Captain, we'll going to need more power

  • Thread starter Thread starter Carolina Roscoe
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Carolina Roscoe

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Looking at posts, it is obvious that this forum has some very smart, well informed, ingenious, problem solving, creative individuals who give their time and knowledge to this (dare I say great?) 5th generation section. Unfortunately, I'm what a lot of you would consider a dumb ass. That being said, are there some practical ways to get a little horsepower / torque increases in this engine? From what I read on this site, the DIY can do attitudes are refreshing. Thank you in advance for any constructive ideas, help & deserved criticism.:cheers:
 
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To quote some of the smarter guys on here, it doesn't really lack power or torque. It is really an issue of mapping in the ecu. The power is accessed at higher rpms. One solution is to drop in gearing 4.56 or 4.88. Gets you up to the power band faster with less effort (read skinny pedal smashing). Running at higher rpm does affect gas mileage. Another option is to simply smash the skinny pedal more. Lastly, you could be the first to do a LS swap! Work out the bugs and I'll follow the leader (swaps aren't practical on newer vehicles). Just getting used to it does help a bunch. I honestly feel fine with the power running the 4.56 gears even after driving my wife's new MDX which has more HP/Torque at lower RPM and is lighter... You can also run in S mode and keep it out of overdrive and limit to 4th in the hills to keep the power curve where you need it to apply the right amount of torque.
 
I've always been a firm believer in the standard intake and exhaust for starters even though there are many skeptics I still can tell a difference. After I put 33"s on my Fj I added a unichip to make up for the performance difference with the bigger, heavier tires, worked very well. Well I'll probably get flamed for telling you an intake and exhaust but so be it I'm only going off of my personal experience.
 
Not much you can do besides remap the ECU to get rid of the lovely ECO-tune that Toyota has been using on a lot of their engines (easier said than done since Toyota is one of the more difficult manufacturers to tweak their software as they are fairly tyrannical about re-flashing/programming their modules.) Pretty much most of the suggested mods like gearing, intakes, exhuasts, ect. are just trying to compensate for the fact that the ECM is fighting to get low emissions and good MPGs. It's part of the reason they feel slower than the 4th gens with single VVTi, they mapped the shifting and throttle response a bit differently than the 4th gens to be more "ECO" even though the Dual VVTi unit should actually accelerate a bit faster since they can manipulate it better at lower RPM now (though VVTi is technically more for higher RPM power gains, but we won't get into the engineering on that right now :) )
 
One of my first vehicles was a 1985 Suburban with the 6.2L diesel. My 4Runner feels like a rocket in comparison. It makes good power, you just need to stomp on it.

No one has cracked this Toyota ECU. You can't just do some bolt-ons, a wideband o2 and tune that missing 40-80HP (LS motors are fun to play with though) at the wheels. Without proper tuning anything you do will constantly be fighting with the ECU.

No options exist for forced induction, even Toyota decided not to do it. Slapping on an ebay turbo or supercharger with some kind of piggyback tuner is a recipe for disaster.

Can't make it much lighter either. Not many options exist for more legitimate power with this platform besides moving to the GX 460.
 
The only reasonable way (not talking engine swaps, etc) to get a significant increase in acceleration performance for the 5th gen 4runner is gearing.
 
I'm starting to think regearing may be the best of overall option. Thanks for the inputs!
 
I'm starting to think the regearing would be the best cost effective idea at this time. Thanks for the inputs!:thumb3:
 
There is no Cobb Accessport for the 4Runner, no turbos or superchargers available that I have found. Many mods like a CAI and exhaust upgrades sound cool but really do not produce bang for the buck horsepower (IMHO). Face it, naturally aspirated vehicles need mega bucks to gain some donkeys...

Now, nitrous... could be interesting because you said you want power... Hmmmm... No, I really don't want to go there... not practical.

I do not know if this thing would work:
Truck - SUV - 4Runner - 4Runner (2010-Current) - Electronics - TRDShop.com

I found this and you may need Unicorn Dust and unobtanium to make some of the things work... (I do not recommend these... but the GTE turbo-sounding muffler tip would add a certain amount of bling)
Toyota 4 Runner Performance Chip - 4 Runner Horsepower ECU

Now, a T4R.org decal may be worth 25HP easy!
 
CSix said:
There is no Cobb Accessport for the 4Runner, no turbos or superchargers available that I have found. Many mods like a CAI and exhaust upgrades sound cool but really do not produce bang for the buck horsepower (IMHO). Face it, naturally aspirated vehicles need mega bucks to gain some donkeys...

Now, nitrous... could be interesting because you said you want power... Hmmmm... No, I really don't want to go there... not practical.

I do not know if this thing would work:
Truck - SUV - 4Runner - 4Runner (2010-Current) - Electronics - TRDShop.com

I found this and you may need Unicorn Dust and unobtanium to make some of the things work... (I do not recommend these... but the GTE turbo-sounding muffler tip would add a certain amount of bling)
Toyota 4 Runner Performance Chip - 4 Runner Horsepower ECU

Now, a T4R.org decal may be worth 25HP easy!
Click to expand...


Problem solved, I'll get 6 decals and another hood scoop on top of the existing one.:drum: Damn, I just remembered, I will put the TRDP floormats back in it. What we talking now, 200+ HP gain?
 
AEM offers a standalone for the 2014 FJ which from what I understand is the same dual VVTI motor...

I have been patiently waiting for the TRD and URD supercharger since obtaining my 2010 4Runner. I will either go with the URD supercharger or a custom turbo kit on this 14 limited now that TRD is out of the question. Will talk to gadget at URD about his 2010 4Runner and where he is with his supercharger/tuning application and whether AEM is even an option.
 
CSix said:
There is no Cobb Accessport for the 4Runner, no turbos or superchargers available that I have found. Many mods like a CAI and exhaust upgrades sound cool but really do not produce bang for the buck horsepower (IMHO). Face it, naturally aspirated vehicles need mega bucks to gain some donkeys...

Now, nitrous... could be interesting because you said you want power... Hmmmm... No, I really don't want to go there... not practical.

I do not know if this thing would work:
Truck - SUV - 4Runner - 4Runner (2010-Current) - Electronics - TRDShop.com

I found this and you may need Unicorn Dust and unobtanium to make some of the things work... (I do not recommend these... but the GTE turbo-sounding muffler tip would add a certain amount of bling)
Toyota 4 Runner Performance Chip - 4 Runner Horsepower ECU

Now, a T4R.org decal may be worth 25HP easy!
Click to expand...

Kind of wish I knew what ECMs their unit worked on and what flashes...
 
Jeremy556 said:
I don't think they reprogram/flash anything, just alter input signals. So 40% throttle movement is converted to 80%, and it feels faster.
Click to expand...

Hmm... Interesting, I wonder what parameters they are altering then; seems excessive for just a glorified accelerator pedal adjuster.
 
My friend plastidipped his wheels on his Jeep Laredo and it added 50 horsepower. So you might want to try that...:toilet:
 
Carolina Roscoe said:
Looking at posts, it is obvious that this forum has some very smart, well informed, ingenious, problem solving, creative individuals who give their time and knowledge to this (dare I say great?) 5th generation section. Unfortunately, I'm what a lot of you would consider a dumb ass. That being said, are there some practical ways to get a little horsepower / torque increases in this engine? From what I read on this site, the DIY can do attitudes are refreshing. Thank you in advance for any constructive ideas, help & deserved criticism.:cheers:
Click to expand...

I was in the same boat as you with my 6MT FJ and now the Wife's slush-box 2014 TEP. They are grossly under powered gutless wonders on the pavement in stock form. I know someone's going to post right behind me why they feel I'm wrong but I'm utterly un-swayable on this subject. After adding bumpers/winch/suspension/17x9 wheels/E rated 33's/armor/lighting/drawer system/recovery gear the FJ couldn't pull a wet noodle out of an elephant's ass much less merge in traffic safely. I ended up going with 4.56 gears to make it livable again, and am currently looking at supercharging or custom turbocharging. Don't get me wrong, off road I loved it (wheel it hard/rocks). However, it was also my daily driver... and the commute to work was the problem. Right now, gears are your answer.
 
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I actually heard that from some English friends... In the surly, if not drunken manner in which it was relayed, one would have been lead to believe it would not require much :lol:

On a more helpful note, I got the gears via Chase at East Coast Gear Supply in the form of loaded clamshell and third. Installed them and used their return shipping label to return the cores. Chase did not bill me for a core charge up front, and gave me something like two weeks or so to send them in. Great service, great price. So much so that I had an ARB front locker included. Gears are the best thing Ive ever done to the FJ for the road, and the locker the best for off road.
 
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