bktaco

**first lemme say i did a few searches already, found a couple threads - but the search words are too common, and end up pulling a gazillion threads.

i am in the market for a 1st gen runner. i have owned 5 22re trucks of all configurations since 1983, and am driving a tacoma now (3RZ). so, my first intuition is to get a 4runner with a 22re - i will be using the truck for a 10 mile commute and city driving mostly.

but i have a line on a nice 88 with a rebuilt 3vz engine and 5spd manual trans. what do YOU think about the 3vz versus 22re? I have no extended personal experience with the 3 liter engine. all opinions welcome.

i would especially like to hear from 1st gen owners, since it is lighter than the 2nd gen etc models (true?). which one do you drive and would you choose it again over the other?

thanks amigos.

shiftless89

No problems with my 3VZ 110k miles 1989 and I think it just broke in!. more power than the 22r (in stock configure) and plenty of torque I pull around my 33x12x15 MT's with 4.56 gears all day, run 75mph on my comute (20 miles each way) run the a/c and get 16+ mpg. Just keep you maintenane up and either one will be fine. the down side is there is 10x as many performance products for the 22re than the 3VZ. buy the truck in the best over-all shape (rust, miles, strange noises)

Silver_Truck

Same deal here, no probs with my 3.0 she lasted 360k before any internal work needed to be done, she's now got over 400k on her. I cruise around with 4.10s and 34x10.5 Swampers and although its not going to be making any top speed runs I can still pull 70 on the freeway and get around town just fine, I am looking to regear though mostly for offroad where the screwed up gearing makes for alot of clutch slipping. I get in the high teens for gas mileage. As far as performance go you can make em kinda peppy I've done a fair bit to mine and it felt kinda quick for a truck before I put on new tires although those upgrades cost pretty big $$$...I have no prob with mine and am glad I've got the v6 rather then the 22re, good luck!

JL8Jeff

I've had the 22RE, the 22RTE and the 3VZE in first gen 4Runners and the 22RTE had the most power and got the worst gas mileage. But I prefer the 3VZE because it has more torque and more power than the 22RE. My current 88 4Runner with the 3.0 and 5 speed is getting 20 mpg around town driving and 23 on the highway and that's with 32's on it. The V6 is better if you have to tow a boat as well. Everyone has their preference but I think you'll like the V6. The biggest downside can be expensive repairs vs the 22RE.

toy4x4runner

For your application - street driving, the 3.0 will work best. In my case, however, the project racer 4Runner will have a 22RE for the reasons shiftless said - more performance parts. For comparison sake, I have time slips from over 25 years of sand and dirt drags with 3 modded 20Rs, 2 modded 22REs, and 2 3VZEs (one stock, one modded). The best 100 yard time is 6.55 seconds at Pismo by a modded 22RE (header, cam, K&N) in an '86 4Runner with 5.29s and 31" BFGs. The current straight-line racer is getting close at 6.64, and this is an '89 3VZE with NWOR headers + K&N, stock gears turning 33" BFGs. Since the '86 is totalled, the axles are coming over to the '89, and it should easily beat the 6.55 number with 5.29 gears. The project 4Runner racer will be for obstacle and figure-8 racing, where low end torque is not as important as it is in getting off the line in drags. A high RPM power band that you can stay in is best, so the '86 modded 22RE will be used.

Corbit

I have a 87 runner with the 22RE , and a 91 with the 3.0. I like the smoothness of the 3.0 , I dont have to tach the piss out of it. The 22 feel's bullet proof, I can run that thing hard all day and it just asks for more. I would much rather work on the 22RE , and I get better mileage. I like both.

JL8Jeff

I've actually gotten better gas mileage out of my 3.0 pickup and my 3.0 4Runner than I did with the 22RE trucks/4Runners I've had. I know it seems odd, but I replace the cat-back exhaust on almost everything I ever buy and the 3.0 reacts better to the reduced backpressure than the 22RE does.