tooter 2.7 intake manifold spacer...

It doesn't feel anything like a "jump", just a steady low rpm pulling resistance to slowing down under load very much like a tractor engine. Taking off from a dead stop was the most remarkable change. The engine pulls smoothly and steadily from as low as only 400rpm without bucking back or dying.

I agree. The tooter would work fine for pulling trailers, and also for slow off road use, and perhaps rock crawling.

After actually driving with the spacer installed, I want to make it clear that this is definitely is NOT a high performance part. If you like to rev up your 2.7 this part will do nothing for you. It only helps to gain some low end torque. In fact I'll even leave that subjective point open to dispute until everyone can see some actual dyno numbers.

There are still some issues that need to be worked out, but in time I'll figure out ways to address them. But even as it is, I can at least continue to drive it every day for work.

I found the journey from a virtual concept to actual working real world prototype in about a month to be personally satisfying even thought I didn't even make it. The engineers at Origin Design in Santa Monica made the part. I just had the idea.

So this begs the question:

What's next?...

 

This project has made me want to make my own something to help the 2.7

100th post

 

Oh, given enough load or grade, I'm sure it would stall, but on regular roads, just slip the clutch and it gets moving with no gas pedal and without stalling.

And same here... There's simply no point to revving the 2.7. You can feel that. The spacer only makes the engine even more that way.

 

Oh I'm so excited!!!

 

Hey, maybe you'll come up with a product! It's lots of fun. Just think small, and keep your eyes open to what other people are doing with their vehicles. I didn't originate this idea. I just saw what someone else did, and made mine for a different application.

 

A 1" spacer?

I guess it would depend on the dyno numbers and how you feel after driving it a while regarding the torque curve.

Great job on it by the way.

 

Maybe...

When the comparative dyno is complete, we can infer that a one inch spacer would make one half the difference of a two inch.

Thanks...
It's literally been my pleasure.

There's something so intriguing about the creative process itself. The adventure and uncertainty of trying what hasn't been tried before just to see what will happen. It's a total crapshoot.

I've always been totally fascinated with flow engineering even though I have no formal education. (I hated school.) So instead of sitting in classes, I learn by doing my own experiments and gain practical experience through them.

I can't wait to do the dyno runs.
It was unfortunate that I broke the cam position actuator valve assembly, I got one from a junk yard today so I could drive the truck, but it's from a 2009 and not exactly the same part. It might have been calibrated for different ECU information. I have the exact 2012 part on order and won't dyno the engine until it's installed as I want the only variable in this experiment to be the spacer.

Even just driving with the tooter one day I already like it, but that's just because of my frugal economy driving style. It's not the answer for everyone.

Greg

 

"Horsepower sells cars, but torque wins races" - Enzo Ferrari

 

May be just the helpful thing for some people looking to tame their driving habits on a more frequent basis.............

Definitely agree with the "hitting a wall" no more there thing past a certain rpm on the stock 2.7. Maybe the 1" spacer would be a nice compromise to get some mpg as well as training tool for toned down driving. Would save money on gas and increase longevity of the motor.

 

subd

 

Does the 2.7 have a top end past 4000rpms?? It just seems to tapper off in mine.

 

Taken from URD website, this is their Dyno of a stock 2.7L I4.

The bottom two red lines are stock HP and Torque ratings:



So you are quite correct, there is quite the drop off. Tooters stock Dyno should follow a similar trend.

 

Well, that's my honest impression. It ~feels~ like it doesn't have any top end. But then again, the 2.7 didn't have top end before. We'll know for sure on the dyno.

The slow turning industrial 2.7 is an economy engine, and will never be a high performance engine because it was not designed to be one. This is why no one makes "speed" parts for it. Anyone who wants more horsepower simply buys a 4.0.

When I'm driving, the engine hardly ever goes above 3,000 rpm, so the goal of this project is to enhance the normal driving range, and was not intended not to be a high performance product.

The exhaust is an excellent example of the principle of trade off. You can open up your exhaust to get more top end performance out of the 2.7, but you'll give up your low end torque to get it. I found that to be true by my own experience.

 

I was stunned at the first mileage results. They were 4mpg higher than the previous average. But that's a very limited sample. I'm sure that subsequent fill ups will form a more accurate daily driving "real world" mileage profile.

I'll can certainly have 1 inchers made. Again, that isn't my decision to make. It's yours. You guys are the ones who will decide what you want. My part of the deal is to make what you want.

I went with a 2 inch because we can infer what a one inch will do from the dyno results. When you peg both ends, you know what the middle is.

 

Absolutely.

That curve shows the purpose of the design of the 2.7:

Economy.

People who buy it, do so for the better gas mileage. Whose who want more power and speed buy the 4.0.

And look... the normal driving rpm range isn't even on the chart. I'd bet that the stock 2.7's torque curve is really good in the low rpm range of 1,000rpm to 2,500rpm.

 

Yes. From how it feels driving, I believe that it would.

 

The spacer definitely would help to make slow creeping low rpm starts without stalling... but it would be a genuine pain in the ass to take it off and put it back on again. I drove my truck 75 mph on the freeway yesterday and it felt like it normally does. That's only 2,500 rpm which is right in the fat part of the torque curve.

 

subd...don't even own a 2.7 either. Cool stuff.

 

if you are having problems with getting into 1st gear in 4lo then this should make it even worse if hes saying its helping with even lower torque. 1st gear in 4lo is really really low. Starting in 2nd will solve your problems, not buying this.

Also, as tooter has already stated, this isn't really the best test he could've done. He already has a header which is proven to increase a good amount of low end torque and depending on these new dyno numbers, the combination of the header should only increase the numbers that this may produce. If the dyno shows power gains of 5 lbs/tq, it may only be half that gain on a bone stock motor or even less without the assistance of the header and intake.

Im stating this because unless everyone has already replicated what mods Tooter has then there is no data on what will happen without these other mods. Just keep that mind

 

Thanks man my but dyno works then.