tacoma2004

Is the OEM TRD supercharger a good investment for the Tacoma?

wjwerdna

maybe......

define what you are looking for, what you want to get out of it, your budget/timing/etc

hanksyota

hmm. i couldnt afford the thousands of dollars it takes to get started let alone the premium gas cost. if i had a money tree in my yard, i'd buy one.

Speedy

I've enjoyed mine. Hit the "Project SportRunner" link in my sig to see how I did it.

rearviewmirror

The 3.4 is what it is. I can't see a good reason to put one on a 4Runner/Tacoma. You're going to sacrifice reliability, it requires premium gas, and if anything you might cause more problems when towing and what not. If you want to go faster I'd buy a more modern SUV or have a 2nd car which was designed to do so. A diesel swap would make sense to me, a supercharger, not so much.

X-AWDriver

It's definelty not an investment if you just need to go faster. The SC doesn't enhance off-roadability or will make you even keep up with the 4th gen but it is nice to have a little extra power but the extra cost of the mods and premium fuel will keep my 4Runner naturally aspirated.

Speedy

You guys keep quoting premium fuel as a reason not to SC. I considered this as well when going through it and realize it costs about $3.50 a TANK FULL more to fill up with 93 vs. 87. That's really negligible even if you go through two tanks a week you're only talking about $7.

Doing a SC install right does take some work, but I sure do like mine. The wide open power is nice, but it's the low down grunt you notice more than anything. It's really a night and day difference when properly tuned. I'd be surprised if a new 4th gen is faster too. Mine hauls ass to a surprising degree.

rearviewmirror

You nailed it when you said properly tuned. I believe when they're properly tuned it's a wise move. Unfortunately most are just bolted on, without any consideration of fuel mods or A/F ratios. I just have the mentality that my 4Runner isn't a sports car, it's fast enough for.... well it's not fast at all, in fact it's a bit of a turd, but it's an SUV so it should be. At least I know the engine should last a lifetime if properly maintained.

bosco659

Best "single" mod I have done on any vehicle that Ihave owned. Really a significant gain in power at all rpm levels. I agree that it must be properly tuned. Sure the fuel is more expensive but I have become accustomed to buying 94 octane all the time for both of mty vehicles.

Maybe not the best thing to do for those on a tight budget since you need to buy the S/C, injectors, plugs, thermostat, fuel management, tranny upgrades for automatics etc.

Would I do it again? For sure!

ciscojay

I'll blow away a 4th gen any day, v8 Jeep Cherokee, even a new f250 v8 isn't a problem...reliability issues??? It's just as reliable as the day i got it and drives just like stock until you give it some throttle. Yes, you have to pay for premium gas, but a few bucks at the pump is definitely worth it. It's all what you want to use your 4runner for...of course it isn't enhance offroad capability.

ninjarunner

Anyone who rips on the S/C is a dumb redneck and doesn't have one..... I have it and love it, was it worth the money? Absolutely.. since your asking opinion I wold say to those out there who don't have one to keep there mouths shut unless you had one and took it off for a good reason. it has most definitely improved my off road ability and every other ability of my runner...

Speedy

I used to think adding a SC to a 4Runner was nuts as well. If you search back to my early posts you'll even see me saying the same things you are.....kinda funny to me now looking back. So I can definitely relate to your side of thinking. I'd never even seen a SC'd 4Runner before I did mine. If I had been able to take a ride in one I'd have done it a LONG time ago.

YES, tuning and proper supporting mods are pretty important, however if you've taken a look at my blog you'll see mine needed very little which was a surprise to me. I ended up adding the extra goodies just because I like to fool with cars and thought it would be a fun project. So my suggestion is to have the funds set aside for the supporting mods, but do the SC first to find out just exactly what your vehicle needs. You might find it needs less than you think, especially if its a later model (2001 - 2002).

Stock my 4Runner was a dog. Honestly the vehicle is just too heavy for a 180HP motor and that was a bad design. The supercharger COMPLETELY remedies that issue. Even with normal throttle application the vehicle has more pickup and more torque making it easier to drive. No more panic maneuvers merging on the free way. I just apply throttle and go.

In my case, the only thing the truck REALLY HAD TO HAVE was timing adjustments. I bolted the SC on then tested it to see what it really had to have as I don't take anyone's word for it. Mine pinged here and there when I tested it in 100 degree weather. I added the URD AIC-T with built in AFR Calibrator and tuned out all the ping. So really, with just timing adjustment and the stock pulley my SC was done. However since I had the ability I figured I'd go ahead and drop in the 7th injector, and since I did that I also added the smaller 2.2" pulley for the extra 30 horses or so. Those items WERE NOT required though. Now, mine may not be typical, but I did test each change with an AFR meter so I know what my car was doing stock and after I supercharged it. All of which is documented on my site.

My vehicle didn't need the upgraded fuel pump either. To this day I run in the 11.5 to 11.8 AFR range at WOT and that's WITH an open deck plate, ISR mod, and 2.2" pulley with 7th injector. I may kiss 12.3 or 12.5 right before it shifts, but I can't tell if that's because of the auto tranny getting ready to shift or what. Maybe Toyota beefed up the fuel system in 2002 models as that's what mine is. I dunno, but mine works and works great.

I don't worry about reliability AT ALL. As a matter of fact with the changes I've made, I believe my particular vehicle runs better than stock. As soon as boost comes on my AFRs drop from 14.7 gradually down to 13.5, and then open loop kicks in and it continues to drop down through the 12s to 11.5 or so. Hell, sometimes I even see it drop all the way down to 11 if I haven't floored it in a while as I guess the ECU gets used to mild driving.

My transmission shifts firm as as well. I had a shop that specializes in these check that out. I was going to have them do the VB upgrade for me and the tech said it didn't need it after we went for a spirited test drive with him driving. I was surprised as it would have been an easy $300 for them (what they charge for the work). After doing more research on the tranny, I found a Supra forum (which uses the same trans) showing how to put shims in the accumulators taking the VB upgrade from a $700 proposition down to mere dollars if you did the work yourself.

See my thread on all this HERE if you want more information on my research.

Also, here's a link to the Supra info as well.

Sorry for the long post, I'm just trying to curtail some of the rumor surrounding the 3.4L SC since apparently most don't take the time to read my blog which details everything.

ninjarunner

I agree with Speedy, i had my S/C with no fuel mods for a year now I'm tuning it more, and it runs awesome. by the way Speedy I have read through all of your stuff and love it. it has helped me do alot of things and recognize what needed to be done first

X-AWDriver

Post some 1/4 mile times since internet racing speculations don't mean much when I can't see or ride in your trucks in person. Bone stock 4th gens with the V6 run just about mid 15 second 1/4 mile times and a basic SC with basic fuel upgrades won't run 16 flat. If I'm wrong then prove it.

What does the basic install do for the stock NA mid 17 1/4 mile times. 50hp isn't going to make a monster diff in quickness and not even a full second in the 1/4 mile would be realized. It takes around another 50 more ponies to move 4000lbs another second in the 1/4 mile unless gearing is thrown into the equation.

Yes,if you are more of a performance geek then of course I'd expect more from the SC but for a basic install the basic 40hp isn't going to do much on a 4000lb vehicle.

The power would be nice but for the SC and proper mods I can't justify adding another $4000+ to my truck when I don't see how it would benefit me except to go faster.



"Anyone who rips on the S/C is a dumb redneck and doesn't have one..... I have it and love it, was it worth the money? Absolutely.. since your asking opinion I wold say to those out there who don't have one to keep there mouths shut unless you had one and took it off for a good reason"

Classy response.


I did own one on my GF's Tacoma and it was nice but I weighed the pros and cons for my Runner and it just didn't make sense when my money will go toward more useable mods for off road. The SC's benefits off road are negligible but towing it would be a big deal.

Yeah,premium fuel cost isn't too big a deal but if gas prices rise (and they will) it might be a big deal. It might boil down to how many miles one drives a year since that at that quoted $7/week would add up to over $350/year and that's not exactly chump change. Even my more realistic miles a year it would cost me another $150/year.

Speedy's had the best and most mature response since he showed proof of his benefits but his is a performance guy's setup and the basic owner isn't going to go as far as he did and even know a thing about tuning one.

I'd still like to see track number's vs a 4th gen's numbers instead of all the bench racing comments.

I'm not trying to be a dick I'd just like to see some educated responses and not over sensitive people acting like I ripped on their sister.

ciscojay

I don't need to drive all the way down to PMI just to give you a timeslip. My co-worker just bought a new 07 limited and wanted me to race him...he thought the same thing. I was 2 car lengths ahead by the time I hit second gear....go hop on Custom Tacos and make the same statement about an s/c 3.4L vs a 4.0. Let me know what you find out. For me, it's not even worth the effort.

X-AWDriver

Racing on the street and at the strip are apples and oranges (does the guy even know how to lauch his truck) and I'd like sombody here to post up some proof even if it takes til summer and we can revive this thread.

Ok,no timeslip then how about a dyno number?

Also what are the diffs between the basic SC setup vs somebody who has time and money for the premium setup? Most SC'd 4Runners in this country don't have nearly what most of you particular members have.

I have a genuine interest in real world numbers and from members here who have made statements.

ciscojay

I dyno'd 141 at the wheels stock, 235 with my mods now...like I said, go over to ttora or customtacos and ask there for ETs

X-AWDriver

Nah,I'd rather hang and get info from people I sorta know from this board and I'll get numbers.

Impressive with the 235 at the wheels and that's good for about a tad under 15 seconds in the 1/4 asl (high 15 at PMI's altitude) so yeah,you'd have a 4th gen V6 by over a half second but the V8 would be a little closer.
A RAV4 would still edge you out tho'.

xcmountain80

Hmmmm.....


Aaron

ninjarunner

I didn't know we were drag racing our rigs, I used my Evo for that before I totaled it, All I know is that with my 35's i was out wheeling climbing a hill in about 10in of snow, WOT for 20 min to get to the top, the boost gauge reading 6PSI the entire time, Yes it used a load of gas, but Heck It was fun. thats what its for, I tow other rigs with mine, the extra Umph from that S/C is worth it's weight in gold when Your yanking a duramax out. Also I named stupid rednecks cause more often then not thats all the replies people give.. "I heard this one time that some guy a friend of mine knew......" Its boring, Like I said for those of us who have the S/C we love it, I have only seen a very small minority that got it and was not satisfied. and just for reference I smoked my buddies stock 2007 FJ cruiser with the 4.0 had him by a couple lengths and we both know how to drive cause we take trips to the track whenever we get the opportunity... not our wheeling rigs but cars that do go fast....