Performance modifications

So I have a 2012 TRD Crew max. It’s my work truck, I travel al over the country in it, practically living out of it when I’m on the road teaching classes. It’s been modified and has some upgrades.
Winch, bumpers, rocker guards, skid plates, lights and a decked bed system have added about 1000 or so extra lbs on the ole girl. With the 2.5 in OME lift and Falken 35x12.50 MT’s it’s robbed me of both power and gas mileage. I knew this would happen and am totally ok with it as I need this stuff to get into and out of certain places and haul the gear required. It does have a cold air intake.

But what if any mods would you guys recommend so as to recover a bit of power and or mileage.

I’ve seen the carbon fiber hoods, the ECU chips, gears, exhaust etc.
What is a gimmick and what’s worthwhile?

 

Let me be the first to say you don’t need to drink the dirty deeds exhaust koolaide. A nice magnaflow muffler will yield the same results AND you can keep the stock resonator to eliminate drone. All for a hell of a lot less then some pipes from California.

Intakes are subjective, I have the afe super stock. It makes noise , don’t really know if it did much.

I have a bully dog tuner, haven’t used it. Gas is to expensive currently.

Headers, long tube make a good gain. Seems like the most bang for the buck is a supercharger.

 

Stock resonator? Op i would do gears to get some of the power back.

 

A tune is noticeable when you are really romping on it, daily driving not so much.

Best thing to do is supercharge it.

 

gears gears gears gears gears. Just put in 4.88's feels like I found 50hp

 

Falkens are a heavy 35. Gears are the only thing you should be considering

 

I have all the same mods plus a four wheel camper in mine. Still has plenty of power, all stock motor. Cruises 85 MPH up eisenhower pass fully loaded, no prob.

I will say the 4.88s made a big difference in MPG and power delivery. With 35s and stock gears you are never using 6th gear and rarely using 5th. Both gears are overdriven and very sensitive to changes to tire size.

 

It really sounds like gears are the way to go, might as well throw a limited slip or air locker in there while I’m at it.

 

You basically have 90% of the function of an LSD already with VSC/ATRAC.

Air lockers are dumb on anything but a dedicated wheeler. More expensive, more complex, more prone to failure due to leaks. They are kind of antiquated.

If you need a locker I would get the Eaton/Harrop e-locker. I did front and rear but if I did it again would probably only do rear.

 

I’ve been planning on regearing for awhile. I have 34” tires and a lot of weight like you do. I thought 4.88 would be good, but the more I read about it I decided to go to 5.29. There’s a lot of threads with peoples experiences.

I put arb air lockers in my old Nissan hardbody and it leaked from then on no matter what I did. I know a lot of people use them, but I’d also go with an e locker instead of arb.

 

Agree 100%. I had a TRD SC installed not too long ago and the difference is night and day. All the rest of the mods might net you some negligible HP gains. I would make a good bet that you might gain some gas mileage (back to OEM) since the truck won't have to work as hard to carry the extra weight although you'll have to use 91 or 93 octa which can hurt the wallet.

 

Without a doubt gears. 5.29's on my list.

 

it is tough to get any extra MPG from a Tundra other than driving easy.


of all the finagling I've done to cars/trucks over the years, the S/C is the best modification - bar none.

it is possible to add a MPG or 2 if you soft peddle it...but no grown-ass man does that.

yes it is pricey, but you get obvious results. very obvious.


If you are not committed to a S/C, then gears would be #2.

cold air intakes, N/A tunes, exhausts, etc...you have to tell yourself there is a difference. A S/C tells you.

 

SC might get you 1 MPG but your fuel cost will go up 20-30% running premium.

 

I'd go long tube headers, exhaust and a tune. This is direction I'm headed in.

I also use my truck for work and drive all over the desert SW (UT,NV,AZ).

I'm on 37's w/stock gears. I'm still averaging 11-12mpg with tools on board.

Driving with the nannies turned off and driving exclusively in S mode.

My 2¢

edit to add: A 46g TransferFlo tank is money well spent.

 

To each their own, but all of those mods will pale in comparison to the gains you’d receive from changing gear ratios. Our trucks come with 32” tires and gears that are on the cusp of being too tall. Asking for performance with heavy 37’s and stock gears is like pissing up a rope. Adding up the costs of tuners, headers, intake kits, exhaust systems; I bet you’re close to the cost of regearing…. And you will not ever get your truck to operate at appropriate RPM in 6th. Can’t happen…

I’d do 5.29:1 gears first. Then power adders if you need more. That said, a S/C is the only power added I'd consider worth investing in.

 

+1 headers before gears on 37’s is dumb dumb dumb

 

yeah +3; a SC is especially important at altitude, anything above about 4000ft will really see an improvement!

 

Don't mention it guys, I'm chocked full of unpopular opinions

 

Supercharger I think had more of an impact than gears, but also costs more and stuff can get stressed more. 5.29s are cheaper (still expensive though), and can do a locker or LSD.

 

Can y’all list the price of each upgrade$

I’ll start

Harrop stage 1. $10k

stage 2 another $2k

I am interested in the all in cost of 4.88’s

 

No one knows what "harrop stage 1" means.

Rebuilding of both differentials is about $2k in labor, that does not include wiring up switches, you will likely have to do that yourself unless you go to an off-roading specific shop.

Front and rear gears and full rebuild kit is about about $1600 by the time it's at your door. Yes you need the rebuild kit.

Lockers are about $1400 EACH so $2800 for both.

$6500 is about the total cost. Less than a supercharger and way more useful.

 

You will lose the same % of power at elevation. Superchargers do not compensate for lack of air pressure like turbocharger does.

 

Harrop is a TVS2650 Blower. most folks know this. Pardon my assumption.

useful?....how would it be more useful for the OP? you lost me.

like S/C's don't work up high or don't build pressure similarly? there's an obvious difference, but they both compress. you are going to wake @snivilous on this one.

 

Harrop also makes lockers, I assumed you meant those. My bad; A set of lockers and gears is more useful than a SC.

 

They both compress, and gauge pressure would not change. I should have said "a turbocharger is more easily adjusted to compensate for elevation." Either would have to be adjusted to compensate, the turbo is way easier to adjust.

For a supercharger you have to swap pulleys to correct for elevation. A turbocharger on the other hand, with a simple mechanical or eletronic boost controller, you can just turn it up a bit anytime you are heading to the mountains. This will compress air to get back to the absolute pressure you would see at sea level.

Not using calculated figures here, but for arguments sake; You might run 6 pounds of gauge pressure (psiG) at sea level, then have to crank it up to 9 psiG in the mountains to make the same power. Your absolute pressure (psiA) would still be the same if properly adjusted for elevation and thus you'd make the same power you did at sea level.

Now if you are a normal human and not running around making adjustments to your boost every time you go up or down a hill, you will simply lose power with elevation no different than an NA motor would. Do you still make more power than NA? Yes. But you lose that extra power at about the same rate with elevation change.

 

I hear you.

however, there are no Turbos, currently on the market, to bolt onto the Tundra. so the discussion point is mute.

and my limited time on this earth has taught me turbos are much more complex than a blower. yes, that's opinion, I'm sorry.

given choice, I would choose Forced induction blower every time. I like my power NOW. I rarely do >5000rpm

useful....quite the conundrum that word.

if you off-road a LOT...i agree on the lockers. but our auto-LSD does 90% of the same stuff. (as others have said)

Gears, OK I like the gears. but since I have stock wheels/tires, its not that useful. (Bigger tires would prioritize gears over S/C for me.)

however, from what I've learned on this site, I should get the 4.88's about the time I do the valve body thing.


... then there's that damn Powertrax thing!!!


it never ends...


and thank you you for quiet calm discussion....it's rare that these talks stay civil. <hat tip>

 

I’m not saying to buy a turbo. Was originally responding to the guy who said SC makes up for loss of power at elevation, it doesn’t. You lose it all the same!

 

respectfully disagree..

the S/C'd truck will have more power at elevation than a N/A truck.

and yes @ elevation, they will both loose power. All ICE engines will.


I like watching the effects of such on the TFL channel. real view of lost HP.