V8. If you're scared of fuel mileage, get a Civic...

 

Would you want to do it in "D" or "4"? In "D" will the overdrive (5th gear) kick in, possibly reducing top end acceleration? Or does the overdrive not get selected during acceleration?

 

I'm not scared of fuel mileage,I'm scared of fuel prices but I'm sure you guys out in Cali know about that pretty well.

 

V6 = my max budget for gas right now in Cali. I know its not a BIG difference - but it is A difference.

 

Be sure to make it fair by starting both rigs with full tanks. Otherwise, one could have a 130 lb.+ "unfair advantage".

dcampen, 5th won't engage at WOT during the ¼ mile. I haven't looked to see when 5th engages, but I'm guessing 90+, well above what the V-8 will hit in the ¼. Back at 4th Gen intro, I recall a road test that claimed a top end of 124 mph in the V-8, a speed I'd never attempt. They might have stretched things a bit, I thought 4th Gen's had electronic speed limiters set around 105 mph?

 

Look at the new consumer reports auto issue---the V6 gets the black dot(this is usually reserved for fords and chevys.) I bought a Toyota for the reliability and apparently the new V6 doesn't have this feature! I love my 4Runner but you may also want to drive the new Tundra double cab--if you are tall it has a ton more room.

 

I manually shifted my V8 once really slows it down, I would just leave it in D.

The top speed on the V8 120 something, 1 night I raced a neon and he could not pull past me, it keeps pulling past 90 I looked down and the needle was way past 110 I slowed down after that cause I thought I was doing 85-90 tops

 

Hehe, Ive found we can outrun alot more than neons.... I hit the limiter last night - needle was maxxed on the gauge... not sure what the governer is set to.

 

Please note your V-8 friend's upgraded tire brand, type and size in case we need to make excuses!

 

Hehe. He just put some Revo's on is all (285/70/r17). slightly larger than the stockers, very close.

 

Right now, the V8 will yield better resale value. If gas prices get to $3.00 a gallon, all bets are off as neither one of them will have any resale value. The V8 is an all around nicer engine than the V6 and mated to the 5spd transmission, it is an exceptional package. I drive my V6 on almost nothing but long road trips and have been getting 21 to 22 MPG (computed properly, not by the guess-oh-meter that Toyota provides) at 70/75MPH. The V6 is vastly easier to service than the V8 (well, for those things that the owner can service), doesn't have a timing belt that needs replacement and is more inexpensive to purchase. If I had to do it again, I'd pick the V8 because some of the V6's can be a tad noisy and I know the V8 has a better reputation.

 

Not being anti Toyota here but how is it that they can't make a V6 engine that runs smooth and is not noisy, Nissan has the VQ V6 engine in pretty much all their vehicles and it is aluminum and rated as 1 of the 10 best engines, for people to say it is noisy and not smooth is absurd, the VQ is smooth as silk and has tons of torque, and Nissan is upping it from 3.5 to 4.0 at least on the trucks and without a doubt that is gonna be awesome yet somehow Toyotas 4.0 is not that great in the reviews department, even countless people I have spoken to said they should of just got the V8 over the V6.

I have not driven a V6 equipped truck but I had 2 Pathfinders with V6 engines, non VQ and those where solid engines, comparing them to the V8 of course they have differences but those V6 engines where solid and quiet with no history of problems.

At this point I like Toyotas but their engines have not won me over except the V8, the V6 in my ES300 is sweet but I wonder if that thing is churning the oil into sludge.

 

Edge, There is a difference between smooth and noisy. The 4.0L V6 from Toyota is plenty smooth (at least mine is) and much of the noise is attributed to the exhaust system. Rolled steel headers are are lighter, run cooler and are less restrictive than cast headers. However, the tradeoff is that they are noiser and transmit quite a bit of engine noise. I think Toyota was trying to push as much HP as they could out of the engine and figured that in a truck/suv application, people wouldnt' be as concerned about it not being dead quiet. However, since many people are buying the 4R as a car substitute, that isn't the case. And your right, Nissan has a winner with their V6 and every car magazine has waxed eloquent about it for years but their overall quality isn't on a par with Toyota. Besides, I don't know that the noise is particularly relevant to the longevity of the engine and with the windows up, you can't hear it anyway. I don't like it, but will live with it. Heck, next time I purchase a new 4R it will probably either be a hybrid or hydrogen powered so I'm going to have a long time to evaluate this motor!

 

Im driving a Toyota cause Nissan lost me with their quality but thanks for clearing the V6 engine noise problem up, I've heard them and I had no complaints but I like exhaust and hearing the engine but I guess the average soccer mom wants is camry quiet, on another note the Armada/Titan have really nice exhaust notes but the women don't like it to much but the guys do but quiet always wins on noisy

Just listen to a Sequioa and an Aramda at idle then the woman will say Toyota

 

I would love to know what a quiet engine sounds like then. My v6 is smooth, fast and sounds great, very little noise. I LIKE hearing the sound of it rev out....and once I put the exhaust on it it will sound even better.

My buddy has the 04 V8 and I have the 04 v6 and we have driven each others a bunch. Personally I'm not swayed either way. I save a few bucks, get great gas milegae (even if it is only a couple mpgs) and am happy. I like the nimbleness of the 2wd feel in the steering wheel. The V8 AWD felt alot "heavier" when washing the steering wheel back and forth quickly. His sounds meaner when revving, tows more and is possibly a hair faster.

I'm the first one to say , wow, I want the v8. But in this case I'm indifferent. I'm not gonna deny the V8, when push comes to shove is better - just this thread makes the V6 sound like a POS, which in my opinion is way off.

Maybe I'll find out in the next 4k mi, that it sucks??

Until then. Smooth, powerful, quiet, it works...

ps. I've noticed most people saying the "noise" isnt bad have 03's. did they make that many valve, etc. adjustments to the 04? I hear no noise but a smooth engine....(mines a 1/04 build date)

 

Many threads give the V6 the impression it is a POS but thats the internet, the translation gets lost I take it with a grain of salt and would not be turned off to the V6 but prefer the V8

 

Comparing 4X4's, the 4th Gen 'Runner V-8 is 130 lbs. heavier than the V-6. All of that is over the front axle from the cast iron alloy engine. I agree that the V-6 feels more nimble in a slalom maneuver, a 4X2 should almost feel sporty in comparison.

Hey, now I'm worried about the grudge race! Your friends tires will raise the gearing some with the wider/taller tires. Then there's the weight issue. I didn't see that yours is a 4X2 that's ~450 lbs. less than a 4X4 V-8. If you run with low fuel, you could be 580 lbs. lighter than him if he's on a full tank. That would definitely slow him enough to give you a good chance. How's that for CYA? If you really want to surprise him, do all that and leave the spare and tool kit home, another ~75 lbs., and then race for titles.

Edit: Ignore my 4X2 blather. I misread your post. Maybe if your sig were bigger... Just kidding!

 

hehe. yeah we'll have tires removed, 1/4 tank gas each. Problem is, we may be lifting before we run! (3" revtek thid weekend) So all the numbers will be off - read : drag Oh well. well be posting "lifted" 1/4 mile times... lol

be afraid of the v6.... bwhahahaha

hehe.

 

Bridgestone makes a 285/70/17 REVO?

 

Can't wait to see those results. Just my opinion, but I would get the V8 rather than get the V6 and wish I had the V8. You are not going to get that much power out of the V6 to equal the V8 for the price difference. I understand there are good reasons to go with the V6, though.