Hows your Supercharger, HP & Gas Milage

[bcdave]

Interested to hear back from those who've installed superchargers on 4L 5th gen 4R's; Magnusson's the $5.5K option; there's others out there too.

How would you rate the extra hp & torque?
and if driven in eco mode do you get better gas mileage?.
What was the all toll cost of super charger & install?
Did you / can a home mec. install?
and did you think it was worth it?

Cheers bcd

 

[Bischof]

10/10 to me it feels like a different vehicle. Kind of like comparing a house cat to a bobcat. Mine wants to be driven.
Gas mileage, I can't run a full tank or maybe even a trip sometimes without getting it somewhere. However if I'm paying attention my gas mileage has improved on light acceleration/load/rpm in 3rd and 4th gear.
COST-parts and labor - ymmv
Did I install it myself, me, no! Were the installation instructions detailed enough for me to do it, Yes but I would have turned 6-8? hrs into days or until I finished.

 

[Friggin Idiot]

URD/Whipple 2.3L Supercharger kit ~$6.5k

Cost....Ouch but more attractive than starting to mod all over again with payments on a GX or LC. Both of which will also cost more to mod and maintain than upgrading the 4Runner you already have.

Install... I'm tech savvy but wouldn't dream of tackling something this big on my own, especially not on my daily driver and no other vehicle. Install cost was about 2k including header install and some exhaust work.

Absolutely echo the above, supercharged this is a different vehicle.
Dyno results kind of speak for themselves
OEM Flywheel Spec: 270 hp, 278 ft-lbs
Dyno Run RWP: 324 hp, 341 ft-lbs
SC Calculated Flywheel: 410 hp, 433 ft-lbs
As for a practical basis, the speedo will move about as fast as the tach with moderate acceleration. With your foot on the floor, hold onto your butt and watch the fuel gauge draw down. (My new license plate is GO PLAID) Because of the significant amount of power available now below 3000rpm, the truck only sees 4th gear for a short period while accelerating onto the interstate, or downshifting to climb a grade of >6%.

Eco mode.... WTF is that?!
I disabled that annoying leaf thing the day after I got the truck. Normal driving mpg is ~17mpg for city, highway, and mixed. I hadn't expected such a loss on the highway mileage, but since I don't spend much time there it doesn't bother me much. If you're serious about a SC, you don't strongly consider fuel mileage or price because you'll need 93+ octane and more of it.

Would I do it all over again?
I enjoy the admiration of other enthusiasts, and the disbelief at the HP/TQ it produces. Not to mention the absolutely shocked look I get from much sportier cars who think I only have a cat-back and CAI then decide to "teach me a lesson" only to find themselves learning something. I love the whine of it winding up. But honestly no.
While I only had the configuration for about 3 weeks, the URD Y-pipe, MAF calibrator and aFe MomentumGT CAI made a good combination that added the pep the truck needed. The Mk3 cat-back was installed during this time too, but with the rear window issues, I'd strongly advise against it.
Upping to the SC & headers surely added even more power and capability but at great cost, added complexity, reduced fuel mileage, and the occasional CEL headache. I can't help but think whether it had a negative effect on the reliability as well. So in hindsight, for the money and peace of mind, I would have rather stuck with the CAI, Y-pipe, and MAF calibrator.

 

[bcdave]

URD/Whipple 2.3L Supercharger kit ~$6.5k

Cost....Ouch but more attractive than starting to mod all over again with payments on a GX or LC. Both of which will also cost more to mod and maintain than upgrading the 4Runner you already have.

Install... I'm tech savvy but wouldn't dream of tackling something this big on my own, especially not on my daily driver and no other vehicle. Install cost was about 2k including header install and some exhaust work.

Absolutely echo the above, supercharged this is a different vehicle.
Dyno results kind of speak for themselves
OEM Flywheel Spec: 270 hp, 278 ft-lbs
Dyno Run RWP: 324 hp, 341 ft-lbs
SC Calculated Flywheel: 410 hp, 433 ft-lbs
As for a practical basis, the speedo will move about as fast as the tach with moderate acceleration. With your foot on the floor, hold onto your butt and watch the fuel gauge draw down. (My new license plate is GO PLAID) Because of the significant amount of power available now below 3000rpm, the truck only sees 4th gear for a short period while accelerating onto the interstate, or downshifting to climb a grade of >6%.

Eco mode.... WTF is that?!
I disabled that annoying leaf thing the day after I got the truck. Normal driving mpg is ~17mpg for city, highway, and mixed. I hadn't expected such a loss on the highway mileage, but since I don't spend much time there it doesn't bother me much. If you're serious about a SC, you don't strongly consider fuel mileage or price because you'll need 93+ octane and more of it.

Would I do it all over again?
I enjoy the admiration of other enthusiasts, and the disbelief at the HP/TQ it produces. Not to mention the absolutely shocked look I get from much sportier cars who think I only have a cat-back and CAI then decide to "teach me a lesson" only to find themselves learning something. I love the whine of it winding up. But honestly no.
While I only had the configuration for about 3 weeks, the URD Y-pipe, MAF calibrator and aFe MomentumGT CAI made a good combination that added the pep the truck needed. The Mk3 cat-back was installed during this time too, but with the rear window issues, I'd strongly advise against it.
Upping to the SC & headers surely added even more power and capability but at great cost, added complexity, reduced fuel mileage, and the occasional CEL headache. I can't help but think whether it had a negative effect on the reliability as well. So in hindsight, for the money and peace of mind, I would have rather stuck with the CAI, Y-pipe, and MAF calibrator.

wow; cool! detailed; enthusiastic writ-up; thanks for sharing, others will no doubt appreciate this too

(...do you work for UDR?)

Thanks!; cheers bcd