Improving The Power, Performance and MPG of your 5th Gen 4Runner

[Lexington]

Hello All

Ive been researching on how to improve power, performance and MPG on your 4Runner. I’m not looking dump a whole lot of money to max out my performance but make modest improvement. I came across this article that provided a lot of good info but it is a bit dated.

5th Gen Toyota 4Runner Performance Mods, Performance Mods Full List

I basically says to improve your intake air flow, change your headers and exhaust pipes.

On the air intake it mentions the TRD Cold Air Intake. I have a TRD but I dont have this in mine.
TRD Cold Air Intake (CAI) 5th Gen 4Runner & FJ Cruiser, CAI 5th Gen
The one I have looks similar but is there a real difference between the two?

I wont be swapping the headers since it look like it will interfere with California smog.

As for the exhaust it mentions replacing your exhaust with a Catback, MagnaFlow, Borla and Gibson Exhaust.

And finally the Pedal Commander for a peppy response.

So what Im looking for is anyone who has any personal experience with upgraded air intakes and exhaust modification and how much did they improve your performance and MPG if any.

Thanks.

 

[TA2018]

The procharger seems to be looking good if you want both better power and better MPG. One member here reported low 20s for MPG and noticeably more power

 

[Mudballz]

I have the TRD cai and borla exhaust other then making more noise and a slight bump in power delivery your best bet it get a Lexus Gx with the v8

 

[Lexington]

I have the TRD cai and borla exhaust other then making more noise and a slight bump in power delivery your best bet it get a Lexus Gx with the v8

Give up my manly 4Runner for a Lexus? No way!

Did it improve your MPG at all or just a modest bump in power.

 

[Lexington]

The procharger seems to be looking good if you want both better power and better MPG. One member here reported low 20s for MPG and noticeably more power

Thanks but I’m not trying to max out my performance. Just looking for modest improvements.

 

[NW.OH.T4R]

I have the TRD CAI and the TRD exhaust. I installed separately, CAI then exhaust. No noticeable gains in either MPG or performance. I added the URD MAF calibrator later and noticed about 1 to 1.5 mpg increase despite adding sliders and a full skid plate set along the way. Performance seems the same.


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[TA2018]

Thanks but I’m not trying to max out my performance. Just looking for modest improvements.

Fair enough. When I was looking for power increases, I couldn't find anyone with actual dynos to prove their power adds actually added power

 

[Lexington]

I have the TRD CAI and the TRD exhaust. I installed separately, CAI then exhaust. No noticeable gains in either MPG or performance. I added the URD MAF calibrator later and noticed about 1 to 1.5 mpg increase despite adding sliders and a full skid plate set along the way. Performance seems the same.

Thanks! Was it easy or difficult to install?

 

[NW.OH.T4R]

Thanks! Was it easy or difficult to install?

I wouldn’t consider any of these items challenging. Splitting the wire loom for the CAI was the most “difficult” step. The exhaust is a straight swap. The only potential challenge would be seized bolts. Snaking the old section out around the axle could be challenging, I guess. The MAF calibrator is plug-in. I did all of these alone, the exhaust I put the rear on Jack stands just for more comfort working underneath.


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[85GT-79FJ40]

I have the Borla touring exhaust and AFE intake on mine. Installed them over the winter. No appreciable difference in MPG (maybe .2) but it definitely has a bit better throttle response and just ever so slightly more power. And of course sounds better. But I admit the exhaust is a little obnoxious over 75 on the highway.

 

[1jzgte]

Give up my manly 4Runner for a Lexus? No way!

Did it improve your MPG at all or just a modest bump in power.

I actually see more women driving 4runners than men.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I have the AFE Momentum GT intake and Borla Touring Cat Back exhaust, no real noticeable increase in gas mileage until I added the URD MAF recalibrator. But the combo of the AFE intake and the Borla Cat Back and AFE TB spacer I did get quite a bit of increased throttle response and found no need for a pedal commander since my truck gets up and goes much better than before.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

All those mods will cost more than it will save you in gasoline.

 

[Harlock]

All those mods will cost more than it will save you in gasoline.

This can't be overstated. Every mod you've listed has the potential to increase performance slightly if you go all in to reduce restrictions to fuel and air intake and exhaust output and then retune for the changes. You'll also gain extra noise, which you may or may not prefer. But you're just as likely to lose MPGs as gain them.

Manufacturers fight for every fraction of an MPG they can extract from the vehicles they design and build and Toyota is well-aware of just how bad the fuel economy of the 4Runner is compared to most SUVs marketed today. When you think about it, simply swapping a couple of parts out shouldn't be very likely to achieve something the world's largest auto manufacturer hasn't been able to accomplish with their vast engineering resources and experience.

If you really want to increase your fuel economy, here what the US Department of Energy recommends from their research in the field:

• Make your 4Runner lighter. Removing 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by about 1%.
• Avoid using your roof rack. A large, blunt roof-top cargo box, for example, can reduce fuel economy by around 2% to 8% in city driving, 6% to 17% on the highway, and 10% to 25% at Interstate speeds (65 mph to 75 mph)
• Keep you maintenance up. Fixing a vehicle that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4%.
• Keep Tires Properly Inflated. You can improve your gas mileage by 0.6% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure.

To get a little perspective on how some mods can have less of an affect than you might initially think, I can provide an an example going in the opposite direction to decrease MPGs. I just went to a larger, heavier tire on my 4th gen 4Runner that's adding 23 lbs. in total rolling weight to my vehicle from my old tires - a gain of about 0.005% for the entire vehicle's weight. Although many consider rolling weight to have a larger impact, what I'm actually seeing so far is a 0.005% decrease in my average MPGs from from 19.5 to 19.4. Here's the link to my post about it.

 

[The4RunnerDude]

I actually see more women driving 4runners than men.

No doubt! I only see women driving 4runners it seems.

 

[spartacus]

There are more women drivers.

 

[honda250xtitan]

instead of wasting money on a "catback" do a muffler swap for a fraction of the cost. the muffler and the OEM y/crossover pipe is the restriction. cat backs dont replace the y pipe anyways. the URD y pipe is sweet, but eliminates the rear cats so if you have a visual inspection you might fail.

12586 magnaflow and URD y pipe on ours, throttle response is better. i'm going to add a Vibrant resonator before the muffler to quiet it down though. it sounds nice but its more volume than i wanted.

Vivid racing tune is also on ours, again, throttle response throughout the powerband is a bit better .


its a v6. you can throw alot of money at it and itll just make more noise (usually poorly too)

 

[Lexington]

I actually see more women driving 4runners than men.

I wouldn’t say more but there are a lot of them. They are attracted to the manly 4Runner.

 

[Lexington]

instead of wasting money on a "catback" do a muffler swap for a fraction of the cost. the muffler and the OEM y/crossover pipe is the restriction. cat backs dont replace the y pipe anyways. the URD y pipe is sweet, but eliminates the rear cats so if you have a visual inspection you might fail.

12586 magnaflow and URD y pipe on ours, throttle response is better. i'm going to add a Vibrant resonator before the muffler to quiet it down though. it sounds nice but its more volume than i wanted.

Vivid racing tune is also on ours, again, throttle response throughout the powerband is a bit better .


its a v6. you can throw alot of money at it and itll just make more noise (usually poorly too)

I’m looking more for a modest increase that won’t necessarily compromise California smog.

 

[kelkins]

In my experience, adding engine/exhaust upgrades rarely provide a measurable benefit to MPG/performance. I have a K&N CAI and Flowmaster super 44 muffler installed. Honestly, other than sounding nice, it didn’t do anything. The 4Runner is an absolute pig, and will always be like that unless you add a supercharger.

A recommendation, stay away from cat back systems. Just replace the muffler. The restriction is at the Y pipe, not the cat back area. The Y pipe has a massive crimp section that dramatically reduces exhaust flow under the truck. The muffler end has nice bends with very little restriction.