Toyota tacoma 2001 SR5 4 cyl

What is the difference between a Toyota tacoma 4 cyl Automatic SR5 pickup and a Toyota tacoma 4 cyl pre runner? I am looking at a 2001 taco 4 cyl auto SR5 it has the small tires so its pretty low to the ground. I want to put some bigger tires on it and upgrade it a bit. But will that hurt its suspension or frame if it is just an SR5 and not a prerunner?

 

SR5 are 4x4 trucks while prerunners are 2x4 trucks, but they are made with suspension and body of the 4x4 trucks.

I also think prerunners come with the rear diff locker, but not sure if they all do

 

Not all pre-runners come with the locker, they must have the TRD package.

 

If it's a 5 lugger then it's 2wd, if it's 6lug and 2wd then it's a Prerunner. Then there are the 6 lug 4x4's .

6 lug Prerunners and 6 lug 4x4s are built on the same frame and look identical from the outside (same stock height/stance). Unless you look underneath for the 4x4 drivetrain.

For first gens, Prerunners were all automatics. Could only get a manual trans Tacoma if you got a 5 lug 2wd or a 4x4 (6 lug)

 

Not entirely, you could get a prerunner with a stick just not a double cab.

 

Not in a first gen, nope. 2nd gens yes, but 1995.5-2004 all Prerunners were autos.

 

Unless someone did a manual swap which I've seen a few people on here do to the Prerunners, and to my knowledge Toyota has never a allowed manual trans to be custom/special ordered on a model where it wasn't originally offered.

 

SR5 is a "package" for any model of Tacoma, regardless of 2wd, 4wd, or PreRunner.

Pretty much any amenity on the Tacoma warranted the SR5 badging/package. A true "base" model would be manual or auto, and no power options

 

To answer your question about tires...I have an '01 SR5 4wd with a 2.7L and manual transmission. I have 265/75/16s on it. When the stock 265/70s needed replacing, I jumped up to the 265/75s and have stayed with that size for several years now. No issues.

 

Have you had any issues with your 2.7L 4cyl with 4 by 4 with all that extra weight and bigger tires do you still get good gas mileage as a 4 cyl? Or is your car having to pull a lot more and work harder? Just trying to get some insight, I like the idea of buying a 4cyl but want to make sure if I load it up I wont be to underpowered

 

I get around 20 mpg. It's been so long since I switched to 265/75 that I can't remember what it was before that. Also, I have E-rated tires. So they are pretty heavy. If I go lighter, I am sure mpg will go up slightly. But I don't worry about my mileage in the truck. We have a Corolla that averages 35+ mpg. That what we use for most of our driving and long trips that don't require the use of the bed.

I got the 4 cyl (16 years ago) knowing that I wasn't going to tow anything at the time. I never thought I that I would still have the truck. Now...I can't imagine not having it. I drive like an old man. There's no need for me to take off quickly from a stop. I'm still not towing anything. If I need a little more, I just downshift. Florida is flat as hell. So the 4 cylinder is fine with me.

 

Lol haha yeah I am in the same boat i don't need a lot of power just means less likely to get a speeding ticket lol. Wow 20mpg thats pretty darn good for a 4 by 4 with big tires and a camper shell. I have a small vessel that is on a trailer so the only thing I am wondering is if the 4 cyl would be lugging that thing around...

 

I'm a sr5 2001 prerunner owner with the 4 banger that just towed a John boat (15ft) on a small trailer and it was a nightmare. The truck runs great without issues without towing but once you have some weight the engine just can't keep up. I have 265/70/16 and still get a respectable 19 mpg. It dropped drastically once the engine is under load 11-12 mpg and it was a light load too. I also have a 97 v6 I'm rebuilding to tow because frankly the 4 banger isn't going to do any towing ever again.

 

I know it's only a 4cyl and it can only do so much. So why push it? Most of my drive to and from work is on the freeway, which I usually cruise around 65-70 mph. Sometimes 75. Depends on which freeway I take. When I am not on the freeway, I am not heavy footed at all. What's the point? To beat everyone to the next redlight?

 

OP, it sounds like you are describing a 2wd 5-lug model vs. a prerunner. You will want to find out for sure, because you definitely won't be towing anything with a 5-lug. They only came with a 2.4L 4 cylinder, vs the prerunner's 2.7L 4cylinder. Not a huge difference in power, but the 5-lug is not set up to tow or haul much of anything. I believe they only came with 3.73 gears as well.
If you want to haul stuff, tow anything, or do bigger tires/suspension upgrade, but don't need 4x4, the prerunner would definitely be the way to go.