Engine Mods

[Aquabear]

I finally got around to have all 3 upgrades installed. AFE CAI, Borla CAT Back exhaust and URD MAF Cal. What a nice difference. Yes its the Butt Dyno but its happy!!!
Maybe one day I'll actually get it Dynoed but not now. Road trip to Florida tomorrow.
Here are some pics! Enjoy!
I love the sound, the pickup is great especially with the 4Runner loaded for a long trip! Now we will test the gas mileage! The MAF Cal made a difference as that was the last piece to be added in, one at a time day by day.

 

[SATSTRAIL]

Thanks for posting this and I look forward to hearing further updates/impressions on your mods! I have the same exact truck and I am very much interested in more power for it... Hopefully tomorrow I will be installing the sprint booster throttle mod to see if that helps performance any. It does not add power but simply the impression of it due to quicker throttle response time.

You mentioned you did these mods one at a time. Which one did you do first and did you notice much improvement from that one mod? Also, any specific reason why you went with the AFE intake rather than the K&N cold air intake? The K&N is advertised at a couple of horsepower more and about 100 bucks less.... The AFE appears to be an oiled filter like the K&N also. Just curious about your experiences. Thanks!

 

[SumDumGuy]

Seems silly to dyno a 4runner, but it's your money. Plus without a baseline dyno you don't know if you gained or lost. I'm sure you probably picked up a few horses, but probably not many.

 

[Aquabear]

Thanks for posting this and I look forward to hearing further updates/impressions on your mods! I have the same exact truck and I am very much interested in more power for it... Hopefully tomorrow I will be installing the sprint booster throttle mod to see if that helps performance any. It does not add power but simply the impression of it due to quicker throttle response time.

You mentioned you did these mods one at a time. Which one did you do first and did you notice much improvement from that one mod? Also, any specific reason why you went with the AFE intake rather than the K&N cold air intake? The K&N is advertised at a couple of horsepower more and about 100 bucks less.... The AFE appears to be an oiled filter like the K&N also. Just curious about your experiences. Thanks!

AFE is a dry filter for my Trail 4R, 2016. I used AFE in my 08 4R and it worked great for a long time so if I wanted to use them again. I did the AFE first, then Borla then URD MAF. I figured that would be a nice way to put them on and see if I run into any unknowns but all went well. It's no Supercharger but I didn't pay S/C prices. In my opinion well worth the price for the added power. It's nice to get a change in power after driving it for 36K for the first year.
I am debating adding the sprint booster esp now with my mods!
I thought my first mod would be a lift, nope and am happy with the results.

 

[SATSTRAIL]

AFE is a dry filter for my Trail 4R, 2016. I used AFE in my 08 4R and it worked great for a long time so if I wanted to use them again. I did the AFE first, then Borla then URD MAF. I figured that would be a nice way to put them on and see if I run into any unknowns but all went well. It's no Supercharger but I didn't pay S/C prices. In my opinion well worth the price for the added power. It's nice to get a change in power after driving it for 36K for the first year.
I am debating adding the sprint booster esp now with my mods!
I thought my first mod would be a lift, nope and am happy with the results.

Your logic makes sense and that's the order that I would've taken also. The reason I mentioned the oiled filter is that I went on the AFE website and I found no listing for a cold air intake product for the 2016 4runner. They only show 4runners in the 2015 model year. When looking at the product description the filter model they advertise that it comes with is an oiled filter. Do you have a link to the exact product you purchased? I would be interested in a dry filter set up.

 

[Aquabear]

Your logic makes sense and that's the order that I would've taken also. The reason I mentioned the oiled filter is that I went on the AFE website and I found no listing for a cold air intake product for the 2016 4runner. They only show 4runners in the 2015 model year. When looking at the product description the filter model they advertise that it comes with is an oiled filter. Do you have a link to the exact product you purchased? I would be interested in a dry filter set up.

I purchased it off URD. I believe I had to put in 2015 or 2014 4R as they are not up to date with 2016 but our models all share the same system so I was thinking I'd be ok with it. AFE direct site either had 2016 or again I had to put in 2015 or 2014.

Link to AFE Power ( direct)
aFe POWER 54-81932 Magnum FORCE Stage-2 Si Pro 5R Cold Air Intake System | aFe POWER

Edit: this shows oiled filter but I know the exact model I purchased from URD is dry filter, same stage 2 CAI.

Link to URD:
http://urdusa.com/store/Intakes-Col...+-FJ-Cruiser-and-4Runner-V6/product_info.html

URD gave a nice discount and shipping was ludacris speed fast

 

[Trixx]

I have no problem swapping out suspension knowing I will void the warranty for any suspension related issues in the future, as it comes with the territory and aren't that expensive.

Do you find the engine modifications were worth potentially voiding many parts of the engine warranty over?

While you may find a "nice" dealer, I feel that a dealer would be pretty justified in voiding a lot of potential engine issues when you change things like air intake and exhaust. In fact, most vehicles manuals are very clear that if you modify these components it will void the warranty. Companies like Toyota spend millions and millions on R&D making sure these engines are reliable so they don't have to fix as much under warranty. The aftermarket companies only really care about power numbers in terms of their R&D.

I just can't find the nominal power addition to be worth that risk. If the 5th gen super charger ever comes out and adds say, 75hp, I could see what be worth voiding the warranty over.

 

[SATSTRAIL]

I purchased it off URD. I believe I had to put in 2015 or 2014 4R as they are not up to date with 2016 but our models all share the same system so I was thinking I'd be ok with it. AFE direct site either had 2016 or again I had to put in 2015 or 2014.

Link to AFE Power ( direct)
aFe POWER 54-81932 Magnum FORCE Stage-2 Si Pro 5R Cold Air Intake System | aFe POWER

Edit: this shows oiled filter but I know the exact model I purchased from URD is dry filter, same stage 2 CAI.

Link to URD:
Underdog Racing Development

URD gave a nice discount and shipping was ludacris speed fast

Thanks for the info :thumb:

 

[Miatafanatic77]

Outside of boltons are internal engine upgrades such as a cam allowed for STS class or is modification like this only allowed for SM?

 

[derryck]

I'd be interested to hear a sound clip. I just can't justify spending money on intakes and/or exhaust for the 4Runner. I love it's capability and reliability but I'll save the engine mods for my go fast car. One of the things that makes the 4Runner great in my eyes is the ultra-reliability and I don't want to jeopardize that in any way especially when you're talking about maybe 10 hp? Besides, I'd rather save the money to fix my 10 sec. money pit every time it breaks.

 

[Jetboy]

Outside of boltons are internal engine upgrades such as a cam allowed for STS class or is modification like this only allowed for SM?

What is it you'd hope to do with a cam? It already has variable valve timing up to around 30 degrees. The limitation is the long stroke. If you wanted to get more power you'd have to shorten the stroke, increase the bore, and increase the rpms.

Or replace the internals and add boost.

Outside of those options I don't think there are any upgrades that have shown additional hp on a dyno other than a new crossover pipe that seems to add some mid-range hp. If you want more power - the 5th gen isn't for you.

 

[Aquabear]

I just drove from NY to Florida and the mods worked great! Not only did I get a little more power which is nice with a loaded vacation 4Runner but my gas mileage improved as well which is a nice side benefit. Also did an oil change, cleaned the Throttle body n MAF sensor and drained n filled Transmission fluid(used OEM fluid for Trans). All in all very pleased with the results on a non stop long haul drive.

For above posts, go to XRunner Underground. Here on TR4 is mainly suspension upgrades, which is great but on XRunner, there those guys are more performance oriented with their XRunners, Tacoma's and 4Runners and where my mod ideas originated. And they balance performance with reliability.

I had a 2008 4R and had similar mods on and had years and miles of reliability with no issues so for reliability any negative posts are mute for me from my experience.

I don't want a 10 second money pit, that's not what my 4R is for. I do want more power as most of my driving is on road, interstate travel and maybe some light off road trails.

For future mods, we'll see what's next! Thanks for the feedback all!

 

[derryck]

Maybe I should have phrased it differently. I have no desire to waste money adding minimal HP to my 5K lb. brick. I'd rather make the 4Runner more capable off road and spend the money on the BMW when extra ponies are the goal. If you're happy then that's all that matters but I think for most part...the minimal gains don't justify the cost for most on vehicles like the 4Runner. If most of my time was spent on pavement as a DD I would have kept my Explorer Sport with ~500 lb/ft. of torque an lots more bells and whistles.

 

[Aquabear]

Explorer Sport? Seriously, I feel sorry for ya lol. Glad you got a 4Runner. Everyone mods their vehicles differently, def got some good gains for price but it's not for everyone, good luck!

 

[plasticsnaks]

This looks promising for the 3rd gen Tacoma....maybe OV will work on a tune for the 1gr in our 5th gen t4r's.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2016-toyota-tacoma-v6-ecu-tuning-alpha-release.495735/

 

[Jetboy]

Maybe I should have phrased it differently. I have no desire to waste money adding minimal HP to my 5K lb. brick. I'd rather make the 4Runner more capable off road and spend the money on the BMW when extra ponies are the goal. If you're happy then that's all that matters but I think for most part...the minimal gains don't justify the cost for most on vehicles like the 4Runner. If most of my time was spent on pavement as a DD I would have kept my Explorer Sport with ~500 lb/ft. of torque an lots more bells and whistles.

I could probably say the same thing about a 4runner. If pure off-road is the goal a 4runner isn't a great choice either. My FJ40 is about equal to my 4runner... in 2wd. The 4runner is a balance that works well for daily driver duty, utility work, and occasional offroad. It's not a race car. But it's not a rock crawler either. Never will be. At 5k lbs, it has about the same chance of being a hardcore offroad truck as it does a competing in indy car. Unless you either put 416 axles and 48" tires on it - or strip the body off. It ain't gonna happen. - But it can be a fantastic all around overland type vehicle. In two weeks I'll be driving mine 600 miles to the Rubicon, running the trail, then driving home. In pretty darn good comfort considering.

The point is that almost all 5th gen 4runners are daily drivers, and even those that aren't spend 90% of their miles on the highway. Having more performance on the highway isn't something to ignore IMO. There's simply not any meaningful upgrades that have proven to return much power without great expense. Re-gearing is the best available option I'm aware of. And unfortunately 4.56 is a HUGE jump or stockish tire sizes. If there were a 4.10 or 4.30 gear set, I'd already have them. Recalibration of the air sensor will probably work for a few days until the ECU re-learns the new adjusted value. If you can't adjust the o2 sensor on the back end, it'll relearn around whatever you do on the intake side. So far no one has a cost effective work around. And why would you? A GX460 isn't much more expensive. I'll probably make the jump at some point.

 

[Tuco Ramirez]

I have no problem swapping out suspension knowing I will void the warranty for any suspension related issues in the future, as it comes with the territory and aren't that expensive.

Do you find the engine modifications were worth potentially voiding many parts of the engine warranty over?

While you may find a "nice" dealer, I feel that a dealer would be pretty justified in voiding a lot of potential engine issues when you change things like air intake and exhaust. In fact, most vehicles manuals are very clear that if you modify these components it will void the warranty. Companies like Toyota spend millions and millions on R&D making sure these engines are reliable so they don't have to fix as much under warranty. The aftermarket companies only really care about power numbers in terms of their R&D.

I just can't find the nominal power addition to be worth that risk. If the 5th gen super charger ever comes out and adds say, 75hp, I could see what be worth voiding the warranty over.

You're pretty clueless about things brah. CAI and exhaust are almost guaranteed not to cause him any problems with the dealer. Meanwhile in another thread a guy used a TRD spacer on his TRD pro and the dealer refused warranty coverage on an issue. I have had many cars and many with exhaust and intake and NEVER has a dealer made a peep. This includes the Akrapovic I had on my old E92.

Just fyi: The saving grace for consumers is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975. The act states that a dealer must prove that aftermarket equipment caused the need for repairs before it can deny warranty coverage. However, if the reason for a parts failure is unclear, a dealer will usually charge you to diagnose the vehicle.

 

[Aquabear]

I could probably say the same thing about a 4runner. If pure off-road is the goal a 4runner isn't a great choice either. My FJ40 is about equal to my 4runner... in 2wd. The 4runner is a balance that works well for daily driver duty, utility work, and occasional offroad. It's not a race car. But it's not a rock crawler either. Never will be. At 5k lbs, it has about the same chance of being a hardcore offroad truck as it does a competing in indy car. Unless you either put 416 axles and 48" tires on it - or strip the body off. It ain't gonna happen. - But it can be a fantastic all around overland type vehicle. In two weeks I'll be driving mine 600 miles to the Rubicon, running the trail, then driving home. In pretty darn good comfort considering.

The point is that almost all 5th gen 4runners are daily drivers, and even those that aren't spend 90% of their miles on the highway. Having more performance on the highway isn't something to ignore IMO. There's simply not any meaningful upgrades that have proven to return much power without great expense. Re-gearing is the best available option I'm aware of. And unfortunately 4.56 is a HUGE jump or stockish tire sizes. If there were a 4.10 or 4.30 gear set, I'd already have them. Recalibration of the air sensor will probably work for a few days until the ECU re-learns the new adjusted value. If you can't adjust the o2 sensor on the back end, it'll relearn around whatever you do on the intake side. So far no one has a cost effective work around. And why would you? A GX460 isn't much more expensive. I'll probably make the jump at some point.

I believe this one does, not a supercharger or NOS or Turbo but def adds power. URD made the MAF sensor cal because if you bolt on the CAI n Cat back after a few days the system does recalibrate it back to stock and I defintiely felt that after having the CAI on alone for a week. The URD MAF changes that to keep the system from going back to stock, it connects via MAF and the the center coil passenger side of the vehicle to keep the system tuned to not go back to stock. My next step, if I do, maybe headers would maybe involve the timing aspect of the system but that's a big jump and I'd rather do something suspension related or upgrade our poor Sound system- I added an Amp/Subwoofer combo and changed speakers to Kicker's in all 4 doors. Check it out on URD or Xrunner Underground.

Check it out on URD and Xrunner Underground. The GX460 I almost bought but it is a price jump from the 4Runner.

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

I finally got around to have all 3 upgrades installed. AFE CAI, Borla CAT Back exhaust and URD MAF Cal. What a nice difference. Yes its the Butt Dyno but its happy!!!
Maybe one day I'll actually get it Dynoed but not now. Road trip to Florida tomorrow.
Here are some pics! Enjoy!
I love the sound, the pickup is great especially with the 4Runner loaded for a long trip! Now we will test the gas mileage! The MAF Cal made a difference as that was the last piece to be added in, one at a time day by day.

I love these kind of mods and talk on the Gen 5. Did you also do this to your 2008? Waiting hear the results of the dyno test. :first:

Seems silly to dyno a 4runner, but it's your money. Plus without a baseline dyno you don't know if you gained or lost. I'm sure you probably picked up a few horses, but probably not many.

Hi Grandma/Grandpa, why didn't you say what to you need all that HPs, th too loud and get off my lawn....? :yo: HP & torque gain is HP & torque gain. Hater. :second:

 

[Copper78]

The sticker on the side window is where all the hp's came from!