Cheap Upgrades to Gain HP and Torque

maineah · Apr 10, 2011

K&N filters do a shitty job of filtering and if you oil them you'll kill your MAF.

Doug2000 · Apr 10, 2011

Irish020 said: ↑

I've run higher octane in my '05 Taco with 4.0 since I bought it...if you look closely at the statistics the engine was "detuned" in horsepower and torque after '05...We also have a '04 4-Runner w/ 4.0 that we run the higher octane in...
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The motor was not detuned, it has been basically the same motor since 05. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) changed how the Hp and Torque was measured. The 245hp motor is still a 245hp motor, just measures differently at 236hp.
On a chassis dyno, they would measure the same.

YeahYeah · Apr 10, 2011

BabyT[OP] initial post: ↑

Im lookin for simple upgrades(cold air intake etc.) also what can i add to gain a good sound out of the engine
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straight exhaust

Sleeper362 · Apr 10, 2011

whippersnapper02 said: ↑

There is always a base map that is programmed into the factory ECU. From there the ECU can make the necessary adjustments it needs to run at peak efficiency since every engine will run slightly different. If there was no base map at all the engine would not run because the ECU wouldn't know what to do with any fuel.
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There is always a base map, but without resetting your ECU by removing the positive lead from your battery for about ten minutes or resetting it with a scanning tool your computer will most likely not refer back to that map without something like ceaseless engine knock or overheating for a long period.

Tom0662 · Apr 10, 2011

Sleeper362 said: ↑

Me and my neighbor changing the blower belt on my car

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Nice. I have wanted to put one on mine since they day I bought it and that was 2002. Oh, not the belt, but a blower, or preferably a Kenne Bell

Sleeper362 · Apr 11, 2011

Tom0662 said: ↑

Nice. I have wanted to put one on mine since they day I bought it and that was 2002. Oh, not the belt, but a blower, or preferably a Kenne Bell
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Belt changes on KB cars is much easier but still a bitch. Go turbo, but don't buy a kit. Buy a nice mig welder and all the mild steel piping you will need. Even if you outsource the turbo headers and you buy a Procharger intercooler, the cost of the kit will be less than half if you weld up the piping yourself, even less than that if you do a single turbo. Nice head units are less than $1000, you could even find like a GT42R for $900.

396tears · Apr 11, 2011

seems to me acdronin sure spends a lot of time and money
trying to make a 4x4 go faster
however
he is really going to save money if his oil changes last 3000k miles

acdronin · Apr 11, 2011

396tears said: ↑

seems to me acdronin sure spends a lot of time and money
trying to make a 4x4 go faster
however
he is really going to save money if his oil changes last 3000k miles
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???

808matt · Apr 11, 2011

acdronin said: ↑

To the OP, look, this is physics really, these trucks are heavy with an engine that IMHO is somewhat underpowered to begin with so yes, like you, I sought out more HP and torque. What I learned along the way is having to separate fact from fiction and marry it to reality. My truck with two dudes in it and a half-tank of gas comes in right about 5000lbs, that's ALOT of vehicle to get up and make boogie. So right there is reality, this ain't a sports car and it's not a V8, without an SC, it's not going to do 12 sec 1/4 miles. Then it's what do you want to do with that power? If the answer is to drive fast, then good luck when it comes to any sudden turns, get a sports car, you'll live longer. Me, I wanted to have enough on tap to get up to freeway speeds quickly, pass quickly and pull the occasional heavy trailer. The insurance is too fucking expensive to drive fast anyways. So after MUCH research and having run across a few bogus claims along the way, here's what I did, it's still a work in progress but so far it's made DEFINITE improvements:
1. URD MAF Calibrator, this will salvage your gas mileage after you put on a Cold Air Intake like the 63 series K&N that I put on. Be prepared to solder onto the wiring harness behind your glove box, price $212.00 shipped.
2. Cat back exhaust, three inch stainless steel, nice exhaust note, minimal gains but I think I will gain more when I put on the shorty headers and Y pipe. $800 or so.
3. Be realistic, I dropped about 1400-1500 plus the hours to put everything on and I still have a ways to go. I don't want to spin the tires and I would rarely ever need to go 110, but when I do it gets me there quicker than stock.
I will probably end up dropping around another grand+ to get the shorty headers and Y pipe bought and installed, at that point I will have gotten all of the available power out of that engine short of a SC. I put in the best plugs and change the oil every 3000K religiously with only synthetic oil. My philosophy is simple, make it as easy as possible for the engine to breathe and don't do anything that will possibly wreck it or piss off the ECU.
Bottom line my truck hauls ass for a 5000 lb, six cylinder truck. Yeah, it was worth it. To any Taco owners that don't think (therfore don't have), that the CAI and cat-back exhaust add HP and torque, I will GLADLY race you for pink slips!
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so you went from an underpowered truck to a truck that "hauls ass" just by installing a intake filter, URD maf cal. and catback exhaust?

acdronin · Apr 11, 2011

808matt said: ↑

so you went from an underpowered truck to a truck that "hauls ass" just by installing a intake filter, URD maf cal. and catback exhaust?[/QUOT
For a 5000lb truck, yeah, it hauls ass when i want it to. I,ve got 285/75/17 snow tires on it so spinning tires is out of the question. The kicker was that I put the CAI and intake on first and watched my MPG go to hell. The MAF thingy corrected that, it's basically back to where it was prior to the CAI. It was the CAI that made the biggest difference, throttle response is much quicker, with the throttle wide open it just keeps pulling and pulling with no end in site.
It is my feeling that there really is going to be a little more on tap when I put on the shortys and Y tube, the stock shit has all these funky angles and there is a factory crimp in the Y pipe. Gas dynamics is not all that different from fluid dynamics which is what my job is. The smoother the pipe run, the less turbulence which means less back pressure. I've read a lot of posts from people here about how CAI's, exhausts and the MAF thingy is a waste of money, okay, everyone is entitled to their opinion, I go by what I know, the throttle response is quicker and the truck goes faster, period.
oh yeah, the exhaust note is nice, I jumped in my truck this morning at safeway, fired her up and set off a car alarm two spaces down from me this morning. Parking garages are fun too.
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396tears · Apr 12, 2011

acdronin said: ↑

???
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3000 x 1024(1k) = over 3 million miles between oil changes

LOL

acdronin · Apr 12, 2011

396tears said: ↑

3000 x 1024(1k) = over 3 million miles between oil changes

LOL
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LOL ok I get it

Irish020 · Apr 12, 2011

Doug 2000 - Thanks for that explanation.....I had previously been misinformed apparently about the explanation for the decrease in reported bhp and torque. We had a '94 4-Runner...we fondly called "The Lead Sled", but it was a reliable hauler...we now have a '04 4-Runner with the 4.0 and love it! Much better powered and they are just so darned reliable!!!

06TRDZombieHunter · Apr 14, 2011

acdronin said: ↑

808matt said: ↑

so you went from an underpowered truck to a truck that "hauls ass" just by installing a intake filter, URD maf cal. and catback exhaust?[/QUOT
For a 5000lb truck, yeah, it hauls ass when i want it to. I,ve got 285/75/17 snow tires on it so spinning tires is out of the question. The kicker was that I put the CAI and intake on first and watched my MPG go to hell. The MAF thingy corrected that, it's basically back to where it was prior to the CAI. It was the CAI that made the biggest difference, throttle response is much quicker, with the throttle wide open it just keeps pulling and pulling with no end in site.
It is my feeling that there really is going to be a little more on tap when I put on the shortys and Y tube, the stock shit has all these funky angles and there is a factory crimp in the Y pipe. Gas dynamics is not all that different from fluid dynamics which is what my job is. The smoother the pipe run, the less turbulence which means less back pressure. I've read a lot of posts from people here about how CAI's, exhausts and the MAF thingy is a waste of money, okay, everyone is entitled to their opinion, I go by what I know, the throttle response is quicker and the truck goes faster, period.
oh yeah, the exhaust note is nice, I jumped in my truck this morning at safeway, fired her up and set off a car alarm two spaces down from me this morning. Parking garages are fun too.
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I agree with the fluid dynamics being like gas... or vise versa. Im getting Y-pipe and exhaust from there back done this weekend. I would advise researching or crunching some numbers so that you maintain some back pressure.. Our exhaust systems need some to maintain a good low end torque number and you dont want to ruin the scavenging effect by putting huge piping and slowing the velocity of the gases. Good luck!
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