I stayed up until 2am last night installing the SC. Was a little scared to turn it on, but everything seems good. No rattling sounds, no pinging etc. Seems to run like stock except when I smash on the gas. Really hauls ass when I am on the freeway and give it full throttle. I think I will be looking into the 7th injector and the auto transmission upgrade in the near future. I already purchased a transmission cooler kit.

What kind of spark plugs should I be running? What does it mean to have "colder" spark plugs? Any other mods that anyone thinks I should be investing in?

 

In my opinion, Denso IK22s gapped at .043.

 

Do you feel it was worth the cost? I've been wanting to know.

 

^ im sure you know, but unless you add fuel modifications, youre really putting yourself in a difficult situation. and adding all these fuel mods is expensive, almost the same price as the s/c itself.

 

I think they are the best plugs for a supercharger setup. I think they last a lot longer under boost than other plugs. They were recommended to me by guys that know a lot more than I do. I run the Denso iridiums and am happy with the results.

 

Can anyone confirm the gap size? I have been in touch with TRD and they suggested a .032 gap. I recently replaced my spark plugs and now my gas mileage has gone to pot.

 

Sweet! Dude, you have got to get something in there that can retard timing and add fuel, like the FTC or SMT. My 4R is a prime example. I have 10 degrees of timing retard in the ignition map and "5's" at many places in the fuel map - and that's just to rid my engine of audible ping!

At the VERY LEAST you need the Walbro 190, 2-step colder plugs, the free FMU mod, 170 NAPA thermostat, 60/40 water/coolant w/water wetter, EGT guage, and some type of timing/fuel control device.

I am still kicking myself that I didn't go with larger injectors when I had the SC'r off. Oh well, that's next.

BTW, I went with the 2-step colder plugs that URD sells. I am sure the plugs Dave mentioned are excellent as well.

 

Is this the same thing as an Aquamist or am I totally off?

 

Your totally off. This is whats in the radiator.

 

No, as mentioned it's the mixture in the radiator.

60% Distilled water
40% Coolant
1 bottle of Redline Water Wetter

The Water Wetter allows you to run a heavier mix of water than the standard 50/50 ratio. You could theoretically go even more water heavy, but I decided to play it safe even though I live here in PHX. Water Wetter has also been shown in tests to reduce hot spots in the head by improving cooling efficiency in the coolant jackets as well. For $9 its worth it IMO.

 

I see. That's a very confusing name for a liquid you simply add to your radiator

 

TRD does suggest .032 with their 7th injector kit along with IK20 plugs. Stock gap is .043. URD recommends .043. I run .043 with the TRD kit and my truck runs great. If you start getting misfires then narrow the gap a little until the misfire codes stop. You should run the widest suggested gap you can without misfires. In this case----run .043.

 

do i feel it is worth it?, that depends on how much money you have to blow. I had some extra money and I would say the 2K would definetly be worth it, BUT I am still looking at the 7th injector. I put 80 miles on it today F"ing" around. When I stomp on the gas I get some ping and sometimes it feels like I loose power alltogether. I fully loose power at 90MPH also. Its an interesting mod, you get lots of extra power, but you get some hickups in there too. I happen to be in a situation where I have a few grand to throw down on this stuff... The way I look at it is, I may be dead tomarrow so no regrets. I do not have 4x4, with that said, if I did, I would rather spend my money on off road mods. In the future, I think I will try to find an old 4runner 4x4 v6 and play with that.

Can someone explain what "colder spark plugs" are?

 

Huge red flag. Your engine is crying out for fuel and timing mods.

That is a complete leanout due to lack of fuel pressure at sustained WOT runs. Huge red flag there. You are over-running the ability/capacity of the stock fuel pump.

A "colder" plug dissipates heat faster (better) from the spark plug tip, reducing the risk of pre-detonation (pre-ignition).

 

This is a motorcycle site but explains heat range of plugs pretty good.

http://www.dansmc.com/sparkplugs1.htm

 

How involved is it installing the URD kit? It looks fairly straight-forward. Also what companies other than Level 10 are offering valve body upgrades these days. It seems to me that there are other less expensive alternatives that are just as good as Level 10.

I think it's time to upgrade my tranny and fuel system....

 

IPT is awesome for the valve body mod: http://www.importperformancetrans.com/
Cost around $500 or so. I paid $70 to have a tranny shop drop it & re-install (saves a huge mess). Shipping cost was around $120.

If you have a 99 or later Runner... they seem to do better with the SCr. I'm not an expert, but have read a lot. To start with: leave the intake & exhaust stock, run the denso Iridium plugs, free FMU mod, get the check valve installed (correctly), TRD thermostat, coolant check, run the stock 6 psi pulley, turn the ECT on. That's your best bet until you do fuel system upgrades. I have had no issues so far with over 10k miles on it. Fuel mods will come at some point (7th injector).

 

I've been reading the install instructions on mine and it seems pretty easy to install it. URD sends vehicle specific insructions that tell you exactly which wires to cut and which to splice in. The hardest part I guess is the tuning part after the install. If you can follow Mike's 3.4swap instructions this should be a breeze. BTW which of your many trucks has a SCed auto?

 

I'm using Denso IK20 (0.32 gap) with my S/C and things have been running great.

-- Andrey

 

I'm taking my truck in for service next week (180K) and part of that is new sparkplugs. I plan to install a URD kit very soon, will there be any negative affects to installing the URD recommended 2-step colder plugs with just the SC and no URD kit? I already run the 1-step colder Densos FWIW.