dcampen

I sort of thought that when both are in 4WD mode then they are mechanically equivalent and so there would be no differences due to this. The biggest factor might be the extra weight of the V8 engine.

Were you both running the same size tires?

One additional run that would have been interesting would have been the V6 in 2WD mode. If there are fewer mechanical losses in 2WD mode then the V6 might have been even faster.

Thanks for making the runs and posting the results.

doanlaw

The V6 had the stocker 265/70/16's, about a 31 inch tire and the V8 had 265/70/17's, about a 32 inch tire. All passes on the V6 were in 2wd.

bulldog-yota

I guess the tires made some difference. Very interesting results. I thought it would be close but not that close.

We probably need a bigger sample of Runners to get a better idea, even today with the close manufacturing tolerances you still get some samples in a batch that do better than others.

Need to organize a track day on the wwkend, do track Saturday and trails Sunday????? Might add up for a fun weekend. SoCal seems the best place to do it.

bulldog-yota

Oh quick question in which gear did both come through the 1/4 mile? I suspect the V6 would still be in 3rd and the V8 might be in 3rd or 4th? One gearchange might be the difference????

Weedo

That's a good point, probably true. Factory cars/trucks are usually set up to shift VERY smoothly, which hurts bad at the track. An extra "smooth" gear change would certainly cost a couple tenths.

TRD needs an electronic shift program to tighten up the shifting. I had this tuned in a Camaro SS that I had and it went from sloshing to the next gear to barking them in 2nd and 3rd. This also reduces the wear on the internal "clutch" in the automatics.

Sac State

"and both ran with under 3-4 gallons of gas in the tank."

Offering another endless debate, but what octane did you run? The V8 claims maximum output with 91 octane.

SD4Runner

91 in Both.

SD4Runner

I think Doanlaw remembered what gear the V6 was in when we swapped drivers. I know the V8 had to go through AT LEAST one extra gear.

BT17R

See? I told you it would be all over at 60'. I'm the guy who did informal V-8 vs. V-6 runs and the V-8 spanked in every way. Great effort, good comparison of the two as equipped, thanks.

One thing that jumps out is the tire change on the V-8. I looked up the effective change in rolling radius (revs/mile) on the Tirerack site. The tires alone changed the effective final drive ratio 4%, from stock 3.727 to now 3.580. I don't have my TSD calculator handy to figure the ¼ mile effects, but believe it would be a few clicks. Either way, those are impressive speeds and times, especially at altitude. It would be interesting to switch wheels/tires between rigs and retest.

It's OK if you post your RT's. I'll bet that based on your consistency, they're pretty good!

doanlaw

V8 did make another gear change into 4th for the final pull.

jharris2

Was the V6 in 2WD or 4WD mode?

SD4Runner

2WD. Yes that can be seen as an advantage - but as there isn't a choice in the v8 - run it as you drive it

jharris2

True, it could be seen as an advantage, but my thinking was along the lines of wondering how much performance the multi-mode 4WD mode costs vs. the 4WD on the V8.

SD4Runner

I wish I understood the two systems better. My guess would be that the AWD v8 would clearly be quicker as it is made to drive every day like that?

dcampen

Yes, I agree with the V6-2WD vs V8-4WD configurations for the comparison test since the V8 does not have 2WD mode.

I believe that the only difference between the V6 in 2WD mode versus either the V6 or V8 in 4WD mode is just that in 2WD mode the front drive shaft has been disconnected at the transfer case. I expect that there is some loss of power to the transfer case in 4WD mode else why would 4WD get lower gas mileage than 2WD. I drag racing there should be no advantage to 4WD mode and some disadvanyage due to additional power losses in the mechanical system. loss

SLC Punk

Interesting results!

I wonder how my S/C 3.4 compares to those..

tom4416

This is gonna sound really stupid, but what type of fuel was in each vehicle? Each engine can supposedly adjust for higher octane fuel to provide more performance. If the V6 was running high test and the V8 regular, it might account (somewhat) for the closeness in performance. I do know the V8 tows better than the V6 in hilly country but I sure like my V6 gas mileage in today's world. Thanks for all the information.

Biff

Read the rest of the thread, that was already stated.

lbrunner

Just one other aspect. I am trying to decide on a new acura or 03-04 4runner.
If I go the 4runner route, I have to choose either the 4.0 or the 4.7. Would it be fair to say that if I go the 4.0 route, I will be limited with hp mods?
My thinking is that you can get more bang for the buck modding a v8 than a v6 and probably better results. In Truckin SUV(Dec 03), they threw an AEM intake on a Sequoia and gained 15hp which they said was incredible for just an intake.
So do you think once the modding starts, the 4.7 would pull way ahead and allow for more improvement?
The stock comparison was very interesting(thanks for the test results!) but lets face it, they will not be stock for long!

jx94148

I'm curious about the fuel mileage in each version as well. If the 4.0 is slightly faster and gets better mileage, it'd make it an easy decision.

What tires and pressures were each truck using? Is wheelspin even a factor in this test?