Since it appears TRD have abandoned the SC for my 03 V8, I have limited options.

They are :

* Unichip

Has dyno data in a 4x2 that may produce 17 hp at the wheels at 4500 rpm
and about 25 lb ft. Torque looks most interesting as there is a potential for a constant 20 lb ft starting at 1200 rpm or so and peaking at around 5000 rpm.

* KN filter charger/cold air

Now with data that suggests a a handful of hp (up to 9 hp) unlike the one Gadget tested on his early V6

* Cat back

I have a custom now but perhaps a decent Magnaflow or Borla may net 5 rwhp.

At best, I may expect 25 rwhp.

Hardly seems worth the price.

Am I missing something ??

Thanks

David

 

If I had the V8, I would look at exhaust first. Those sound mean opened up. I would then look at the intake and see what I could do. The unichip sounds kind of hokey to me. But I guess it could be legit.

 

If I had a V8, I wouldn't even be looking for performance mods

 

I had the k&n aircharger intake, along with a magnaflow muffler ... not sure the muffler did much for performance, but the intake certainly did!!

 

There is a guy on the Tundrasolutions forum who put JBA Headers on his 4.7 V8 Tundra. I think he has an '02 so it's the non-vvt-i engine obviously. His dyno's (at the rear wheels) increased from 204 HP/271 TQ to something like 220 HP and 302 TQ. I believe that was with a cheap muffler set up as well (something like a spintech sportsman XL muffler). Those are significant increases IMHO - especially considering that's at the rear wheels. When you consider drive train loss, at the fly wheel those increases are probably like 20 HP and 35 TQ. JBA headers are pricey, but you get what you pay for in all honesty.

 

yes becuase adding HP increases per part is exacly how it's done

 

hop in a 4cyl or v-6 for a few weeks, then get back in your ride......best mod ever lol

 

A proper header with cats, and cat back system would work well. If you add a CAI to it and have a proper shop tune the Unchip for your setup you can expect some real good gains out of the V*. It is ratehr restricted in stock forms.

That said, fitting headers will be a major excercise for the V8 in the 4Runner.
Also I'm not a big supporter of CAI for people who plan to take it offroad.

 

nope. the bolt-on holy trinity for car performance is headers/intake/exhaust. chip isnt worth it, unless you turbo or supercharge. more hp wont do you any good at high speeds...your truck doesnt need that much more to maintain a constant speed, and if you are looking to jump from 70-90mph, you shoudlnt be driving anyway.

its not worth the price for something so little, and at this point, what you really only want is torque, which you cant really get that much more of unless trd does put out that supercharger. looks like you're gonna have to settle for that 'measly' v8.

 

Err... No.

I did not say that ..

Read my sig, I have experience with modding vehicles.
I am not putting a "300 hp" Carbon Wing on 1.6L Honda Civic

Plus, if I added all the gains I listed I would get more like 31 rwhp

Follow along now...

Unicip 17 + Filter 9 + Cat back 5 = 31 rwhp

So, as I am not a rookie, and I do have experience, I guestimated my best possible outcome with all three mods to be 25 rwhp.

As I am sure you know, engine management mods and or Supercharging/forced induction of some sort works best with other breathing mods, both air in and exhaust out as if you are trying to burn more fuel, you need more air to do it and you need to get the exhaust out to allow that.

So, given the unichip could net me 17 rwhp, its not unreasonable to suggest that with an intake and cat back mod, 25 rwhp is possible. Probable ?
Thats what I am hoping to find out before I spend the money.
I know what I have done before works, I spent the money and have the proof. I also know what does not work and what claims are just plain fake.

Thanks again for your valuable and well thought out input in this thread.

David

 

You are spot on with the torque thing.

That is the only reason the unichip caught my eye.

The SC on the V6 I had always seemed to perform better than the raw rwhp numbers and that was due to the fact that the SC really hit the torque curve early and by a significant amount. Torque can really be felt at ALL road speeds. It made the truck much more pleasant to drive around town as it had a 'lazier' feel to it.

As for why I want to do anything ??? We are all here because we want to in some way make a stock vehicle suit our particular needs. I have a job at a Ski Resort and commute 425 mile round trip every weekend in the season.

Over half of that is on two lane roads where the ability to pass safely is all about 50-70 mph acceleration. I rarely go over 75 mph even on the Interstate. I leave that to folks that want tickets and allow me to drive without catching anyones eye. Over 10 years of making the trip, 80 mph on the Interstate leads generally to 20 mins on the side of the road and a donation to one of Virginia's wonderful local authorities
Although the V8 is punchy, it lacks the raw accelration that the SC'd six had in that critical 50-70 mph range and even dropping one or two gears , really does not help.

An extra 10 hp will not help, an extra 25 rwhp with over 20 lb ft of torque from 1200 rpm should help in real terms even in a heavy truck.

But, as I have concluded, nothings free and nothing will really give me the bang for the buck the SC would.

David

 

Well, you can trade it in for an 04 V8.

I guess I'm glad I put my supercharger on just after I bought it. I have had the supercharger pulley replaced under warranty.

So you guys are saying there are no more 4th gen TRD superchargers out there? I got mine from a dealer who posted it on ebay.

Of course, after you mod the 4Runner for more power you'll be on the "gas mileage" thread complaining with me. I have to use 93 octane fuel, only get 13 mpg, and each fill-up costs $40.

Pitchar

 

Seriously considering it.

E

 

After about a year of working on this, it's now avail for all year V8 4Runners.

This intake is great quality and does what it says.

Link:

4th gen volant intake - V8 only

After ordering, about 2 weeks before it will ship, these are being built to order, and isn't going to be a mass produced item yet, this is a good thing.

This is an idea of what it will look like, this is from a Nissan Titan, but will give you an idea.



Link:

4th gen volant intake - V8 only

For wanting numbers, Boost of 16hp and 14-16lbs of torque with a 1-1 1/2 mpg increase.

 

Double check the UNICHIP claims. They usually claim crank HP using a chassis dyno...

Our MAF Sensor Calibrator ususally hits at least 15 RWHP on a totally stock engine and much more on modified vehicles, and you can retune it yourself everytime you add another performance mod so you can extract the greatest possible gain. End user tunability is the thing that any true performance junkie should look for. Using a calibration that is done on one vehicle in portland may perform very differnet on YOUR truck somewhere else especially when you factor in the individual error rates of the MAF sensors and the different base ECU calibrations programmed into the ECU at the factory. The only way you can truely account for all of this is to tune YOUR vehicle with YOUR performance mods.

URD has a supercharger kit for the Tundra V8, we are about to release one for the 1GR in the Tacoma that on my truck gets the rear wheel HP over 300, and we are working on one for the 03+ V6 and V8 4Runners.

Gadget

www.URDUSA.com

 

Free mods I did to my 2UZ Toyotas that butt dyno responded well to:

- Leave the 75 lb. spare and 15 lb. tool kit home, take Fix-A-Flat

- Run Premium fuel

- Inflate tires to 40 psi

- On my UZJ-100's, I'd leave the 125 lb. 3rd row seats home

I never put a watch on those changes, but noticed about a 1-2 mpg improvement.