Is The Trd Supercharger Worth It On My 3rd Gen?
 

I got 100k on my 97ltd and like everyone else I would like more power and better mpg, I wonder if the supercharger is worth it, at $2500 it better be.
:think:

Personally, I don't think the trucks are fast even with a supercharger. So the sacrafice of reliability and money for a little more power isn't enough for me. IMO.

It will still not be considered fast but it is THE most noticable mod you an do to your truck.
I wouldn't pay $2500 for the S/C....get one new on ebay for $1800 if you are patient.

If I can put together that kind of spare cash I will be getting one too.
My new OME suspension stuff came first because mine was SHOT!

Well, the reason I sold my 97 and got the 99 was for the Charger, Headers & CAT to be installed all under Toyota warranty. I've enjoyed the Charger so much that I wouldn't consider selling it unless my next Toyota/Lexus had the Charger as a minimum. I had my 99 up against the new V8 and just walked away from it. The occasional meet with a guy driving his V8 mustang off the lights always seems to worth something to me; if I added all those times up the Charger owes me nothing!

For a speed fix I ride my street bike, for everyday driving this 4Runner is fast enough for me and worth every penny I've spent on mods.

Actually just waiting for my local Lexus dealer to get up to speed on the Charger install into the GX (4-Runner of Lexus world), after that looks like I'm jumping the fence! Might have to wait 3~6 months….. 

Well there's my two bits worth.

Tom.
:D

I don't think the point is to make them fast as make them easier to overall drive better. An extra 70hp makes merging,passing and pulling hills with alot less downshifting (for us 5 speed owners) much easier and makes daily driving nicer. An SC does shave almost a full second off the 0-60mph pull and that's a big increase;if you've ever driven a charged Runner you'd really see the diff.

My next Runner will be charged as 150whp just isn't enough for a 2 ton vehicle.

More Power Yes! Better gas mileage ??? (not me) And, I have no driveability issues at all, (I am at 5k feet though) it's just as reliable as stock.

Just do it! I actually have a friend selling his complete with all the fuel mods...let me know if you are interested.

If that is the price installed then that is not a bad price. I got the
Charger + 7th Injector Kit off e-bay for $2999 and installed it myself.
($1999 for the charger + $1000 for the Injector Kit)
I purchased it from Toyota of Goldsboro and was very happy with
their service. They shipped it the same day I ordered it. They also
sold me the TRD air filter and Iridium plugs at their cost. Their Internet
Manager JJ Miller is a great guy.

Was it worth it? Well... I love the extra power. Did I really need it?
probably not but I'm sure it will help when I have 3500 extra pounds
of boat attached to my rear.

Is it really fast? That depends on what you compare it to. It is much
faster than most other trucks and SUV's on the road. In the quarter
mile it is still a little slower than my stock 5th gen Prelude.

I think it depends on what you are comparing it to. Mine would get smoked by my Celica, but my runner will smoke many other cars at the same time.

The S/C is the mod that I love most. It definately makes a difference! I am 4,500 ft above sea level and only get the occasional ping. I am hoping to get that figured out this summer.

Its worth it IMHO! :guitar:

Totally agree my 97 drove me nuts with the lack of get up and go. I've owned 6 new Toyota's since 89 and this 4 Runner is the only one that I've kept for more then 3 years. I am also @4,000 Ft where I live and found that the headers pretty much solved my ping issue. Occasionally I drop 1/2 gallon of Toluene into my tank and that really helps response and poor gas quality.

I don't think it's worth it with all the other mods and tuning you have to do. Not to mention having to run premium fuel. Plus, it's hell on your engine and drivetrain.

I think a lot of it depends on how wealthy you are...

FYI, I've got allmost to the 100,000 mile mark with my charger and zero issue's with tranny or the engine as a matter of fact I think the engine runs better now then when it was new... its a Toyota.
:roll:

It's 70+ more HP, so it's quite a bit more than what you have now. It _is_ noticable, and it's a lot of fun. :)

Mileage wise... You'll spend the first 1000 miles with your foot to the floor as you break away from every stoplight in town. You'll pull up behind someone on the freeway and feel the surge as you step on it and blow by them in no time. That will kill your gas mileage.

Once that fun moves away from being a fulltime obsession, then a lot of folks say that they do get better gas mileage. It's because the engine is breathing more and producing more power with less RPM's.


Cost wise... Like other's have said, $2500 for the hardware is pricey, $1800 on eBay is common. but...

...read through the forum about folks that have had nasty issues with the S/C leaning out at the top end. This can really be bad for an engine. There are generally two ways of "fixing" this... One is too swap out the fuel pump with a higher delivery model, replacing all the injectors with ones that can deliver more fuel, and add a piggyback computer to manage the new fuel flow. The other way is to add Toyota's 7th injector system.

Both methods have positive documented results, both are valid, both have their pluses and minuses. When it's all said and done, the cost is about the same - figure $1000.

Then... Depending on how you plan to drive that new power, you may (i.e., SHOULD) get the transmission valve body upgraded to something that can deliver more fluid pressure into the tranny. With the added power, your transmission will tend to slip a lot easier when you jump on it, or when you pull a load (i.e., anytime you add strain). If you don't do something now to "fix" this, then you'll be spending money later to repair the damage.

A valve body upgrade is about $600+ and your rig will be down for at least 4-5 days. (you'll need to pull out the valve body and ship it out of state. It gets reworked and shipped back to you, then you reinstall it)


One more thing... When you run an S/C, _in general_ you should ALWAYS run premium fuel (91+ octane) through it. This is a cost that will keep on costing you. :)


In short... the S/C is a lot of fun, but there's more to it than just the basic hardware.

I've had my s/c since I got my rig. So far I have driven about 26,000 miles and have had zero issues with the tranny or engine. Yes it is expensive but the fun you'll have with it is totally worth it. When I tow my boat I have zero problems as oppose to before the s/c.

I'm sayin I'd rather take the (at least 3 grand) that i'd be spending to make the 4runner adequate for a supercharger, and go buy a real "toy" that I can rag out, not my daily driver. If I lived up higher than Denver or towed regularly, I might consider it. I'd probably also be considering a beefed up tranny at the same time. Even with a supercharger, as someone else said, his little honda is still quicker. Good bang for the buck no doubt, and we're fortunate they're available. But if i'm gonna blow 3-4k, I'm going to buy me a whole other type of fun (bike/4wheeler/car), not take a second off my 1/4 mile time and a good amount of life off my reliable daily.

Thank you all for your advise, it sounds like it will be a lot of fun but costly, I'm going to think about it, in the end I might just get something faster and keep the 4runner for weekend trips, I especially don't like the part where you have to put premium gas , here in CA I will go broke doing that with gas prices these days.

Like I said $1800 will get you a S/C and then you need either the 7th injector or the URD kit to prevent any pinging. After that you will be fine to run regular pump gas.

Really lucky...
 

Or, if you're really lucky, you can snag a S/C for $1200, hehe.

Zach

Inquiring minds want to know :cheers: ..... please....

Or is you are really, really lucky you can snag one for $900...he he (used from another yotatech head)