2001 4x4 4runner build. At Molasses pace

troyboy162

troyboy162

Adventurer
SOAZ said:
Sure Mike. I installed it while I was offroading 6 days a week for work. Sometimes 30 and sometimes a couple hundred miles a day of dirt. Sometimes rockcrawling in 4 low and sometimes blasting along graded dirt roads. In silty dusty areas I could replace my air filter every couple of days if I was being anal about it so I installed the top spin. I put it at a height to help with water crossings, but primarily it was to clean the incoming air.
After I installed it I actually didn't believe that it was doing as good of a job as it appeared. I actually looked for a hole in my intake after the filter somewhere. I figured that my filter was so clean because I must have bumped something or forgotten to tighten something in the line AFTER the filter where air was getting in. It was just too clean. Month after month it was still clean. Crazy. It worked so well I was happy, but amazed.
After a couple years the filter started to get dirtier than I remembered it used to so I pulled the fender off and resealed a few new spots that developed a gap in the intake ducting. It's been back to the same great results since. Still using the original Donaldson Top Spin. Through water or dust it's been a nice practical upgrade.
(the only regret I had about the whole install was explaining to people what the hell the spinning thing was. "It can't be a snorkel because it should be above your roof" "Is that one of those Tornado fuel savers? Does it work?" Yes, it's a snorkel and no the ones at the roof line don't make it so you can go that deep anyway. Yes, it's a tornado fuel saver and I now get 55MPG around town.) So, I painted the outside of the plastic, except for a small window that faces me, black so no one can stare at it spinning. No one has asked me what it is for over a year. :sombrero:
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Any thoughts on air restriction? I researched home made intakes and your's was by far the best. The only concern I had is that the top spin you used is rated for 200 cfm and from what I can figure the 3.4L can pull 220 cfm at 4500. Of course a dirty filter on a stranded set up would make the 200 cfm a upgrade for sure.
 
SOAZ

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
troyboy162 said:
Any thoughts on air restriction? I researched home made intakes and your's was by far the best. The only concern I had is that the top spin you used is rated for 200 cfm and from what I can figure the 3.4L can pull 220 cfm at 4500. Of course a dirty filter on a stranded set up would make the 200 cfm a upgrade for sure.
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Absolutely. I do think it restricts the airflow. 1 in part by just making the air go through more ducting to get to the filter and 2 because it needs go through the restricted inlet. Is the power loss noticeable? ...not "really." I would not win any races either way and it certainly doesn't feel like any power loss at low speeds or on trails. Where I feel it is loaded down climbing up highways at higher speeds where the truck is fighting the horrible aerodynamics, the hill, tire size, weight etc. I feel like it just takes a bit of the edge off the top of the power. It takes a little longer to downshift and wake up too.

Because it annoyed me, mostly in an MPG sense I did what I consider a fix. Even when I head to Death Valley or Colorado for 10 days there are still 2 transit days on which I put in more or about equal miles to the slower speed dirt miles of the trip. To "fix" this I did a mod that I actually never liked. The "deck plate" mod. Guys do this and just leave it, on road, off road etc. I think it kills even the limited protection that the factory snorkel provides for water and even dirt so I am not a fan of it offroad. On road however I think it is great. I spin off the deck plate cover for around town or the road trip to the trail if it's far away. While folks air down or lock hubs I'll just spin the deck plate back into place. I'll see the top spin go from slow spinning (When the deck plate is open) back to the intense spinning that provides all of the prefiltering, once I put it back in.

Plus, with the deck plate open you can hear the intake noise wooshing and you can think POWEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!! Just don't look down at the ground and realize you're still barely moving while you hear all that "power" being unleashed. :smiley_drive:
 
S

shmabs

Explorer
Stupid question....where did your antenna go?

Mike

Edit: post 260 answers my question
 
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SOAZ

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
A water buffalo of an 80 series. I may try to lighten it up (from what's on there because it has TONS of "stuff" on it) and see if I can outfit it basically the same as my 4runner, but with more space and worse MPG.
 
p nut

p nut

butter
SOAZ said:
A water buffalo of an 80 series. I may try to lighten it up (from what's on there because it has TONS of "stuff" on it) and see if I can outfit it basically the same as my 4runner, but with more space and worse MPG.
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Cool. Good luck with it. I went from a 3rd Gen to an LC (100). Extra room is nice. MPG isn't bad considering with 33's, I'm getting 16MPG (vs 17 with 4Runner).
 
SOAZ

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
p nut said:
Cool. Good luck with it. I went from a 3rd Gen to an LC (100). Extra room is nice. MPG isn't bad considering with 33's, I'm getting 16MPG (vs 17 with 4Runner).
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Nice, not a bad difference at all. The 80 will be worse, but after driving around a buddies 80 with 35" tires that otherwise was pretty light weight and stock it looks like I could get 15mpg on the higway. 13mpg once loaded down maybe. Either way, it will be fun to try something new after so many years and the extra room will be nice on long trips.
 
SOAZ

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
She's gone. It's done. Build over. 8 Years of awesome, amazing, adventures and sights, scenes, memories, food, people and star filled nights.

What an amazing truck. Whatever comes next has a helluva a lot to live up to.
 
R

RIDEALL

New member
Wow!!!
Hope the next person uses it like it should be used;-)
Yours was one of my favorites, good luck on whatever route you take next.
 
SOAZ

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
RIDEALL said:
Wow!!!
Hope the next person uses it like it should be used;-)
Yours was one of my favorites, good luck on whatever route you take next.
Click to expand...

Thanks. It's funny. I know putting human emotions on a truck is stupid, but I must be an idiot because Lulu was part of the family. (Even if I hated the name my better half gave her)
I knew the new owner was the right guy for it when he dropped off my license plate a minute ago. His dog was in the passenger seat, he was blasting outlaw country and his personal plate read DOGYOTA. I think it's going to be treated well.
 
R

RIDEALL

New member
Yeah that helps!
When I sold my Taco of 11 years it felt like loosing a friend:-(
I'm tearing up gotta go!!! Lol
 
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