TRD S/C? (1 Viewer)

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Put my vote in the "S/C Good" - no, make that "S/C worth it", column. Junk is right -you can certainly do without one, but IMHO there are a lot of times when it just takes mucho mas horsepower to get all that weight moving, mileage be damned. I do want to work up a 7th injector setup sometime, but the TRD kit has worked flawlessly for me for about 12K miles in 6 months. Finally, whatever CDAN has must be waaaay good. BigMac
 
If I wanted my cruiser to go faster I would have gotten a sports car.

I have low end torque and that is all I need (hence my happiness with a 3FE).

To seek such an expensive upgrade would seem almost as easily solved by putting in a dang SBC.

I still say use 80s for groceries and the woods...save the power stuff for the rice rockets and tow vehicles.
 
Dan,

I agree with you. We have enough power in the engines to do whatever we want. :D

And for towing there are better alternatives than a LC 80.

But we accept of course any mods our brothers on the board will think fit :flipoff2:

Mike
 
What you want depends on your use. The s/c does add alot of power, but it is still slower than a 99 cheep grand cherokee. Not a rice rocket by any means. For towing there are better vehicles, but what if your destination includes wheeling as well as boating?. What if the beach you must unload and load the boat from is gravel that eats lesser four wheel drives for breakfast? I have pulled out more than a couple of 1ton dually 4x4s from that beach. At the same time, I like to wheel. So it goes to show the 80 may not be perfect for each task, but is capable of most with just a little modification.
Sean
 
Toyota has shown that they do not put a lot of engineering into the Blower's for their trucks. Take a look at this site for what this guy had to do in order to make the 4runner blower kit actually function as it should.

http://www.gadgetonline.com/Super.htm

I would really like a blower for the LC but given the concerns about head gaskets, crappy California gas, and other potential problems, it is not worth the unknown cost.

Cary
 
I've had very good luck with my SC on my 1997. It was put on the vehicle because I tow quite a bit. It makes a night and day difference when towing anything relatively heavy (my load runs a little over 4,000 lbs). I've been very pleased.

My thoughts on a few issues that have been raised:
1) I've installed about 1/2 dozen FI kits on different vehicles and the parts list, fit/finish and quality of the TRD unit exceeds the others. The install is easy as far as FI units go and its "OEM like" in its behavior. It feels just like a bigger motor.
2) My understanding is the unit fits and works better on the 95 & later vehicles than it does on the earlier ones. This is mostly an ECU issue.
3) Several people mentioned detonation issues. Some of this is a function of the octane level of the fuel in your area. I get 93 octane, some folks (Arizona, Colorado & California come immediately to mind) have to live with crappy 91 gas. If you can get the 93 in your area I would not be too concerned with that issue (other than the cost of fuel).
4) To agree with others, the vehicles cooling system must be up the task. A clean well functioning OEM set-up should be fine, you should not have to upgrade. But a neglected system might not be up to the task.
5) If I were purchasing a truck with an SC already on it, I would be particularly concerned with the maintenace of the truck.....even more so than normal. If everything has been well maintained, I'd be willing to pay $1,000-$1,500 more than I would without the blower. If you can't get comfortable with the maintenance of truck, I'd walk away. Certainly it would not be worth anymore, if not less than one without the SC.

My 1/2 cent,
Mike
 
I'll throw in my thoughts:

1- The blower is a toy. You can try and rationalize it using the towing argument, but the 80 isn't designed to be a heavy duty tow vehicle. You can rationalize it with the "need more power" argument, but if you're trying to turn an 80 into some kind of sports car with the supercharger, get a different vehicle.

2- It requires that you be able to pay attention to your vehicle. It's not a bolt it on and forget about it thing. Take temps for example. In my case, I have a custom intercooler on it. I can't imagine what the underhood and engine temps would be like without it. I would be concerned about folks throwing a supercharger on their truck that couldn't recognize potential problems. It would suck to drop $3k on the charger, have a problem develop that you didn't know about, and then blow your motor.

3- If you're serious about it, I can put you in touch with the parts guy at my local Toy dealership. He just did get one for a guy for around $2600 IIRC. Not trying to step on anyone else's toes, just trying to save you some $$.
 
Cory,

Agreed on the "toy". After all, that is the difference between men and boys. ;)

As far as pricing goes, buy all the ones you can at 2,600 dollars. That is a hundred bucks below the current dealer cost.

D-
 
[quote author=FZJFillmore link=board=2;threadid=7393;start=msg62271#msg62271 date=1068665435]
I'll throw in my thoughts:

1- The blower is a toy.
2- It requires that you be able to pay attention to your vehicle.
[/quote]

Well Ill be, what the hell would you expect......

If you want serious trouble free horsepower youi need to start at the engine, not just "bolt on" afew hp. Exhaust, head gasket, cams, ECU, can all help.

Thats why I went turbo/intercooler, and stripped engine, so 10 lb boost, making 220kw and 520nm @ the wheels could be reliable.

And it was, and still is now at 20lb boost, straight LPG and 270rwkw.

[220kw is around 320-330hp]
 
I agree with Sean when he says it depends on the use. My cruiser became so heavy I had to use second gear on hills on interstates at over 4000 sustained RPM's just to try to keep from getting run over. Finally the block cracked. So then what's the choices? Engine swap - different vehicle - or SC/turbo. I went with the SC and have been very happy with the power. For me it isn't a "toy", more like a rational decision. To each their own.
Bill
 
Hard way to make a living, making $100 out of a $2700 investment....

But if you are going to buy a "toy" [as others have called it] you might as well buy it as cheapa s possible.
 
Speaking about tow rig, I heard Toyota will build a redesign 3/4 ton Tundra. It will be build in San Antonio, TX. plant. Anybody heard this?
 
[quote author=the shed guy link=board=2;threadid=7393;start=msg61946#msg61946 date=1068604799]

To expect a kit to be all conquering at Christo's altitude, or death valley in summer, or landpimps winter is not only almost impossible, but a compromise.
[/quote]

Landpimp's winter!?! Winter there consists of 6 months of cloudy weather with a frequent drizzle, and maybe one ice storm in January that lasts two days. It's not winter, it's a rainy season. You have to actually cut the grass all year 'round. Landpimp's winter!?! Good joke!
 
[quote author=yooper link=board=2;threadid=7393;start=msg62517#msg62517 date=1068699448]
Landpimp's winter!?! Winter there consists of 6 months of cloudy weather with a frequent drizzle, and maybe one ice storm in January that lasts two days. It's not winter, it's a rainy season. You have to actually cut the grass all year 'round. Landpimp's winter!?! Good joke!

[/quote]

My point exactly, sea level wet dense cool air........
 
[quote author=Junk link=board=2;threadid=7393;start=msg62539#msg62539 date=1068702290]
... and I still say the blower ain't worth a crap. :-X :flipoff2:
[/quote]

Depends on who is blowin :D
 
Shed-

I personally don't see much NEED for it, as in it's not a practical add-on. If anyone is trying to dellusion themselves into turning an 80 into a sports car, they're starting with the wrong vehicle. Also, maybe it's different where you're at, but here in Utah we've got lots of people, most of them without a clue, adding superchargers to their Toys (mostly Tacomas and 4Runners). And then they continue on their clueless way using low octane fuel, forgetting about services, etc., and then wonder why their engine blows.

As far as the price, if someone wants to save me $1000 off list price and still make $100 in the process, I'd say we're both happy. And I don't think the dealership is going to be hurting toooo bad.
 

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