Performance upgrades?

[Containerized]

It's a pickup truck. I want it to do its job, get me places, not complain, and not require anything more than preventative maintenance with any frequency. That said, the 4.0 1GR-FE with the supercharger and 4.88 gears gives reasonable performance.

If I want to go fast, I've got cars for that. But they wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cups while the truck wears Michelin XZLs for a reason... they serve totally different purposes.

That said, if colleagues used to seeing me in a suit and a sports car saw me in the truck, they'd probably be like "****** you own a pickup truck?" Then again, most of my colleagues have probably never been in a pickup truck, let alone owned one...

 

[hilux30]

It's a pickup truck....

exactly it's a pick-up: more low-end torque + downsizing to 265/75 (instead of 285/75)= hauling 4500lb+ trailer substantially easier... 4.88+SC=$$$$$$$$$$! ,highway RPM++++

Tempted: 4.56 gears + 295/75/16s, but that alone is $4-5K ...

 

[Containerized]

The RPMs aren't that bad in sixth with 4.88s and the supercharger.

 

[hilux30]

according to http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html calculation it's about 600RPM difference between 3.73 vs. 4.88 at 70MPH (2000RPM vs 2600RPM) ... many can live with it but I can't, fuel consumption on the highway would deteriorate, plus you can have 4.88 (or close to) gears on the A750 transmission by leaving it in 4th gear (or 5th in the six speed manual) the torque converter locks up in 4th too = $$savings$$ ... I had 4.88 gears on a past 94 Hilux 4x4 3.0V6 with 33" tires, that truck needed every possible way to gain power as there was none...

 

[karma11]

I Want to thank you all for your comments, overall i see everyone saying just keep it stock, or go with a supercharger. The supercharger i plan to go with. but I guess im just like everyone else on here, i just want the most power, fuel economy, torque, and the most important reliability. It is a truck and will be driven like a truck, but i guess i was asking if there was any reliable things one could do to achieve those things. one person said a snorkel would give 1 mpg. that's good news. On every car Ive seen that could be tuned those work extremely well also. is there one out yet for the new tacomas?

Sorry for taking so long to respond, life happens. but thank you all very much. i value this forums opinions more than any others. i think mainly because i fall into the right age bracket hehe 40 here

 

[Dave Bennett]

I'm all about keeping engines stock. But one thing that NEEDS upgrading on these trucks once you add all your gear and crap and bigger tires is the brakes.

http://americanadventurist.com/Foru...-05-Tacoma-Build&p=13271&viewfull=1#post13271

.02

 

[karma11]

Yes TacoDoc the brakes are on the list right after the lift and tires, hopefully at the same time. seeing that im waiting (still in court) on a sizable settlement, (from a really nasty wreck, 6 broken vertebrae, shoulders, head, and they wanted to amputate a foot) and Ive been waiting 6yrs now. so the point is, heck i don't even know when ill even get the truck. that is why for the last 5 yrs Ive been doing research, and getting a list together of all of the great ideas, and things ill want to do to the truck once i get it. again thank you to all for their input!! its much appreciated.

 

[paddlenbike]

That being how come nobody talks about engine upgrades. cold air intake, exhaust, throttle body spacer? anything that could possibly increase horsepower/torque/ MPG

Performance modifications were the very last modifications I made my truck, after I was "done" with the regular maintenance, suspension modifications and things to make it more friendly on trips. I added the TRD supercharger to my 3.4L V6 and have been thrilled with the transformation it made to the 4Runner. I have tried to limit my modifications to things I *need* that have little to no down-side. For example, the stock suspension was "fine," but it didn't ride particularly well and when I added gear and passengers and expected it to soak up high speed bumps in the desert, the stock setup was sub-optimal. With the new coils and shocks, it works much better in all situations, than previously. I can say the same for the engine--my fuel economy and reliability have not changed, but I have way more power and torque for accelerating, climbing high elevation passes and towing. Power was adequate before, but now it's truly impressive. I think the truck has more usefulness now, knowing I can tow a medium-sized trailer I've been wanting, without having to buy a different vehicle.

Aside from the supercharger, other bolt on upgrades result in very little performance increase for the money. Headers and a nice exhaust can help, but the cost can approach half of what the supercharger costs, with way less gain. I can't think of any bolt-ons I would willing to spend money on.

Sorry to hear about the accident. I recovered from a pretty nasty one too, so keep your sights high.

 

[Saguache]

Man, I'm hesitant to stick my nose into this debate. Since moving from VW diesels to Japanese gas I've sort of pulled back from the PT&O practices. Simply put, when I look under my hood I don't see a tight network of mechanically linked engine systems (like I would with an older model VW diesel or turbo diesel). It is a lot more like the newer TDIs and frankly I'm scared that even a well thought out, implemented and maintained performance enhancement is adding unnecessary complexity to an already complex system.

In VWs eeking out a couple of extra horses feels like a necessity. My last van was a high top with an extra 15 hps of lift from the turbo. Without the turbo I maxed out in a bumped up 5th at about 65 mph. Given a good tail wind and consistent draft I could break 70, but that's it. So tweaking and tuning seemed like a way to gain that extra hp needed in order to rocket up Snoqualmie pass holding a steady 50 mph. That has never been a problem with any Toyota I've owned. My current '03 3.4l taco never bogs down. When I need torque I down shift and spin. And when the road conditions call for speed I can do the limit without worry.

The only performance enhancement I think my vehicle needs is improved efficiency. Lighten the load, yeah sure. But bolting on a turbocharger is likely to increase the amount of fuel it already sucks down while I cruise along doing the speed limit.

 

[karma11]

My next question for those that have them is the supercharger, first is this something a semi mechanically inclined could do, or do you need a computer and / or special tools to "reprogram" something? or is it just better to let the dealer install one. next question is, several friends have had turbos on non Toyota vehicles and they said and showed me the fill up slips, dates, mileage etc, that they were getting close to 50mpg on a turbo'd Volvo of course he drove it sane and kept his foot out of it. said he really noticed a huge boost on the freeway. can one expect any kind of mpg gains from a supercharger? im not talking a huge amount but 4-5 would be nice with sane driving. and im talking get your foot OUT of it and drive normally. i.e. nice and easy.

next question is does anyone have a supercharger with a snorkel? how well does that setup work? any problems? any gains with both on there?

Again thanks go out to you all!!

 

[Plannerman]

My truck is not supercharged, but, generally, you will see a slight decrease in average MPGs with a supercharger because the charger does introduce a slight parasitic load on the vehicle. In exchange, you get more power. With sane Tacoma drivers, average hit is about 1 MPG. Aggressive driving, well, all bets are off.


Sent via fat thumb

 

[Containerized]

I think you're insane to do the supercharger yourself, especially on a new truck.

The warranty coverage alone of having a Toyota dealer install it is more than worth the money and peace of mind.

I say this as someone who had the dealer install the supercharger at 500 miles (I was told you should have some miles on the motor before the install).

 

[paddlenbike]

My next question for those that have them is the supercharger, first is this something a semi mechanically inclined could do, or do you need a computer and / or special tools to "reprogram" something? or is it just better to let the dealer install one. next question is, several friends have had turbos on non Toyota vehicles and they said and showed me the fill up slips, dates, mileage etc, that they were getting close to 50mpg on a turbo'd Volvo of course he drove it sane and kept his foot out of it. said he really noticed a huge boost on the freeway. can one expect any kind of mpg gains from a supercharger? im not talking a huge amount but 4-5 would be nice with sane driving. and im talking get your foot OUT of it and drive normally. i.e. nice and easy.

next question is does anyone have a supercharger with a snorkel? how well does that setup work? any problems? any gains with both on there?

Again thanks go out to you all!!

I am only semi-mechanically inclined and I installed my own. This is on a 3.4L engine, so I can't speak to the 4.0. But as an example:
Here is the stock 3.4:

and here is the supercharger by itself:

You basically label and remove a few vacuum lines, remove the throttle body and intake manifold and replace it with the supercharger assembly. Then you bolt the throttle body back up, attach a few lines and put the belt on.
Here's what the engine looks like at its most torn-down state:

and here it is finished:

I thought it was a fun and easy project, but your mileage may vary.

Don't count on getting better fuel economy with it. It takes 1/5th of a horsepower (when it's in vacuum) to run it, so technically, it adds drag. In the real world, my mileage did not worsen at all, and I know because I check my mileage at every fill up. But you do have to run premium. And as I experienced, you may find your mileage go up a little when climbing mountain passes because the volumetric efficiency is higher and it doesn't have to work as hard. But it would be best to sum it up by saying "your mileage won't change if you drive reasonably and it will go down when you're flogging it."

Saguache--there isn't much complexity to a supercharger assembly. It has a couple of gear-driven rotors inside that are spun by a belt. Supercharger failures are rare and even if you remove the belt all-together, the engine will still run fine. Likewise, if you were in Mexico and found only 85 octane fuel available, you can zip-tie the bypass valve open and it won't make any boost. It has no external oil supply or liquid cooling like a turbocharger, so there aren't any real fittings to leak (like in every single turbocharged car I have ever had). The supercharger is completely self-contained.

 

[p nut]

As paddlebike said, I saw no substantial MPG loss from the SC on my old 4Runner. Well, in the log book, there was a huge difference, but that's because I couldn't keep my foot out of it. Boost is fun.

I also agree on bolt-on "upgrades." They don't do jack and money is better spent on the SC if power is wanted.

 

[karma11]

Fords dont fly

well i should probably just edit my post above concerning when i got into an accident, but i thought this might be better. I was working 12 hour graveyard shifts doing security for the DOE (department of energy) and taking care of my infant daughter during the day, needless to say i was only getting 4-8 hours of sleep a week. the last thing i remember before the accident was driving up a paved road back to the office to do my reports, doing the "head bob" thing i was extremely tired.

this first pic if you look at the tire tracks where the deputy's are that is where i left the ground.



this picture you can sort of see where the frame bent and it actually broke the axle housing in half and broke the wheels off, i think* the studs broke.



This one if you look close that is me they are extracting, i was trapped in there for over 3 hours. it sucked bad. i guess that's one reason why i don't like close spaces any more hehehe



and i have to include a nice gory pic or two, heheh just kidding its not too bad. broke 6 vertebrae, and messed up my ankle real bad, and a real good bonk to the head. they called it a moderate/severe TBI which is no joke kids. WEAR YOUR HELMETS!!

This next one was the day i came home from the hospital.



and the next two are from my yummy leg / ankle had a compound fracture and they just enlarged the hole a bit to do the surgery.





Well there you have it. don't try and fly your trucks it doesn't work!!! hehehe