2021 Toyota Tacoma (3rd gen Tacoma) aka the money maker build
 

Hello it's been ages since I've looked or posted on here. Might as well get back into it a bit. I'm a bit of the odd man out in this forum due to not wanting to mess up the look of the car etc. But I'll try to provide entertainment, seeking some more ideas or slight help for people that have 3rd gen Tacoma that want to get better gas mileage while keeping it and using it as a truck and not lifting it. (hell maybe even lowering it... gasp!!! ). It seems like all the Tacoma forums hate the word aero, weight reduction and not lifting it.

So here I go. I wanted a good fuel efficient truck to help make me some money (I deal with parting out motorcycles and odd and ends) and since new was way more appealing then used rust buckets for newish prices (I live in north east pa where they use more salt on the roads then in the ocean). But also be able to function as a small family transporter also having a kid and such. So I ended up with the 2021 Toyota Tacoma 2.7 access cab 4x4 with no bells or whistles. Reason why? I hate turbos so ranger was out, and the Colorado was like 4k more starting and only got 1mpg better.

Now for the build stuff. Anything I do to her 1 can't remove the whole point of a truck or I would just have bought a small car. Also I'm not on a quest for max mpg for the environment, I'm on a quest for it to save money and improve the truck. Meaning I have to see the benefit worth the cost if that makes sense. I have the driving skills mostly down since I'm getting a average of 25ish mpg (19/22 EPA rated) with a more highway mix of highway and city ( I don't like mashing the gas and don't like braking for the most part). I'll focus on the trio of better gas milage: weight reduction, engine efficiency, and lastly powertrain efficiency and saddly non economy mods.

Non economy mods first. What I have done:
-OEM bed mat (to protect the bed since it is a composite bed.
-oem mudflaps
-came stock with fender flares
-trail fx plastic nerf bar or whatever you want to call it (mostly for my kid to get into the truck)
- OEM bed light
What I plan on doing:
- tow hitch and harness (bc unless you get the v6 you don't get a factory one)
- rav4 convex mirror swap
- adding fog lights (warrenty over)
- adding keyless entry (warrenty over also)

Aero mods I plan on doing:
-Lowering it (after warrenty is out due to drivetrain warrenty) currently there is only one company that offers a lowering kit for 3rd gen Tacomas and it's not a bad drop. Only 2 inches in the front and 3 in the back and doesn't mess with stock springs and shocks. Once lowered maybe delete the nerf bars.
- looking at more aero front grill/bumper (so far so bad as everything is off-road set ups and not really aero)
- clean up other areas like underneath.

Weight reduction mods planned on doing (yes I know I added some heavy stuff I more want to offset that and get back load capacity and such):
- look into aluminum/titanium bolts for bolt/scree replacements. body trim screws (alot of them screw into a plastic hole so strength and galling isn't a problem with those)
- looking into deleting some of the useless to me features (lane departure, radar cruise control etc)
- looking into lighter options of parts of the truck. Like body panels, bumpers, trim, etc.

And lastly powertrain:
What I have done:
- replaced all possible lights with led( turn signal is a no go since controlled by the instrument cluster)
What I have planned:
- led headlight swap or stock with hid bulb.
- LCE long tube equal length header(after warrenty) Now this one is interesting due to the fact it Dyno proven adds power across the power band. As for if it adds more efficency to the engine is a debate in itself since short tube headers appearly better for lower torque. There is another aftermarket header that is short but doesn't have really any power gains (even low end) compared to the lce one.
- replace drivetrain all fluid with redline equal (is slightly a hair better on paper so they say)

As you can see I have some starting points. Some may be worthless or non existent but I'm going to try. Lastly I know someone is bound to mention it a tonneau cover. Some people/ studies how it helps other say it doesn't etc. That isn't why I have it planned. Me it's one the added weight, lack of FULL usability of the bed if I need it, and saddly cost. Most of them will be adding 50-100 pounds which is why I think some people don't see gains if there truck is light. Alot of them fold or roll up which is good and prob work with most of the things I'll use them for but not most. And lastly the price. A simple vinal roll up one sets you back 300+ and go too cheap and you get noise, tears etc. And a fold up one are 700+. The best one I could find based off reviews is the back flop mx4 which is 1k. I currently don't need to store stuff in my bed and such with my back seat only having one kid rarely so I don't see the benefit compared to the cost.

I have a 2019 SR 2.7. Crew cab 2wd. I think you find these are very dependable trucks. The 2.7 is regarded as bullet proof.

Seems you’re getting pretty good mpg now.

I also did three mods to increase MPG
1. Increase air pressure in tires to 42 psi
2. Lowered the truck
3. Built a 40% tonneau cover ( I know you didn’t want hear it.)



I lowered it with this kit-
https://sosperformance.com/products/...ts-2016-tacoma

The kit is very well made and engineered. Customer service is top notch.

After I received the kit, I decided I wanted it even lower. So I contacted Tom at SOS and he sent me a different spring perch for the front. I also put a half inch block on the rear. As a result I have 2.5 front, 4 inch rear drop.

Lowering had a positive effect on MPG, but not enough to ever offset the over 600 price tag. You will have to have the front end aligned as the lowering is going to put it way out.

I also built the 40% tonneau cover. It leaves the front part of the bed open. I made it myself for under 60 bucks. It mounts on the bed rail for the cargo tie downs. It's worth about .75 mpg.

I don't see much weight savings removing the TSS and lane departure. these components only weight 2 or 3 pounds. I do see a liability if you ever sell the truck and those saftey features are disabled.

I wanted correct you on the LCE header and defend them a little. I have researched, experimented with and have published articles on exhaust headers. You could say I’m a bit of an expert. Longer primary tubes produce a torque peak at a lower RPM. Shorter tube headers produce peak torque at a higher RPM. Short tube headers are mostly seen on full race engines, because past the torque peak, the long primaries become a restriction and hurt peak HP. On engines that are rarely ran below their torque peak, open primaries are used, such as a top fuel dragster.

On a street driven truck you want longer primaries. I have also looked at the LCE headers. Looks to be a great product and the primary lengths are good for a street driven truck. I would like to see the primaries even longer, around 28-30 inches. But it would be hard to package.

Thanks I couldn't remember the name of the company that sold the only lowering kit of the top of my head. But I am glad you like the lowering kit. I just have a question about it. Did you do it yourself and how easy was it to do if you did.
As for the radar and such they honestly go for a pretty penny and from what I see online in the Tacoma forums have a tendency to go in the earlier 2018+ models hence why they did software updates to turn them off and such. Saddly I would hate to have the error messages all over if I was to remove them so they will stay til someone finds a permently delete option. I live by every penny helps but prob will never be removed.
And lastly in my head, long headers seemed to be better for lower but everything from articles from hot rod mag and other decent sources said short were. My logic on my longer was better for lower rpm is bc the exhaust pulse at lower rpm would take longer to get to the part of the header where they joined. Exactly like the intake with longer runners. But everything I was reading and seeing was saying I was stupid and short was good for lower and long was for higher.

Four cylinders? Four into one isn't as good as four into two into one; at least for flat fours.

Also, there're anti-reversionary headers.

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A partial grill block would help.

Partial or full belly pan.

In lieu of a tonneau cover you could increase the top surface of the tailgate.

Pay attention starting around the 1:40 mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEkiDsVGr9c

Here’s a aftermarket spoiler for a Ford to give you an idea.

https://www.autoware.com.au/shop/for...lgate-spoiler/

I didn’t see one for a Taco. But you could make one fairly easy.

Oh and extra brake pad return springs. Toyota normally has OEM springs but a extra set won’t hurt.
(brake drag)



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Another possible idea.

https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...tml#post653968



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Saddly there is a very few apount of options in the header department. Combined with how small of an area the headers are given I would think a 4-2-1 would be next to impossible with using the ready of the stock set up (a full custom exhaust with cat moving would require way more research)

I installed the lowering kit myself, takes about 6 hours. The radar sensors are pretty expensive, I haven't bought one, but have heard prices as high as 3K. What have you heard?

I don't want to go Julian Edger on you but.

I built,and raced aircooled VW engines from 1999 to 2009. I had access to a dyno, and different measuring equipment, etc. The four into one header is the best design. Gene Bergs extractor exhaust when properly sized will pull a VACCUUM at the exhaust port when matched with the correct stroke, bore, ETC. It will literially suck the exhaust from the cylinder. There is no need for anti reversion cones on a well designed header. This one subject I have extensive expertise in. I have built NA asperated VW engines that produce over 100 hp per litre. you can google my name "James Beahm" and "hot VWs".

Trust me when I say a long tube 4 into one header is best for low end torque. The problem is the packaging it all , plus the further you move the cat from the head, the lower exhaust temps, and the cat doesn't work as well.

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For the Lazy...

https://www.cbperformance.com/Articles.asp?ID=285

Nice job representing the East Coast...:thumbup:

Old school rocks. I have a mid 1980’s 2275cc Bernie Bergmann motor sitting in my shop waiting for me to put it into something...😈


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Lucky for me the lce long tube header is equal length, bolts up like stock header, and ceramic coated. So coated should help with the increased surface area of exhaust in the engine bay and exhaust temp a bit. Also lucky I don't live in cal since it's not 50 state approved. Also no complaining in the forums about cat codes or anything from what I can see too which is a huge plus.

Yeah that's why I was hoping I could delete it so I could sell that bad boy. That and may help with grill options since changing location of it can cause issues if I wanted to do a custom grill. I forgot ask did you need any special tools like a lift etc or jack and jack stands and regular tools did the job. Lastly any sensor error issues. I know the OEM Tacoma TRD lift kit comes with the grill that says Toyota on it and moved the sensor down to the bottom of the grill so there must be issues when raising it.

Also any pictures of your increased drop over the so usual kit? I would be worried about scraping and such.

I didn’t need any special tools to install the lowering kit. I did have a Dewalt ¼ inch and ½ impact wrench. The instruction say you need a coil spring compression tool to do the front struts, but I found it easier just use the weight of the truck and a floor jack under the bottom control arm to slowly release compression on the spring. After you install the new lower spring mount, the strut is short enough to fit back in without the spring compressed, then again use a jack under the bottom control arm to compress the spring. BTW, I think you can buy the proper tool at harbor freight for 35-40 bucks.

I know the majority of people here know, but everyone should be careful around compressed springs.

I don’t have any pictures, but will try to get few today. Honestly I wish the truck was lower, the casual observer won’t even notice it has been lowered. When I took it to the alignment shop they said it looked stock to them.

There won’t be a problem with scraping with stock tires. Toyota designed it so the suspension will hit the bump stop before it hits the fender. Now if you run larger tires, they may hit.

I can hit the bump stop in the rear if I have a couple hundred pounds or more in the back and hit a hard bump. This was only after I lowered more with the ½ lowering block. I have considered taking it out for that reason, or raising the bump stop. I don’t really want to modify the frame, as the truck is still under warranty until Sept 2022. As it is now, I can return it to stock in 6 hours.

Common sense tells me lowering had to have altered the range and calibration of the radar sensor, but it hasn’t given any trouble lights or warnings. I also use the radar cruz control most of the time, and still operates as it did before lowering. I was prepared to pay to have it recalibrated, but it really works the same now.

Yeah I am worried about lowering due to the powertrain warrenty. Sounds stupid but I went to school for automotive and hear horror stories about how bad car companies will fight you over repairs. And lowering it they can say due to the change of normal angle of the drive shafts caused x to fail ( in this case the driveshaft, Transfer case since it 4wd and rear differential) I doubt they would fail but you never know and would rather them pay to fix it then me. You could also see if there is stiffer stock shocks (won't solve it but may help prob not since everyone lifts our trucks it won't be easy)

I defer. I've never had a 4-into-2-into-1 header. I do remember the article series.

Just a update. Filled up my tank and tracked the miles for the first time. The Tacoma mpg was saying 25.5 but got 25.0 from the fill up va miles and gallons. I fill up til it pops then wait a couple seconds and fill it up til it pops again. I may switch to a 3rd pop to try to make sure I get the same fuel each time. It could have been my error with the fill up before bc I usually don't hear of the car mpg gauge being off by that much but week see next fill up.

Okay so update. Winter mpg sucks hard. Every 10-15 degrees fahrenheit drop seems like I lose about 1 mpg. I did install a almost full upper behind the grill upper grill block to help with warm up temps. Seems like it is making a small difference with warm up times but doesn't help that it's a short trip to work (10 miles). I gave up on adding a hitch (4 cylinder tacomos don't come stock with a hitch) due to no factory wire options and honestly with the 6 foot bed I'll never need a trailer. I am debating about a hard bed cover for storage and mpg but that won't be til after winter time here in the northeast USA. I'm going to check tire pressures when it stays low for a while and start looking into weight reduction stuff.

Your options are the aerocap and the half-tonneau.

Thanks for the advice but Honestly the aero cap I can't stand (not only how it looks but how impractical it would make the truck). Half tonneau I'm sure works but doesn't to really anything for the bed to protect the stuff in it if I desided to do a big shopping order or whatnot. I was thinking a full folding hard cover like the bak flip. Folds up for when I pick up a bike or something to flip or part out and folds down for some form of aero increase and protecting the stuff in the bed. I'll see if I can justify the 1k price tag after the winter is over and I pay off the truck early. That being said I may mess with a half tonneau to save some money now til I get the cash and truck paid off to do the bak flip.

Also I should have noted that after a couple of thousand miles that high speed city driving is proving to be more efficient mpg wise then highway. What I mean by high speed is like 35-40 mph. 25 is decent also but mostly where I live it's 30-40 average. I will also say it's way easier to drive it efficiently in the city with how it coasts to a stop and the gearing. Highway it seems it can't decide what gear it wants to be in 5th or 6th alot of the time with slight inclines and stuff. I do believe 6th may be too much gear and not enough engine to effectively stay in it which alot of Tacoma owners will say also. to combat this I will be switching my focus to more aero then weight for now. I was looking at (when money permits) investing in a aluminum skid plate that more acts like a belly pan for at least half the truck which should clean up underneath alot. I also have been looking into adding a stealth light bar. It goes behind the lower grill and basically acts like a grill block or at least I plan on maybe modifying it so it completely blocks the air also. Currently I have an almost full upper grill block for the winter but a permeant lower that has an additional function would be way better for year round. I don't plan on towing since I got the 6 foot bed so I won't worry about adding the hitch or anything too. That's my update on my plan so far

I know this is old now. I have the same truck but a 2019. Same goals. Don’t wanna do crazy aero stuff or ruin my truck being a truck.

Like another user mentioned, I’m lowered with the SOS kit. I have not done an alignment yet. Put about 600 miles on it so far. I also have a WAI with a cone filter and tires are at 40psi. That’s about it so far. I can get 26mpg on the highway averaging 70mph. Mostly dead footing it. No cruise. No PNG.

Next step is shorter tires to lower it a bit more and effectively lower my cruising gear to reduce shifting on the highway. Then a header with exhaust wrap and a partial grill block.

Have you done anything else so far that’s helped?

I've noticed that 40-50 mph seems to be the sweet spot for any stock Toyota trucks I've driven. Although that was mostly manual transmission trucks, so could be put it in the highest gear and just cruise at low rpm.

It's probably a high enough speed that the engine still has some power in highest gear, but low enough so that aerodynamics isn't hurting too much.

Interestingly most manual toyota trucks seem to have lower mpg EPA figures then their automatic counter part, I'm guessing it has to do with final drive ratios

Old post, but I would not go smaller diameter wheels/tires, as truck gear ratios already tend to run too high RPM at highway cruise. Anything to bring the RPM down at steady cruise.