trump
Adventurist
I'm not sure who actually designed and manufactured the supercharger kit in question
Eaton
I'm not sure who actually designed and manufactured the supercharger kit in question
Yeah - I can't wait to see the thread on that.
All for lack of performing periodic glovebox door latch maintenance... tsk, tsk.
Oh - and all that other stuff before you mentioned - well said/good gouge!
Couple comments....
Never confuse TRD "engineering" with Toyota engineering. TRD parts are very often rebranded products from another company. I'm not sure who actually designed and manufactured the supercharger kit in question, but I highly doubt it has the same level of engineering that the original truck did.
So, just another thought .. the last I heard some '12 Tacomas aren't able to be supercharged because the ecu update isn't available. I'm sure it'll be sorted out but may be a temporary deal breaker for those voting SC.
LOL, yeah well, his wasn't for lack of maintenance. In fact, his problem was doing the maintenance. (sorry) No gouge intended, just making the point that it's usually the little stuff that gets you.
Question for you Kurt,
I find the offroad manners of the stock 4.0 very forgiving. Good even power flow and fairly easy to control the throttle over rough terrain. Does the SC make trail work more touchy? Your thoughts?
No, not that I have noticed anyways. I had a very similar platform Tacoma albeit manual not automatic, before my current '04 so it difficult to compare between the two tranny variations. However I really can't say I have any complaints about throttle control on or off-road. The SC's engagement is predictable and steady and is very unnoticable at the lower RPM's. Ive driven a handful of 4.0 SC'd setups but honestly have zero off-road seat time in any of them so I can't comment how it relates to my 3.4.
Dang....look at the brain on downhiller. That's some good homework.
...I would recommend the most radical solution yet: leave it stock. I spent some time on the Grimm Jeeper calculator and guess what? There are gear options to keep you in the power band of the stock engine at both 65 and 85 with either the auto or the 6spd (assuming 255/85-16 tires). The only hole occurs with the auto when the speed drops to 55. The drop to 3rd gear is too drastic to use at all, and staying in 4th leaves you at 2000rpm which is flat. ....
...Before I swapped gears I pulled my trailer from MN to OR. It weighed around 2200 at that time, and I did 80 all the way across North Dakota and into Montana with no trouble at all. That was with 32" tires though, not 33.....
...The only problems with staying stock are that acceleration with the trailer in tow will be poor, and if you have the auto that 55mph hole will be a major PITA. That is perhaps where the question of the SC legitimately comes in. If you have the 6spd, you won't have the 55mph hole because you have 4th, 5th and 6th as usable gears.....
...So here is what I would do. Forget the diff gears. Try the truck stock and see if the performance works for you. If you have the auto, you will be screwed though because you really need the option of 55 on hills, and in some areas like CA, you can't exceed 55 anyway. The SC would solve that, and the acceleration as well if you see the need.....
... The only remaining question then is the trail performance of the stock gears. That can be more than fixed by adding a crawl box. Actually, a twin stick with a crawl box would be the ultimate....
...Remember this. Once you hit the steep mountain grades you MUST slow down. If you get the SC and stand on it up a steep grade with the trailer in tow you will weld that rear diff. This is no BS. The one positive aspect here is that the 3.73 gears should run cooler than a lower gear set. They are the best choice with the SC, but you need to keep an eye on that till you understand how it works. You can use a simple infrared thermometer, but you need to get the number quickly because the temp drops fast once you stop.....
...Ultimate rocket taco = stock gears + SC + crawl box + twin stick. Just use the SC sanely to keep it all in one piece. Gas mileage will be what you make it. That SC doesn't run on air alone. You push 30% more air down that intake and you will need 30% more gas to make it go boom....
I went with the re-gear for a few reasons:
1For your stated needs (85mph), I think you SHOULD go with a SC. Re-gearing will definitely take away from your top end when you're chasing your friends.
As for me, I'm happy with the Toyota's 4.88s. I had mine installed by a reputable shop so I'm not worried about failure. 70mph top speed (well, top comfortable speed) can get old on the interstate but we don't try to do more than 300 miles in a day so it's not that big of a deal. Maybe if I change tires I'll bump up in my 'top speed' but the decreased gas mileage will probably make it a diminishing return.
Best of luck....let us know how you make out with the decision and install.
Couple comments....
The other thing to remember is that the supercharger uses a good amount of power to make HP. The added stress on the internals of the engine is greater than just the gain you see at the back of the crank....
I think you'd have to burn high-octane fuel with the SC. .
My previous rig was a turbo diesel and I always locked in the speed limit, wagon train be damned.
I wasn't aware of that. More details to check out.