Under powered

Is there any difference in throttle mapping/ecu programming between early vs later 5th gens?

For example— I’m wondering if throttle response on a 2021 is gonna feel just like a 2016?

 

I doubt it.

I still have no idea what people expect out of a nearly 5,000# tank with a V6. I have 33.5" tires that weigh 65# apiece and have no trouble getting up to speed. And, it doesn't require beating on it either. Even towing a boat a few hundred miles this past weekend was no problem.

 

Right. I’ve got no problem with my 2018. More than happy. Just wondering if they’ve done anything since then to squeeze out MPG’s.

I loved my 2nd gen Tacoma’s but didn’t last two months in the 3rd gen. 3rd gen was awful. It’s what made me move to a 4runner. Just curious if they’ve done something similar in more recent 4runners with ecu mapping, shift points, etc.

 

If you tried towing that boat in a 3rd gen Tacoma compared to your 4runner… you’d be glad you had the 4runner.

Put your T4R in S3 and tow the boat at 75mph. That’s what it’d be like in the Tacoma.

 

For the first year of the 5th gen (2010) you could option a 2WD SR5 with the 2.7L 4 cylinder engine. It didn't sell very well and was axed after one year. Now they all have the 4.0L V6.

 

This was very helpful. Thank you.
Yes, I’m used to driving normal cars where response is equal to gas pedal input. Plus overall I’m an easy conservative driver, don’t race from light to light, hardly ever drive aggressively. So when I test drove it (and several others before purchasing this one) I didn’t think to notice throttle response as my focus was on other things like ride stability, road noise, visibility, comfort, etc. No need to jump on it and no reason to be aggressive in someone else’s car. But once I got it home, both me and wifey, back in our regular driving routine mentioned how you really have to make it go just to get up to speed or pass someone. So I came on here to see if anyone experienced the same thing. I was really surprised by the response. I have learned so much tonight and really appreciate everyone’s input.

 

2nd gen Tacoma makes less hp and torque but feels way quicker than the 5th gen 4r.

 

I've heard the same about the 3rd gen Tacos. I guess I'm not 100% sure if they changed anything in the 5th gen 4runners.

Haha! That would be ridiculous!

One thing that I think helped was towing at lower speeds and leaving it in S4.

I can't believe how fast I see people towing boats and travel trailers! If I'm not mistaken, most states have a lower speed limit for towing. And, Toyota recommends not exceeding 65 MPH, on straight and flat roads.

I had one, and completely disagree. In normal driving, they felt the same to me. But, at full throttle the 4Runner pulls much harder. The Taco fell on it's face in high RPM's, while the 4runner screams right to redline. Even with an extra 500+ LBS, I think the 4runner would have run circles around my '15 Tacoma.

 

I tend to agree with this.

Also note, 3rd gen Tacoma has much of it’s power in the upper rpm’s.

 

I just posted something exactly like this, coming from a 2018 Raptor. So this feels like I'm always towing a load of cinder blocks. But I'm slowly getting used to it. I just need to think way ahead if I am going to merge or pass someone, I could do it last minute in the Raptor cuz all the power was just waiting but I definitely need to drive this more focused than I did that. I asked for help here because I wanted to make it a little bit stronger but it turns out there really isn't anything because I have a 21 and you can't add the supercharger for some reason. So I'm looking into the pedal Commander as well, I had put one on my Raptor but it just made it to crazy come on unless I was in all-wheel drive it was almost hard to control. After lots of Internet searching I really can't find anything for the 20 ones that will make it any faster. What cold air intake maybe but what's that a couple horsepower? The simple fact is it's a really enjoyable machine but it is slow. But yours being a 20 I believe the supercharger is in play

 

After installing the pedal commander I did notice that not only is the gas pedal more responsive but the transmission seems to downshift more quickly for jumping into the passing lane.

 

What about on the expressway with cruise control? I haven't even attempted to tow my side-by-side yet, and when I'm on the expressway it constantly switches between 4th and 5th gear so I can't imagine what's going to happen when I have three thousand pounds dragging behind me. Does the pedal Commander change up your Highway action?

 

That's a good question that I can't answer. I bought the T4R about 250 miles and a couple of weeks ago. I haven't even turned CC on yet. Maybe someone else can help here who has more experience with it.

 

You should be towing in S4, and below 65 MPH. You'll know it's there, but it will be fine.

 

I drove from Sacramento to Eugene and back in 3 days. Drove up with it on economy +2 and it lagged going up the inclines. Drove home on City +2 and I had no issues at all with my 285’s.

 

Yep bump it over to S4 to stop the excessive shifting. But if it’s newer truck, you might just need to get some miles on it in D for it to “learn” your driving habits. S-modes don’t “learn”. Regular D does.

 

I just installed a Sprint Booster in my 2021 Limited and it woke it right up. Love the fine tuning you can do with this unit. I came from a 2014 Grand Cherokee Summit and it was much more responsive and felt like it had more torque than the 4Runner. Not anymore!

Glad I found this group and the advice on the throttle controller options!

 

That's a trip I'm familiar with! Lived for awhile in Auburn then Paradise - Mom lived in Eugene. Beautiful county.

 

Found

$300 PC27 BT PEDAL COMMANDER for Toyota 4Runner 2010-2024 Throttle Response Controller, Plug-and-Play, 4 Drive Modes, 36 Sensitivity Levels, On-Road & Off-Road Performance Upgrade, Anti-Theft, 4Runner Accessories

PC27 BT peddle commander used 1 year from a Tundra, sold the truck no longer needed. Will this also work on my 2020 4Runner? Ad says 2010 and up Tundra, Lexus, 4Runner etc. Is it true?

 

It looks like it.

https://pedalcommander.com/products/pedal-commander-pc27-bluetooth-toyota-4runner

 

Every time I see one of these threads I'm tempted to respond with my opinion. I believe that the issue is that they're programmed to shift very early when you're driving under light throttle. Helps with fuel economy and keeps the engine noise down. I drive a 4th gen V6 and that's what it feels like to me. So if you take off slowly and press lightly on the throttle it's gonna be in too high of a gear to give you really good acceleration. But if you need power it's there, not excessive, but enough. Kind of like trying to accelerate from a stop on a 21 speed bicycle in 18th gear. So you have to push the throttle and let it downshift to a lower gear to get the power you're looking for. If you want the power, don't be afraid to push it. It's a tank, it can take it.

 

Makes perfect sense. Thank you. I’m trying to learn about my 12 day old new to us 2020. This particular thread was extremely helpful in learning about the existence of a peddle commander. Never owned a car with such an unequal power response versus peddle input.
I take it you do not use a peddle commander or see a need for one, and that should be each of our choice.
I think that’s why I liked your opening sentence because I appreciate your opinion and would hope it’s your opinion and nobody else’s. Your opinion is worth giving and worth someone listening to it so long as you’re just not trying to be a jerk. Which you clearly aren’t. Those kinds of people/opinion are useless. You are far from that.
Thank you for a great explanation and analogy.

 

My pleasure. I think once you become more comfortable with your 4runner you will be very satisfied with it.

 

I believe you’re right. The first couple days of driving it and discovering how noticeable the lack of response vs input, that’s the first thing that came to mind. I actually thought it was just me, saying “Oh well, that’s just how it is, I’ll probably get used to it”. Then when my wife started noticing, I came on here wondering if maybe there’s a problem. I was surprised what I learned.

 

Does my 2020 Limited have a feature I'm not aware of?! LOL what's economy+2 and City+2? I know there's some eco thing that provides feedback on how economical (er, that term being very relative here) your driving is. But I haven't noticed Economy and City settings.... Don't have any buttons that have these names and haven't seen it in the computer... lol I'm so confused...

Anyhoo...one thing not mentioned above is that the slow and incremental throttle response seems well suited to off road use. Seems to me you don't want to have a touchy throttle when trying to ease over an obstacle. I'd think it would be considered a plus for the throttle to be very incremental and easy to modulate. That said, it's possible Toyota did this mostly for MPG.

As others have noted, the thing does move fine, you just gotta step on it. It's been tested multiple times to do 0-60 in the mid 7 second range. That's not slow, even by modern standards. A lot of smaller crossovers are similar or even in the 8s. I have a Mini Cooper that's like 1/3 the size of the 4Runner, and has a turbo motor, and its 0-60 is also mid 7 seconds. The gas peddle just has less travel to it.

While defending the power and the power-to-weight ratio of the 4Runner, I do think the tranny deserves criticism. It sometimes downshifts when it really shouldn't IMO, especially when on cruise control, and most especially when on variable / radar based cruise control. It also should really really have more than 5 gears. A good 8 spd would make a world of difference in how the truck feels and performs.

Like the estimable Bassguy says re towing, I find that the trick on hilly portions of highways is to run it in S4. Otherwise it bounces between 5 and 4 more than it really should.

 

I was curious about my 4th gen 0-60 time and found this article. It has my 05 V6 at 8 seconds. Not really all that bad for what it is. I'm pasting it here just for the humor of it. It states that it has a top speed of 230KPH which translates to 140 MPH. I've never tried it but I'd bet every dime I have that mine won't do that, lol. It also says it'll do a quarter mile in 14.3 seconds. Not happening. That said, I'm satisfied with the power and speed of mine. After all, that's not what I bought it for and I've still got my 5.7 Tundra if I ever start needing power.
https://www.mycarspecs.com/car/2005-toyota-4runner-base-sr5-v6

 

What are the settings? - where are the buttons? The peddle commander everyone is referring to in this thread. Aftermarket- plugs into peddle sensor to talk a new language to throttle body.
Never knew a thing about it till asking the original question. Glad I asked.
The lack (or slowness) for vehicle to respond to peddle input was quite noticeable to me in first couple days of ownership. Chalked it up to bigger and heavier than old gen 3. Was preparing to accept and believe I’ll get used to it. But when wifey started saying something (she NEVER notices car details/performance stuff) then I knew it wasn’t just me.

 

I hope the pedal commander improves your experience! I have never heard a negative review aside from an occasional CEL. This sometimes occurs when people adjust settings while driving. I believe as long as adjustments are made while parked and there is no throttle input, they're generally trouble free.

 

Pedal Commander:


Peddle commander

 

If I missed this point apologies…experiences gas mileage difference?