2010+ TRD Supercharger

I'd like to see a SC, period. I'm tempted to just go to East Coast Gear Supply instead to help out with my "towing problem". Btw, if anyone has any experience with a 4.56 package I'd love to hear it, especially with respect to the 98% of the time I'm not towing.
 
Thanks! I had read harper7's install of the 4.56 gears and the rest of the thread but haven't found much feedback on things like gas mileage, driveability, etc. One post I read did mention they were probably "too much" for stock sized tires, but that was about it.

Right now I think I probably need to have more patience. If Toyota ever comes out with the supercharger, then stock gearing will probably be fine for towing. My assumption is that I'll probably get better gas mileage with stock gears and supercharging than with 4.56 gears (also assuming I drive conservatively, which I usually do). Thoughts on gears vs. supercharging?

cheers,
 
Thanks! I had read harper7's install of the 4.56 gears and the rest of the thread but haven't found much feedback on things like gas mileage, driveability, etc. One post I read did mention they were probably "too much" for stock sized tires, but that was about it.

Right now I think I probably need to have more patience. If Toyota ever comes out with the supercharger, then stock gearing will probably be fine for towing. My assumption is that I'll probably get better gas mileage with stock gears and supercharging than with 4.56 gears (also assuming I drive conservatively, which I usually do). Thoughts on gears vs. supercharging?

cheers,

I cant really speak to the effects on gas mileage of re gearing this particular platform, but it wont be anywhere near the hit supercharging an engine will be.

Re gearing you will be running a higher RPM at a given speed assuming the same size tire. More RPMs=slightly more fuel consumption.

Supercharging the engine you are adding a substantial amount of parasitic drag, especially with a roots type blower such as the TRDs. Couple this with increased fuel demand of a forced induction engine, and your mileage is going to take a substantial hit. In most cases adding any type of forced induction will require larger fuel injectors and a larger fuel pump. This is due to needing to run a richer air fuel ratio than a naturally aspirated application in order to combat pre detonation. I'm not really sure what the TRD setup comes with for fuel mods but it is likely an inline booster pump, or a larger pump and possibly larger injectors. Also, there's the issue of wear and tear on your engine internals. Towing a trailer you are putting substantial strain on the engine already. Adding a supercharger is going to increase that exponentially. It is not a very good option for towing in my opinion. If I were regularly towing anything more than my 5x8 utility trailer packed full of motos, I would be looking at a different tow vehicle honestly.
 
My assumption is that I'll probably get better gas mileage with stock gears and supercharging than with 4.56 gears (also assuming I drive conservatively, which I usually do). Thoughts on gears vs. supercharging?

are you concerned with actual MPG? or are you more concerned with money paid at the pump?

If the latter, keep in mind that most FI/tune combos will require higher octane than regular/87. I can't see this application being any different - 91 or 93 minimum is likely if it ever becomes available.
 
I have a serious feeling that the total costs (the S/C, plus injectors, plus FI pump, plus installation, plus 91 oct fuel, plus significantly decreased mpg (I KNOW how I'll drive it)) would be far more dramatic than anyone here expects. Plus, I'd certainly upgrade my EW.

In my mind, this cost would be better applied to a trade for a new GX460.
 
I have a serious feeling that the total costs (the S/C, plus injectors, plus FI pump, plus installation, plus 91 oct fuel, plus significantly decreased mpg (I KNOW how I'll drive it)) would be far more dramatic than anyone here expects. Plus, I'd certainly upgrade my EW.

In my mind, this cost would be better applied to a trade for a new GX460.

This is true if I was choosing between two brand new vehicles, but I would lose my ass if I sold my 4runner now and bought a newish 460. It has crossed my mind.
 
Good points, all. Several of you nailed it, pointing out that the 4runner isn't the best tow vehicle around. Unfortunately, my wife informed me we were getting a travel trailer several months after I bought the 4runner. I tried to get a travel trailer that would tow acceptably and ended up with a 3200lb(dry), ~4k(full) trailer. The main problems with towing are the hills, headwinds and resulting transmission temps observed on the scan gauge. (Yes, I tow in "S").

I'm not super willing to trade in the 4runner for a better tow vehicle. First, I love the runner for everything else. It fits my needs perfectly. Second, I feel like the financial hit is unacceptable. Anything I can imagine that tows better than the 4runner is significantly more expensive (GX460), or is just a worse all-around vehicle (Ram 1500, 3.0 diesel). So, I'm okay with spending a bit to make it tow better. However, I'd like to keep the daily driveability.

Some Taco forums report their mpg stays about the same, depending on driving style. This anecdotal reporting makes a SC attractive to me. On the other hand, I'm still waiting to see a SC for sale. 4.56 gears I can get right now...but is it going to be annoying driving around 600rpm higher everywhere? and how's it going to affect my mpg on a daily basis. AND how much is it really going to tow better?
 
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The main problems with towing are the hills, headwinds and resulting transmission temps observed on the scan gauge.

What kind of temps were you seeing and how soon were you seeing them?

I tow a boat in the summers which is near the maximum tow limit. I have wondered if I need a transmission cooler (I have one currently sitting in my Amazon wishlist). I don't have any hills on my route (20ish miles) and I keep it under 60 mph. I would never attempt to get on the interstate or travel very far.
 
I may be able to shed a little light on the re-gear. I have been driving daily my runner since the re-gear. I have 4 months (got it back end of November) on it and can tell you with the 33” tires I’m running and all my armor, lift etc, I am sitting at about 13mpg for town driving (fillups near 19 Gal at 250 miles or so). I get slightly better on the road if I stay under 72-75MPH. Once I go over that I’m back down to 13. If I drive near 70 I get 15MPG. I have gotten used to it and don’t think about it much. I love driving my truck everywhere. Hills are great, wheeling is great but I can’t really answer your q about towing because I tow infrequently and when I do it is usually something between 1k-2k but it does feel a lot better. No scan guage numbers here for you though. With the weight, tires and lift on it I think the gearing is much improved (even before the winch, front bumper and sliders it felt really sluggish to me - not anymore)! I wouldn’t go back. That is my opinion and experience. Honestly difficult to tell you if you had a stock truck what it would do (I’m guessing the gearing would really feel low). With all my additions it made sense to me. Without them, I’m not as sure.
 
What kind of temps were you seeing and how soon were you seeing them?

I have seen temps up to 210-220 and depends on conditions, for 10-15 minutes at a time. Temps can climb from a normal 170 to 210 in just a couple of minutes. For example, climbing the hill from the Hoover dam up to Boulder City the temps got pretty high, 210-ish (outside temp was in the 70s).

I'm not exactly sure where the temps are measured though. I think it's more like a "spot" temperature as compared to the overall temperature of all the transmission fluid because temps drop quickly after cresting the hill. Also, you can see the temps jump 5-7 degrees in 1-2 seconds after the transmission unlocks, which makes me think it's just a reading from the highest temp location vs. the fluid in the pan. BTW, I've never seen my transmission temp light come on (which I believe is around 247 degrees or something ridiculous).

Anyway, I'd highly recommend installing a cooler. It took my a couple of hours, including adding more fluid to the transmission.
 
I'm not exactly sure where the temps are measured though. I think it's more like a "spot" temperature as compared to the overall temperature of all the transmission fluid because temps drop quickly after cresting the hill. Also, you can see the temps jump 5-7 degrees in 1-2 seconds after the transmission unlocks, which makes me think it's just a reading from the highest temp location vs. the fluid in the pan.
There are 2 temp sensors. 1 that is pan temp. 1 that is converter temp. You're reading the converter temp.

I went over 441 from Gatlinburg to Cherokee last New Years Day and got up to 228 converter temp, 199 pan temp. ~40 deg ambient. Just left it 5th and let the ECU do its thing to see what would happen. It stayed in 5th with the TC unlocked all the way up. :) Not towing anything. The coolant temp didn't budge a bit though.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend installing a cooler. It took my a couple of hours, including adding more fluid to the transmission.
How much did your cooler reduce temps?
 

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One of my favorite roads to drive! i'm actually going to our family Cabin in Gatlinburg in 2 months! and i have my scan gauge in the truck with me this time, so i'll get some readings too but i'll probably use 4th gear mostly.

PS: If any of you want to rent the place, it's called Elk Horn Lodge on Patriot Getaways website :)
 
Bimrunner, thanks for sharing your experience. In addition, I talked with East Coast Gear Supply and they kinda steered me away from re-gearing. Without more mods, armor, bigger tires, etc. I'd probably be unhappy with 4.56 gears. If 4.10 or 4.30 options existed I feel like I'd be sitting pretty, but until then I guess I'll sit on my hands.

cheers,
 
JeremyB, unfortunately I didn't install my scan gauge prior to installing the trans cooler. I've had dreams of building charts and spreadsheets of data but inertia (of doing nothing) took over. In my defense, installing a trans cooler was the first thing I did as soon as the wife informed me we were getting a travel trailer.

You wouldn't happen to know the code for the scan gauge to read the pan temperature, would you?
 
One of my favorite roads to drive! i'm actually going to our family Cabin in Gatlinburg in 2 months! and i have my scan gauge in the truck with me this time, so i'll get some readings too but i'll probably use 4th gear mostly.

PS: If any of you want to rent the place, it's called Elk Horn Lodge on Patriot Getaways website :)
Yeah, 4th is the way to go :)

That cabin is swanky! We stayed in a 4BR cabin over New Years, but it wasn't as nice (or expensive :D) as yours

JeremyB, unfortunately I didn't install my scan gauge prior to installing the trans cooler. I've had dreams of building charts and spreadsheets of data but inertia (of doing nothing) took over. In my defense, installing a trans cooler was the first thing I did as soon as the wife informed me we were getting a travel trailer.

You wouldn't happen to know the code for the scan gauge to read the pan temperature, would you?
I use Torque + my phone, so logging stuff is a breeze.

I think the SG pan temp is:

TXD 07E02182
RXF 046105820000
RXD 2808
MTH 00090005FFD8

Taken from: The Shiba Cruiser by Pale Rider... - Page 33 - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum
 
Yeah, 4th is the way to go :)

That cabin is swanky! We stayed in a 4BR cabin over New Years, but it wasn't as nice (or expensive :D) as yours

We were there for New Years too! but i flew down that time so i played with my moms AWD GS in that snow!
 
I think the SG pan temp is:

TXD 07E02182
RXF 046105820000
RXD 2808
MTH 00090005FFD8

Taken from: The Shiba Cruiser by Pale Rider... - Page 33 - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum
wow. never knew this. according to that post, the code for the transmission torque converter temperature is:
TXD 07E02182
RXF 046105820000
RXD 3808
MTH 00090005FFD8

while the code for the transmission pan sensor is:
TXD 07E02182
RXF 046105820000
RXD 2808
MTH 00090005FFD8

where is the temp sensor reading from using the "General CANSF" code? which is:
TXD 07E021D9
RXF 032180000000
RXD 2810
MTH 00070064FE70

Toyota/Lexus/Scion Specific : Linear Logic : Home of the ScanGauge

i'm not sure which one i punched in when i set mine up. :shrug:
 

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