2005 4runner Preformance Mods

[Daron-t4r]

Hey, guys. I've had my 2005 v6 4runner for a year now and I love it. However I'd like to juice a little more power out of it, as well as some mileage if possible. I've been looking at muffler systems, as well as air intake systems.

What do you guys recommend? Magnaflow seems to be the most popular, but is that because it is the cheapest? I'd be glad to hear your feedback, and suggestions on the mods.

Thanks

Oh yeah, I also want to put a hood scoop, (hood bulge as my dealership calls it) but is the only way to get a good one to buy a sports edition hood?

 

[Gatafly]

You wont be able to get more power AND better fuel economy. . . . .at least any noticable amount.

 

[Daron-t4r]

You wont be able to get more power AND better fuel economy. . . . .at least any noticable amount.

well honestly the economy is just a bonus, not something i'm particularly seeking

 

[chaz]

imo, performance mods dont mean more mpg. my advise would be to read some of the dozens of threads on catback (single or dual exit) & cai (wet or dry filter) & decide what if anything would be good for you. this is something worth while to consider also. Underdog Racing Development other than the cost of a sport hood, this is the only person ive seen on here with a non oem scoop. its from a mustang. Tiger Wong's 2005 Limited V8 Build - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

 

[Veritas]

I disagree with both of the posters above. You absolutely can gain power AND MPG with specific mods. I know this for a fact as I have done it on my 4runner and have been very successful and have had marked improvements.

I Have a 2008 v6 4wd and I believe the factory states 16 city and 21 highway MPG. I have been averaging 24mpg as of late and that includes a 2 inch lift kit!

When I first got the car I saw roughly 21mpg highway consistently(as stated by factory), I first added the K&N CAI and it jumped my mpg up to around 22.5-23mpg and I absolutely gained horsepower. The next mod I did was adding a Gibson SS exhaust, which is a GREAT system, and that bumped me up to 24mpg highway and this definitely added a small amount of power.

So 21 to begin with and now with these mods AND a lift I am seeing 24mpg. 24-21 = +3mpg where I come from, so I am not sure why the posters above state it is not possible. They are flat out wrong. I wonder how much better my mpg would be had I not added the lift kit, I am sure it would have been higher, as more nose down it was more aerodynamic. However the lift is not going anywhere I LOVE IT!

The caveats I will add to this is that when you first get the mods added:

1. The ECU will take time to correct the fuel/air mixture and at first you may not see a gain but once the fuel curve is corrected you will. (all while having a good plus in power!)

2. When you first install these systems, you WILL be FLOORING it every chance you get, so that doesn't help in the gain category and most people are far too impatient to wait for the fuel curve to correct itself and wait for their lead foot to stop.

3. It will be louder, however not to the point that it is of any annoyance to you or your neighbors, IMO.

I would estimate I gained roughly 5%-10% in HP and torque and I know that I have gained a 12.5% gain in MPG.

So yes, you absolutely can gain MPG AND power. I have and can back that with real world knowledge and experience. :hello: My suggestion is go for it and you wont regret it.

 

[chaz]

ur entitled to ur opinion as is everyone else that has had experience with these things, but good driving habits will lead to better & noticable mpg than any performance mods made. eitherway, i also have them on mine, & for what ever reasons, notice less mpg than before installing them. hmmm, "real world knowledge & experience" i guess ive been living on another planet or in a different dimension for my 40 years of driving.

 

[Daron-t4r]

thanks for the Responces, do you mind sending me a link to the cai and the exhaust system you installed?

I think at this point I'll be searching for aftermarket scoops, seeing as toyota gave me a quote of 800 dollars to order and install a sport edition hood.

 

[chaz]

800 really isnt that bad, in my area i got quotes of 1100 or more. theres a few on this forum that got a painted sport hood at a much less than dealer cost. i think around 500 maybe, if i find the thread ill post it. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/64647-sport-hood-conversion-s-answered.html

 

[Daron-t4r]

Yeah, unfortunately the lightish blue color of my 4runner isn't as common as the other colors, though i"d like to find that color paint.

Also what are the most prevalent differences between these two K&N cai models

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Performa...YOTA&Model=4RUNNER+LIMITED&Engine=4.0L+V6+GAS

 

[chaz]

K&N Cold Air Intake - Best Price & Free Shipping on K and N Cold Air Intakes of the 2 u posted, besides different filters, one has a black plastic tube, the other a metal one. most will say a plastic tube flows cooler air.

 

[Daron-t4r]

ok lastly, what is the favored exhaust manufacturer, magnaflow, flowmaster or borla?

 

[jimithing]

ok lastly, what is the favored exhaust manufacturer, magnaflow, flowmaster or borla?

I don't know the answer to your question but don't forget the TRD catback exhaust since you've got the V6. Technically it's discontinued but you can still find them brand new on Ebay sold by Toyota dealers.

 

[chaz]

depends on whether u want a single or dual setup, two tips or one, straight back or side exit, & how much u can spend. gibson may be the cheapest & borla the most $, magnaflow is pretty popular & can be had for about 400-600 http://www.lmperformance.com/18061/90.html heres the trd http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRD-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item336983e100

 

[snowshredder555]

ok lastly, what is the favored exhaust manufacturer, magnaflow, flowmaster or borla?

IMO, anything that has a straight (if even off set) through design. FlowMaster doesn't have a flow through design...at least if they do, I haven't seen one yet. All of their muffler designs use a baffled system of one sort or another. Just depends upon the tone/ sound their going for. Magnaflo and DynaPro are two of the same type of muffler's...(flow through) When you're shopping around for em' understand that the size of the muffler itself will determine how low of a tone you get. The smaller ones will have a higher pitched tone to them where as the bigger ones will give a more mellow/ deeper tone. I have a MagnaFlow on my 96 Taco with the 2.4L and it's right on the cusp of sounding like a fart can. Put that same muffler on a V6 3.0 and it sounds considerably better...the exhaust pulse has something to do with this as well. I know this because my buddy has a 90 3.0 and we had the same mufllers put on at the same time. I do like his better though.

As far as performance mod's go: If you put CAI on, this will (usually) allow more air to flow into the intake. One of things to consider is where the intake air is actually being drawn from...e.g...if it's an open element with out heat shielding from the engine bay, then what you're gonna get is hot air from under the hood...engine temp will cause this excess heat under the hood. Some one challenge me on this...PLEASE! The cooler the intake air is, the higher the Oxygen content will be. And this is a real factor in how more HP/ TQ is made. If there is a sealed environment/ heat shielding then the CAI should actually draw in the cooler air. It all depends upon how the CAI system was designed and how well it's sealed from the engine compartment's hot air. The cooler the air, the higher the Oxygen content will be for the given amount of air being drawn in. However, the electronic's will compensate for the increase in Oxygen and start to deliver more fuel for said throttle position. So the real increase comes from a denser level of Oxygen be delivered through the intake.

Hey Chaz, I'm not gonna try and challenge your statement of less MPG but I do have a couple of questions. Do you have any before and after info about the CAI and exhaust modification's? Did you change tire size's before or after? Gear's? Did those get changed at all? A roof rack, a new bumper or anything that added any weight to the vehicle? The reason I ask, is cause usually when you increase the air flow to the engine or it's ability to exhale, you should see an increase in it's effiencey If you have some base line figures before you did these mod's, I'd be interested to see if you've done any research or logging of any after mileage information as well. Also, what CAI and exhaust mods have you done or did you go with?

-Ted

 

[Veritas]

ur entitled to ur opinion as is everyone else that has had experience with these things, but good driving habits will lead to better & noticable mpg than any performance mods made. eitherway, i also have them on mine, & for what ever reasons, notice less mpg than before installing them. hmmm, "real world knowledge & experience" i guess ive been living on another planet or in a different dimension for my 40 years of driving.

What CAI and Exhaust did you switch to, creating a less restrictive more free flowing system SHOULD increase MPG....and its spelled "You're and "Your" :wink2:, I figure 40+ years would of taught you that.

 

[chaz]

no problem snow, im not trying to challenge anybody either, i go by what results ive gotten on many vec. over the years as well as what others have said on these forums,u do realize that theres alot of debate & little proof either way, other than butt dyno's, on this forum, 120, & others on whether these kinds of mods do much if anything ( power & mpg wise) worthwhile in cost, over stock which is considered pretty good as is. that said, i cant say that i lost alot of mpg, cause i didnt, but i deffinitely didnt gain any since it was the last thing i installed but over the last year its dropped about 1 mpg. so need for me to make hand calculations, its not that important since i dont drive alot anymore & the 4r gets better than my last vec. here a short list of stuff,, i drive the same every year, 90-95 percent in towns only, i have 265/70/17 mickey thompson atz, borla exhaust, volant cai with sensor calibrator, front raised 2in., sliders, stock gears & bumper. right now the 4r says 12 mpg, the scan gauge 10, hand calculations arent going to tell much more, numbers for me be always be low mostly because of he town/city driving& heavy tires, my whole point was its more how someone drives that gives them more mpg, not performance mods in themselves. imo, most people will have a tendency to drive more aggressive after such mods not more old lady like. gees that seems long, lol

 

[Daron-t4r]

is the TRD catback exhaust straight through? Its on ebay for 500, even though it has been discontinued

 

[chaz]

i was trying to be polite, ur just being an a$$, by the way teritos, (u dont even deserve correct spelling!) theres no reason for ur attitude, please keep it up, cause i hope u get what u deserve & someday get banned it!!

 

[lddrew]

DIESEL SWAP!!!

haha but seriously a little yanmar or equivalent size oil burner would net better mpg's, torque, etc. It's been done in similar sized vehicles many a time

you're not going to get much more out of the v6 gasser. you can do the bolt ons but looking at cost effectiveness you'd be better off using the $$$ for gas

EDIT: nearly free stuff you can do for mileage. make sure air filter is clean, clean the MAF, air up the tires to near max psi, make sure your alignment is spot on

 

[Veritas]

thanks for the Responces, do you mind sending me a link to the cai and the exhaust system you installed?

I think at this point I'll be searching for aftermarket scoops, seeing as toyota gave me a quote of 800 dollars to order and install a sport edition hood.

I installed the K&N with the plastic body of the 2 you posted above. I did not choose the chrome one as it is primarily made for aesthetics and "showing" off, plus I believe it is not as good an insulator/deflector as the plastic tube. (~$200)

The exhaust I chose was the Gibson, for several reasons.

1. It is a straight through design minus the part that goes over the axle, which in my opinion is a must on a 4x4 car and is also how Toyota designed it. It uses a muffler that works primarily in the lower RPM range (2000-4000 RPM) since that is the range most driving is done in. The Magnaflow/Borla work in the higher RPM ranges of 4000+.

2. The Gibson has a straight out the back exhaust pipe and that allows the air to move more freely through the exhaust system than being diverted to the side like the Borla or Magnaflow. Any bend in a pipe will slow the flow of the air.

3. The Borla is a dual exhaust, 1 out each side system and the Magnaflow is an out the side dual tip exhaust. I HATE the Magnaflow dual tip, talk about ugly! Borla makes a good product, but they want to charge you out the ass for it, thanks but I am not building a show car here, it is a daily driver and off road vehicle.

That being said I bought the Gibson also because I got a GREAT price on the Stainless Steal system, I bought it on Amazon for $315 (Amazon.com: Gibson 618707 Stainless Steel Single Exhaust System: Automotive)

I installed it all myself and actually welded the Gibson into a 2 piece system exactly like the factory exhaust and I can remove the entire system by separating the muffler and cat pipe from the back pipe. I took the system out after 2 months of use (to make sure i liked it and saw positive results) and welded it OFF the car and put it back together all welded up in 2 pieces. This served no other purpose outside of me wanting to make it a more solid system with less clamps and it was fun. When I removed the factory exhaust I didn't cut it, I just removed it as the 2 piece system it was. This way I have a full 2 piece factory and full 2 piece Gibson exhaust, no point in cutting what is a perfectly good product.