mph the speed I travel the express way .

@mikeyjd

Your build thread is the first result I could find about ecomodding a Tacoma so I already read it but thanks for the link anyway . I'm *hoping* to beat some of your numbers , but I don't do any short trips except to my mom/dad's place which is about 8 miles. Work is ~40 miles each way and town is around 20 miles.

I really think the transmission, transfer case, and axle lube is dragging down my mpg. Also from a tiny bit of research, it sounds like the carrier bearing for the drive shaft goes bad on these semi often. Not where it stops you from driving, just the vibration and extra friction. On my other 1985 GMC pile of crap truck, I put a straight drive shaft in and it seemed to help a little with its huge lack of power, but I'd fear the clearance issues on my yoter since I don't plan to keep it only on the road .

My truck came with 31x10.5x15 tires factory, I'm thinking about trying to find some skinnier ones that are semi aggressive to meet my off-roading/snow requirements while still trying to keep the rolling resistance down. The tires on my truck are pretty shot already, and am pretty amazed how well it handles the snow and ice.
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Old 01-12-2015, 09:44 AM   #6 (permalink)
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I'm down to 3 tires for the truck. I want off road performance (idc about looks), yet I also have the mpg goal in mind. 235/86/16 is around 31.6-31.9 inches tall depending on brand etc which will gear me up a tiny bit. I also have a ~31 inch tire in mind but it does not look too areo friendly.

My friend swears by these tires, most expensive, but probably the best of both worlds i'm suspecting:

New LT235 85R16 10 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain T A KM2 Tire 120 116 Q Set of 4 | eBay

These are the cheapest, and I'd think they do pretty well yet. My dad's truck has tires on it that are very similar.

4 New Lt 235 85 16 Ironman Electra PM66 M T Mud 10 Ply Tires | eBay

And finally the old superswamper style tire from like 40 years ago. Bias ply tire kind of sucks, and load range c (lower max psi), but should be lighter I'd suspect, but the areo drag probably is pretty killer. Rolling resistance I'm not sure on. People comment the tire is a very hard rubber and the center ribs are nearly solid. I have read comments saying these tires last forever, one person mentioned over 160k miles on their set across 34 years.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-New-Tires-...3b3246&vxp=mtr

Anyone have any experience with any of the tires above? I'm sure they all perform well off road, so my request is more experience with mpg and such.
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Old 01-12-2015, 01:01 PM   #7 (permalink)
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I will post my experiences. I run 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 on my 2005 Tacoma on factory 16” TRD alloys. I also have a set of 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T on a second set of factory 16” TRD alloys for off-road use. On my truck both fit with no lift and don’t rub (note I am on stock wheels). I later added Bilstein 5100’s on the front at 1.75” and they still fit and don’t rub.

The 235/85R16s are only going to be available in LT rated sizes which are heavy but more durable for off-roading (versus P or SL). The weight of the tire will affect the ride slightly (sprung vs un-sprung ratio increases). My mainly highway MPGs stayed the same (+/- 0.5 or less) between cheap brand 245/75R16 on steels to 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 on alloys when adjusted for diameter. If I put the off-road 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T on the truck, the highway MPG goes down approximately 2MPG adjusted for diameter, mainly due to the aggressive tread pattern. The sound of the mud terrain drone is the sound of aerodynamic drag. Look at my fuel log to see the actual tanks; I usually make a note on the log when I am running the different tires. (Note I think this gap was wider prior to my front air dam.)

The 235/85R16 Michelin LTX M/S2 are awesome on pavement (wet, dry, whatever) and do ok (better than you would think by looking at them) offroad, except in mud where they quickly get loaded up. The 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverer S/T aren’t that great on the pavement, but seem to do better off the pavement, especially in mud/soft soil. I would not want to run mud terrain tires on the highway all the time, maybe it is the lack of siping but the handling just isn’t the same.

Switching back and forth is a pain, so I may just switch to some all terrains when these wear down. I will be looking at Michelin A/T 2 or Cooper AT3 when my tires wear down. The Cooper AT3’s have plenty of sipes like my current M/S 2.
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Old 01-12-2015, 03:50 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Good info. I figured the 235/85/16s would fit since nearly all Toyota trucks/suvs can take upto a 32in tire with no prob, I didn't think the 255/85/16s would fit though, interesting food for thought on my part.

Another factor with your Coopers are the fact they are a wider tire, but I'd figure the extra height would help offset the mpg loss.

Based on Tire Size Calculator

235/85/16 = 31.7in tall, 9.5in wide
255/85/16 = 33.1in tall, 10.04in wide

Looking at your tank fillups, it looks like the offroad tires pushed you down to around 23.5 and with the street tires you got 25.5ish as of lately, so around a 7-8% loss in mpg.

I suspect going from 10.5in wide to 9.5in wide should help some to off set some of the mpg loss for the tires I have in mind.
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Old 01-13-2015, 07:43 AM   #9 (permalink)
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I should note that my truck is the second generation Tacoma, so I don’t know if 255/85R16’s will fit your first generation Tacoma or not.

I would note that there can be big differences between actual dimensions of tires even within the same “size.” I would suggest as you narrow your search in to purchase, you look up the manufacturers specifications versus using an online calculator. Tire Rack has most of the information available for their tires. For example: 235/85R16 Michelins: Tread width 6.6" & Diameter 31.7" but 235/85R16 Bridgestone: Tread width 7.2" & Diameter 31.8".

I should also note I have some other comparison data for these tires (as they are a hand-me-down from other trucks I own.) On my 1991 Chevy 2500LD 4x4 (5.7L, NV4500 Manual, RCLB) which I was driving for a while, I also had the two tire/switch back and forth set up going. I had LT265/75R16 Uniroyal Laredos for one set and the LT255/85R16 Cooper Discoverers for the other. Note the Uniroyals are wider and more of a street oriented all terrain tread pattern, and the Coopers were taller and more of an offroad oriented all terrain pattern. Both set ups weighed about the same, and I adjusted my speed and mileage for diameter when I ran them. In almost identical conditions, over several tanks the Coopers would get 2.5 less MPG than the Uniroyal’s. (14.5 MPG versus 17 MPG) Note that this is the shorter wider tire outperforming the taller skinnier tire. I gather from this that tread pattern and rolling resistance have more to do with the MPG from a tire than width, height, or weight.

Also the handling/stopping of the truck was much worse with the Coopers than with the Uniroyals. This truck didn’t have fancy things like antilock brakes. There were several times I was forced to do emergency panic stops in my truck (do older trucks look farther away…?). Stopping with the Uniroyals was ok (not great but in control), but stops with the Coopers would literally send me sliding into other lanes (not at all fun). I know this was more of a truck brakes issue than a tire issue, but it illustrates the advantages of an onroad tread pattern which increased the performance of the truck in a sticky onroad situation. Let’s face it, most of us drive our 4x4 trucks way more on the road than off of it.

My suggestion is to not overlook the importance of tread pattern. My recent tire purchases have focused on picking a tread pattern first, and a size second.
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Old 01-13-2015, 09:10 AM   #10 (permalink)
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Good advice and interesting results. I live in the country, so my trucks do get used as trucks . My dad uses his a ton more, but he burns wood, sadly he don't keep very good mpg records so I can't compare the tires he uses.

I'm leaning towards the bgf's, I need to talk to a friend that had a set of them and find out what sort of mpg change he saw as well as how long the tires lasted. I never paid more than $200 for a set of tires (typically lightly used), so it is hard for me to throw $850+ at a set lol.

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