so on a 2002 4runner sport, I'm looking to free up a couple of horses and am toying with the idea of doing a completely new exhaust system.

what all peices do I need?

Headers: what kind do you guys recommend?
Cat: anything available other than toyota?
Exhaust: I will probably go with Borla because it's what I am used to, but imput is welcome here as well

anything else I should upgrade, exhaust wise, while I am under there?

thanks!

 

anyone?

 

Hello ski4run. In my opinion, here is how I would answer your questions:

Headers: The general feeling on this forum is that the headers are very hard to install and yield minimal gains on an NA engine. It is more worth it if you are supercharged. If you do decide on getting headers, I've heard that TRD is the best one.

Cat: I would leave the stock Toyota cat installed. It is of higher quality than any aftermarket ones I have seen. I've seen some threads where people have removed the cat only to find a lot more noise and a loss in low end torque. My guess is that Toyota engineered the engine to have the cat as a restriction.

Exhaust: Borla should be really nice especially since they make a whole catback system. I had a magnaflow on mine before and I eventually got tired of the noise and switched back to the stock exhaust. I didn't notice any power difference between stock and with magnaflow. For me it was more of a "feel good" mod for more noise. I heard that if you have a supercharger, you will notice the gains from an exhaust system much more, especially if you upgrade to 2.5" outer diameter pipes.

If I was in your position with money for these mods, I would try and find a TRD supercharger for your 4Runner. The performance should be quite noticeable, and the supercharger will give you the most performance for your dollar.

Just for reference, I have a 1997 4Runner Limited V6 NA.

 

thanks for the info!