Toyota and reliability go hand-in-hand, with the Japanese automaker famend for its capacity to develop automobiles and vans that stand the check of time. However even for a model that not often misses, some engines are extra dependable than others. For Toyota, the 3UR stands out as one of the vital dependable V8 engines of all time.
Toyota is a Japanese automaker based in 1937 that has developed a fame for reliability throughout a mess of segments, from sports activities automobiles and household sedans to pickup vans and off-roaders. Well-known fashions from the model embrace the Hilux, Land Cruiser, Camry, Crown, and Corolla, the latter being the world’s best-selling car nameplate, with greater than 50 million Corolla-badged automobiles being bought because it was first launched. Toyota usually competes within the mainstream market, however can be well-known for launching Lexus as a luxurious sub-brand to tackle Mercedes-Benz.
Based August 28, 1937
Founder Kiichiro Toyoda
Headquarters Aichi, Japan
Owned By Publicly Traded
Present CEO Koji Sato
The 3UR was not too long ago thrust again into the limelight after the latest-generation Tundra turned the point of interest of a PR nightmare for Toyota. The brand new twin-turbo V6 engine on the coronary heart of the Tundra and Lexus LX hasn’t been as bulletproof because the V8 it changed, with recollects and refused trade-ins wreaking havoc for the Japanese model. Toyota could also be coming to the occasion for 100 thousand house owners, however throughout the web, choruses of “I instructed you so, a turbo V6 might by no means be as dependable as an excellent old school V8” may be heard loud and clear. However why is the 3UR V8 so dependable? Let’s have a look again at this icon of an engine that powered the earlier Toyota Tundra.
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This is why we might advocate ready till the second or third mannequin yr earlier than shopping for any car debuting a brand-new engine.
A Look Again At The Engine Household That Powered The Toyota Tundra
Launched as a substitute for the Toyota UZ household of engines (one other contender for probably the most dependable engines of all time), the Toyota UR engine household was first launched in 2006 and continues to be accessible in some kind or one other at present. Even if you happen to’ve by no means heard of the UR, you’ve got positively heard of the automobiles it is utilized in. The 1UR, for instance (a 4.6-liter V8), has discovered a house within the outdated Lexus LS 460, whereas the 2UR (bumped as much as 5.0 liters) is the engine we all know and love from the Lexus IS 500 F Sport Efficiency. However the greatest and most strong member of the UR household was the 3UR, discovered within the earlier generations of the Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, and Lexus LX.
Toyota UR Engine Household At A Look
1UR
2UR
3UR
12 months Launched
2006
2007
Configuration
V8, 32-valve, twin overhead cam
Cylinder Block Materials
Die-cast aluminum
Cylinder Head Materials
Aluminum
Displacement
4.6 liters
5.0 liters
5.6 liters
Bore x Stroke
94 mm x 83 mm
94 mm x 89.5 mm
94 mm x 102 mm
Max. Energy
385 hp
475 hp
381 hp
Max. Torque
369 lb-ft
399 lb-ft
401 lb-ft
Max. Engine Velocity
6,800 rpm
7,300 rpm
6,000 rpm
Notable Fashions
Lexus LS, Lexus GS, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Tundra
Lexus IS F, Lexus RC F, Lexus GS F, Lexus LC, Lexus IS 500, Lexus LS 600h
Toyota Tundra, Toyota Sequoia, Toyota Land Cruiser 200, Lexus LX
*Producer-supplied figures, peak outputs don’t essentially happen concurrently in the identical mannequin.
Every variation of the UR household had its personal specs and areas of specialty, and every had derivatives that discovered use in distinctive purposes. The 1UR, for instance, had variations with and with out direct injection, whereas the 2UR had a particular variant meant to be used in hybrid purposes. The 3UR, being probably the most heavy-duty, gave patrons the choice of an E85 ethanol-capable variant known as the 3UR-FBE (the usual engine was the 3UR-FE), accessible on 2009-2013 Tundras and 2009-2014 Sequoias.
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The UR Engines Made The Second-Gen Tundra A Million-Mile Pickup Truck
Engine 5.7L V8 Gasoline
Horsepower 381 hp @ 5,600 rpm
Torque 401 lb-ft@ 3,600 rpm
Towing Capability 10,200 lbs
Gas Economic system 13/17/14 MPG
One of many causes the UR household is so reliable is that Toyota topics the engine blocks to an X-ray scan to make sure they’re on-spec. Aluminum alloys can warp and deform throughout the die-casting course of, so Toyota used X-rays to make sure that these deformations weren’t extreme sufficient to compromise efficiency or longevity. Past this, the 3UR was extensively examined, subjected to greater than 800,000 miles of sturdiness testing earlier than hitting mass manufacturing. And that does not imply sterile “greatest case situation” lab testing. Toyota’s sturdiness testing has them recreating gravel roads, tough climate, snow, ice, desert, and flooding with the intention to be sure that their engines will final even when circumstances aren’t excellent.
It is one factor to purchase the claims from an automaker, however real-world proof issues much more, and on a couple of event, we witnessed the UR-powered Toyota Tundras past 1 million miles.
Vic Sheppard was the primary recorded proprietor to handle the feat, driving his 2007 Tundra 125,000 miles a yr earlier than crossing the million-mile mark in 2016. Toyota swapped Sheppard’s 07 mannequin for a model new truck in 2016, stripping down the unique to learn the way to engineer future vans even higher. The automobile was serviced 117 occasions throughout that point and nonetheless featured its authentic engine and transmission. Aaron Morvant, a good friend of Sheppard’s, purchased his personal 2007 Tundra, which featured the smaller 1UR motor. In 2019, Morvant reached the million-mile mark, proving that even the lower-displacement UR V8 was remarkably dependable.
“I heard on the radio that 80% of Toyota’s bought within the final 20 years had been nonetheless on the street. I wanted a truck that was reliable to run as a hotshot, so this was a kind of no-brainers.”
– Aaron Morvant, proprietor of a million-mile 2007 Toyota Tundra
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Million-mile automobiles can come from any model. Listed below are a few of the most iconic.
The place Did The New Twin-Turbo V6 Go Improper?
The principle purpose individuals are speaking in regards to the 3UR engine in 2024 is as a result of the 2022 Toyota Tundra’s twin-turbo V6 has been plagued with issues that also have not been rectified absolutely two years after its debut.
The third-gen Tundra’s 3.4-liter V6 (V35A) tends to grab up or fail completely, leading to sellers refusing trade-ins of the newer V6 Tundras till such time as they have been recalled. The recall in query affected greater than 102,000 Tundras and Lexus LX600s from the 2022 and 2023 mannequin years, with the reason for the engine failure linked to remaining manufacture particles within the block.
In response to Toyota, “there’s a risk that sure machining particles might not have been cleared from the engine when it was produced,” whereas the NHTSA recall documentation speaks of “particles in engine [that] might trigger [a] stall.” Nonetheless you care to elucidate it, the underside line is that the turbocharged V6 engine within the 2022 and 2023 Tundra might wind up totaled after placing only one or two years’ value of miles on it.
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Not wanting good for this model of Toyota’s full-size truck.
No engine is ideal, and even the 3UR suffered from its personal points, like extreme oil consumption because the engine will get older. However not like the brand new V6, that may very well be simply remedied by solely utilizing high-quality oil in your truck. However even whereas Toyota was ironing out the first-year kinks, the 3UR by no means had an entire technology of Tundras seizing up.
Why Does not Toyota Simply Go Again To The 3UR V8 Engine?
Some embarrassing recollects apart, Toyota continues to make a few of the most reliable engines in the marketplace. And, in protection of Toyota’s new V6, the issue will not be with the engine’s design itself, however with high quality management on the crops the place these engines had been produced. And it appears Toyota has rectified the difficulty, because the 2024 Tundra has solely confronted two recollects on the time of writing, neither of which had something to do with the engine. Nonetheless, a number of complaints filed with the NHTSA recommend oil leaks are a possible downside.
One of many huge causes Toyota will not return to the 3UR V8 anytime quickly, and one of many huge explanation why V8s are being phased out throughout all the trade, comes all the way down to tighter emissions rules. A 2021 V8 Tundra produces 601 grams of greenhouse fuel emissions per mile. A 2024 Tundra produces 459 grams per mile. It is not onerous to see why Toyota would guess on the turbocharged V6 to maintain its emissions numbers down and preserve the EPA off its again.
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Till the hybrid turned him right into a believer.
The brand new V6, particularly in hybrid kind, permits Toyota to supply diesel-like torque with out the emissions of an enormous V8. However in the end, this appears to be coming at the price of a fame for reliability. As we have seen prior to now, new generations and new powertrains are all the time vulnerable to teething points, so the twin-turbo V6 might but show itself. However for now, the Toyota Tundra and the UR household of V8 engines are nonetheless the reliability kings.
Sources:
Toyota,
NHTSA