grimace80

Hey guys, aside from some questions about speakers, I just got my 4runner and love it. What would anyone suggest, aside from a TRD supercharger, to add horsepower or speed to my car. An upgraded airfilter, cutting holes in the OEM filter, any info would be awesome.

Dana Pereau

Supercharger is awesome. Also, remove air box elbow- deck plate mod doesn't produce that much increase- elbow is critical- see gadget's page re dyno tests with elbow removed

jx94148

The last thing you want to do is cut holes in the filter. That would kinda defeat the purpose of having a filter in the first place. Supercharger would help a lot but it would cost more to buy it and have it installed than I paid for my whole truck. An Amsoil filter and upgraded exhaust and intake is a good way to start without breaking the bank account.

Dana Pereau

For those who weren't aware, the TRD supercharger (normally about $3000) is on sale at Jay Marks Toyota of Houston or toyotaparts4u.com for a little over $1700. I paid $1750 for mine, with $20 shipping, and no state tax. The dealer installed it for $300 (and I found 5 dealers willing to do it for this price)- Second, I never suggested cutting a hole in the filter- that is absurd. I suggested removing the air intake elbow where the airbox connects to the fender well-Many people have installed deck plates in the front of the air box, but simply removing the elbow acomplishes the same HP increase- about 8 HP. Further, this modification is recommended by most of the more intelligent Toyota mechanics. It will not void the warranty. It simply allows air to enter the air box from the fender well, without making a 90 degree turn onto the fender well. Check out Gadget's site for actual dyno tests on this one.

Dana Pereau

In addition, the Amsoil or TRD filters are a good upgrade. See gadget's site for dyno specs on the amsoil. Stay away from the K&N- it actually decreases HP! I started with the Amsoil, but had a problem with the map sensor- some oil from the filter (oiled by the factory) migrated to the map filter and fouled it. Fortunately it was cleanable. however, if you trash your map sensor, you're going to be out way more bucks than some fancy filter. I found no distinguishable difference between the Amsoil Filter nad the TRD- the only difference, if the oil from the Amsoil filter causes your map sensor to fail, it will not be covered under warranty- On the other hand, if you are using the TRD, it will always be warrantied by Toyota. This is not an issue if your warranty is dead. However, if your vehicle is still under warranty, 1) stick with the TRD, and 2) have the dealer install you supercharger- if you install it, the warranty is 12 months- if the dealer installs it, it picks up whatever warranty your emission system still has- in my case, having the dealer install the supercahrger gained me a 7 year 100,000 mile warranty on the supercharger, as part of my drivetrain Toyota platinum extended warranty. Nice warranty, for an aftermarket bolt on item.

loosehead

Welcome to the forum, Grimace.

I would do four relatively inexpensive things:
-the deckplate mod,
-add an aftermarket air filter, such as amsoil P/N TS-115,
-Dr. Z's Intake silencer removal mod, located on the Yotatech Tech page (there is also a description of the deckplate mod here),
-and add a high-flow muffler to the stock exhaust.

The combination of these mods on a 3rd gen 4Runner is very impressive. It really lets the engine breath a lot better, and it just feels more responsive. The new exhaust will make it sound cool, too. And if you are not too heavy on the throttle after doing these mods, you will see a little increase in mileage, as well. For ideas about exhausts, do a search on here and also check out Coreys Exhaust page it has sound clips and vids.

Good Luck and enjoy your new Runner!

Dr. Zhivago

There is no MAP Sensor on these trucks. It is a Mass AirFlow Sensor, or MAF. MAP = Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor.

If these trucks had a MAP sensor, they'd be better off when Supercharged as the MAP signal could be modified. And for the sake of argument, the DeckPlate mod is better than the Elbow both from a HP/Torque Standpoint as well as Safety for your engine since the Airbox can be made water tight again in seconds.

Grimace, since you asked about alternatives to the SC to gain HP, take a look here for a mod to your intake tubing that produces notable gains. Also, check out the DeckPlate mod. Along with those, you might want to consider a Cat-Back Exhaust system or free-flowing muffler upgrade.

My. 02
Dr. Z

Dr. Zhivago

What's that about great minds...

Hi Jayson!
Dr. Z

loosehead

Hehehe! Mornin', Galen.

Check out the time stamps, I beat ya to it by just a couple of minutes.

Dr. Zhivago

That's because I'm a slow typist.

I also need more coffee...

Dr. Z

grimace80

Thanks guys for the great responses. I got tons of great ideas, and as soon as it stops raining up here in Seattle (could be May?) I'm gonna get started. This is a great forum with some really nice dudes.

Thanks again,
dave

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to the board Grimace.
I hear you about the rain.

Auburn is soaked right now

Patrick D

I was wondering how much a free flowing muffler increases torque/hp? Can you really notice a diference?

loosehead

Patrick-

I haven't dyno'ed mine or anything, but I think the exhaust upgrade is definately noticable. The best way to put it is that the engine just revs a lot easier, noticably quicker accelleration. Its not like adding a supercharger or anything, but even my wife noticed a difference. I hope that helps to answer your question.

Cheers!

Dr. Zhivago

Well, it depends on the muffler style. A "Turbo" muffler, which has chambers, is mainly for tone and a tiny bit of performance. A Borla "Lazy S" style straight-thru muffler can give more performance than the Turbo style mufflers because of less restriction.

If you want the best performance from a free-flowing muffler, get a straight-thru muffler. They make more power than the chambered mufflers, including Flowmaster. This information is from a Master Mechanic and Custom Exhaust Specialist. In fact, it's from George, the guy who helped me make my Silencer Replacement Tube.

With the right size muffler and exhaust tubing, you can increase HP and Torque up to 10% or so on a NA Engine. On Turbocharged engines, 15-20% and possibly more, is not out of the question if you replace the exhaust tubing from the down-pipe on back. Supercharged engines aren't affected as much as Turbos because of the different methodologies used to develop boost.

One thing to keep in mind: In order to maximize the benefit of a free-flowing exhaust system, you should open up the intake side at the same time. The same can be said of a free-flowing intake. One without the other just isn't as effective. Both sides benefit from the other.

Installing the Jardine on my truck made a notable difference in off-the-line and midrange performance. The top end was improved as well. I had already done a few things to the intake side before installing the exhaust system.

Hope this answers your question.

Dr. Z

Dr. Zhivago

Jayson, STOP THAT!

Dr. Z

loosehead

I'm just trying to boost my post count, dude!

Patrick D

So whats a good straight-thru muffler? Is the Magnaflow a straight-thru? Or should I just go all out and get a cat-back exhaust?
I know about Corey's exhaust page and have been drooling over the different brands and I like the sound of the Dynomax but would prefer a straight-thru muffler if it would give me a more noticable difference.
-Patrick D

jx94148

One word, Nitrous



(I'm kidding)

Patrick D

What do you guys think?