Is turbo-charged 4-Cylinder worth it?

Hi all,

How much of a speed difference can I expect if I installed a turbo on my 4-banger? For example, would I be able to beat a stock TRD (Tacoma, not Tundra ) along an empty highway?

Thank you

 

Probably? At the very least, you'd surprise the hell out of them

http://www.lceperformance.com/Turbocharger-Kits-s/1643.htm

 

Thanks for the link! Had no idea where to start even looking for one. Now I have something to go by.

 

If you are looking for speed, you bought the wrong vehicle. Few things are more hilarious than pickup trucks racing each other on the highway.

Save your turbo money and buy a Camaro or Mustang... faster and cheaper.

 

Many have turbo'd the 95-04 4cylinders - KO racing makes a nice, cheap kit to get you started, and the sky is the limit from there.

 

I agree to an extent...nothing wrong with wanting to boost your truck, but you have to maintain realistic expectations. Doing it because you think it'll make you one of the fastest guys on the road will leave you dissapointed and underwhelmed.

But doing it because you love your truck and just want better performance, I see no harm. I love my TRD supercharger but I'm not unrealistic about it. I do love that blower whine though...

 

I apologize, my OP was a bit misleading. I do not wish to build a racing truck, I just want a truck with more oomph. I have crew cab 4-banger, so you can imagine my truck is as slow as a pregnant cow

My reason for wanting a turbo is to match the speed of a stock TRD. I also plan on adding a nice aftermarket front bumper, which will further increase weight and slow my speed, so the turbo will help in that regard as well.

 

You'd be surprised what a set of gears will do. My truck is a fat cow and I mean fat... but she plugs along just fine and keeps up with the v6 trucks... I would personally do a urd supercharger kit more reliable than turbo.. although turbo can become reliable but the whole bolt on appeal is just nice

 

Not quite. Superchargeing is worth it in the case of drivability. Only one catch is you will need to run premium 93 octane fuel for proper operation. Also you may want to keep tabs on your transmission temperature when you increase power. If your Temps are elevated more than they would be normally then it could be a sign of clutch slippage. This only applies if your truck is an automatic. The A340 is a stout transmission but it still has its limits.

 

I emailed one of the engineers, and he said they only sell a specific kit for the 2.7 engines. It's also $5,000.

http://www.lceperformance.com/Supercharger-kit-for-2005-Tacoma-2-7L-2TR-FE-4-Cy-p/7015241.htm

He did say that the RWHP would increase from 117 to about 230-245. Does that sound about right? I'm not calling the dude a liar or anything, so far he's helped me out quite a bit and is very knowledgeable. $5K is just a very big investment, so I want to ensure I'm getting the right product. I've read that the stock TRD has about 278HP. Would it be safe to assume that SC'd 4-banger matches the power of a V6? My ultimate goal is to add a premium aftermarket bumper, some beefy 33's, a premium rear bumper, a 3" lift, and STILL be able to maintain 70 - 80MPH on the highway. Is this feasible, or am I shooting for the stars? A buddy of mine has a four-door Jeep Wrangler (V6), 4" lift, 37's, and an aftermarket bumper... he has trouble reaching 60MPH. I do NOT want that!

 

Anyone? Halp!

 

Buy from Gadget directly. URDUSA.COM
He's good people and has helped me in the past with a fuel system pressure bleed down problem. He nailed it. Of course it was his fuel pump kit I was using.

Like I said the only negative is the fuel you will need to use is 93 or 91 octane.

The biggest question is what are you trying to fix or what's the goal in mind for the truck?

 

Thanks! I'll shoot him an email. Basically I just want to give my truck more power. It's a crew cab, and I actually don't have too much trouble maintaining 80+ MPH on the highway. However, I DO plan on lifting it 3", and adding 33 tires. I also want to add fab fours front and rear bumpers. All of these things combined will definitely take their toll on my little 2.7, so I'm hoping the SC can help my truck improve its power. I DON'T plan on drag racing/off-roading though.

 

It will do quite a bit. Just follow the instructions Gadget provides and you will be good as gold.

 

Id call him a liar, wouldn't feel bad about it. 70% is a good boost. That is still below 200hp. 211% on an engine not rebuilt to handle it? Bad mojo there.

 

How would that be below 200HP? Stock 2.7 has 159HP, so how is a 70% increase still below 200? Doesn't make sense. And what do you mean 211%? Where'd that number come from lol

 

You don't live in California, do you? This freakin state is so uptight about emissions any aftermarket performance mods will cause an automatic SMOG fail. More frustrating, most companies won't even ship here.

 

Yeah if you're in California you're really only able to do the TRD supercharger if you can get your hands on one. At least until Magnunson gets their's 50 state certified.

 

His post, 117 rwhp to 230-245. 70% increase would be 198 rwhp. Rear wheel hp, not crank hp. To get 245 to the wheels he needs around 300hp at the crank. On a stock engine you would shortly have a real nifty collection of oil coated shrapnel. If the engine survived, odds are the tranny wouldn't.

 

Did he regear his speedometer after 37" tires? if not, thats why he cant get to 60 MPH not because of anything wrong with his truck