Supercharger Installation

I recently took the plunge and installed the Magnusson on a 2010 single cab long bed and I would like to share my point of view, based on my experience.
The truck is equipped as follows
TRD Pro suspension that give me around 2" of lift and Dobinson rear leaf springs.
I have magnum front and rear bumpers
RCI skids , engine, transmission and tank
4.88 gears
Yokohama 315/70/17" on Corse wheels with same size spare
Tool box mostly full
Bed cover Extang
All these add around 600 lbs with me in the truck close to 6000 lbs.
This is my third Toyota with a supercharger.
-97 Runner with 3.4 stick shift
-2008 Tacoma 4.0 auto

No, I just want to tell what I was looking for and my style of driving.
I drive most of the time gently, very rarely passing 3000 rpm.
I was looking for more torque at around 2000-2500 rpm so would help me with the towing and that little extra power that I may need once in a wile.
I switch to premium (93) around 500 miles prior and I started to pay attention on my regular route, to when is dropping a gear on a hill, what distance from the bottom and to my gas take, all this taking in consideration,
- temperature, a/c on or not, tire pressure.

After about 300 miles on the same roads and all facts pretty similar prior supercharger installation,

Pluses,
A lot more power at over 3000 rpm
Much smoother gears change on the transmission.

Neutral
Gas dropped by a mile, from 15 to 14. Is expected and I think it will improve with time once it learns my driving style.

Not so impressed
The power bellow 2500 rpm is not much different then what it was before, in my eyes.
I drive at 65 miles per hours and on the same hill, it drop a gear within 100' from where was doing it before with the same trailer.

I used to have a 2014 WV Tuareg diesel and was rated at 400 at 1700 rpm.
With the same trailer that suv would not break a sweat on these hills.

I know that it is not fair to compare but for towing, even with a supercharger, at 55 mph, I can't match the performance of that little diesel.
After all the mods that I did , the only thing that made this truck more lively at any speed , is the 4.88 gears change.

If I had a chance to drive a supercharged truck over a longer distance, tow a little and use it as I would use it every day, I would not have spent the money.

It may make 550 HP at 5000 rpm but, down where this truck spends most of the day, I see no difference or very little.

I am pretty sure that if you live at high altitude where the air is not as dense, you will see the difference and see the benefits but where I live, within 2000' from sea level, I see not much difference on regular daily driving.

Sorry if this is not one of those reviews,, OMG, it burns tires like nothing and I can smoke five Fords off the line.

 

Post a pic of the truck.....

 

A more recent one

 

The SC has a bypass at lower rpm's and does not even begin to make boost until 2500rpm's. Sorry to hear of your dissapointment. I do most of my everyday/towing shifting around 3500 rpm and feel the extra torque provided through the shifts. The boost pressure goes up as the rpm's go up as it was designed and you will not be able to pull that hill with that load at 2-2.5k rpm. let it drop a gear and pull the same load/hill at 3K+ and you should find yourself actually easing off the throttle some as it now wants to accelerate.

Your comparison of the Toyota 5.7 SC gasser and a diesel is flawed as they will have different powerband's. The only gasser I've seen with a similar powerband to any diesel is my plow truck. That Dodge v10 makes 80% of its 450 foot pounds of torque at 2200rpms.

Please don't take my post in a negative light, but I think your expectations may have been a bit unrealistic looking for gobs more torque at lower rpm's with the design of the TRD/Magnuson SC. Adjust your driving style a bit and get into the rpm's and I think you will find yourself pleased with the additional power.

 

I don't deny that there is a lot more power. Is just not at rpm this truck spends all day. You are correct, can't really compare diesel vs gas regardless of the cc and the moment you go over 3000 rpm rips.
The diesel vs gas as just a small remark /wish.
I was just hopping that with the supercharger, (1.9 liters), would behave more like 7600cc engine. It does not. In my eyes.

Regarding to the pull,, after pulling the same trailer on the same route at about the same speed, the transmission high temp came on. It looks like the top of the new supercharger cooler, blocks part of the oem transmission cooler. This is the first time it happens to me after pulling heavier then that tractor on steeper hills.
I will see if I can relocate the supercharger cooler 4" lower so it does not obstruct the air flow to the transmission cooler or , I need to install an additional trans cooler, somewhere on the lower part of the front. Yes , I do have the towing package.
Maybe a B&M with a fan that I can control from the cab. Start the fan only in at low speed conditions.

 

I wonder if you can go down to a smaller pulley for more boost. How much can the stock internals handle before running into problems?

 

It would make more boost but again...in the upper rpm's. A true "roots" style blower(no bypass) would make boost off idle and at the lower rpm's of 2-2.5K like he wants. Possibly some modifications could be made to the factory bypass in order for the current unit to begin making boost sooner...may be as simple as modifying the vacuum or installing a lighter spring. I imagine the earlier you get the boost building the touchier the throttle response is going to feel...and that may not be a good thing at slow speeds and around town. I like the "stock" drivability of the truck at the lower rpm's myself and feel it gets things moving well enough with little to no boost needed. between the rockies, black hills and elsewhere I have yet to find a grade I cant pull between 3-3.5K rpm with the SC making its sweet noise. And just FYI...I'm pulling close to 10K with three motorcycles and full of gear...


OP...I do hope you get your trans cooling issue sorted out. Looking at a few dyno sheets provided via google there seems to be about 75+# of torque to be made between 2.5-3K. Also at 3K rpm they are making about 95% of their available torque...Spin that 4V up a little after you get your cooling sorted out...Good luck to you sir...

 

Pull the vacuum hose off your boost bypass valve. What color is the restrictor
Silver like the picture or brass?
If you have the silver, you can replace with the brass restrictor which is a bigger hole or you could drill out the hole and /or remove the restrictor completely.
The less restriction the faster your boost will come on.

 

I really appreciate all your input.
Reliability is the reason I got a Toyota. I am aware that the supercharger will take a slice of that but I don't want to mess too much with something Toyota designed. Installing a smaller pulley from Gadget didn't make much difference on my older Supercharged Tacoma. At list not at lower rpm.
I am going to look into that restrictor. I wonder why would Magnuson install that restrictor with a smaller hole and not a bigger. I am willing to make some small mods as long I am not messing things up.
Thank you for the suggestions Gents.

 

Most magnuson chargers come with the brass 0.030 restrictor these days. The silver one is much smaller. I would suggest you remove it completely and see how you like the throttle response... if too sensitive, drill out the restrictor in progressively larger holes until you find the response you like. Or tow without overdrive which is the correct recomended way and you will always be in boost range.

 

Just a general rule, low end torque @ low rpm from boost can end up with bent rods. Looking forward to the results.

 

Im sure Magnuson does it to protect the stock motor internals, and to retain stock drivability at the lower rpm's also as Gungho mentioned too much boost at low rpm's is hard on the bottom end much like lugging an engine under load only with added forced induction.

Make the vacuum mod at your own risk and only small changes if you so choose to do so. The only time my truck see's overdrive when towing is under a light load or on level ground and may explain why I am in the trucks powerband while climbing hills.

 

Is boost RPM dependent or throttle dependent? Mine definitely kicks in on hills @2000 rpm to maintain speed and almost never downshifts when climbing normal hills (not towing).

 

Ive been very happy with mine over the years. I have not had many cars outrun me off the line. It brings power on smoothly and as RPM's climb it just keeps pulling.

 

RPM...Sort of...at lower rpm's the boost bypass is active and slowly de-activated via vacuum. After that it is all belt driven via the crank pulley/rpm's...
Mine is gently making some boost/power between 2-2.5K and can really start to hear the SC start to whine somewhere before 3K

 

I'm just here for the Kubota pics.

 

Well, Nick T got me all excited then Gungho shut at me, to calm down . haha
I would love to have a little extra torque at lower rpm but I am not willing to mess up the motor. I will cool down for now and enjoy it as it is.
Thank you guys for the help.
Thank you KB.
M7060 that I use mostly for brush with a Woods BW12'

Would the Bullydog that came with supercharger give me trans temperature reading ? I scrolled a little and all i see is the coolant. I assume that is the supercharger coolant. It never goes over 195.

Thank you

 

I'm glad you made this post. I was contemplating a supercharger, but like you I'm interested in low end torque, not high RPM power. You just saved me $10K.

 

Your Maggie is making 7lbs boost from idle to redline.
As soon as you floor it from idle, you are making 7lbs boost... it is 7lbs boost everywhere on the rpm range.
What the bypass does is reroute the boost back to the rotors so the Maggie is building boost but your intake runners does not see the 'extra' air.
Changing the bypass orifice size has no effect on maximum boost... 7lbs at idle is still 7lbs. What it does change is part throttle transition...less restriction = faster response. This also increases the 'jerkiness' you feel in the drivetrain, it allows you to transition from bypass to boost faster or in the throttle position.

Example :

Stock orifice idle -20 hg vacuum 0 psi boost (bypassed)
Stock orifice WOT 0 hg vacuum 7 psi boost
Stock orifice idle to WOT ----- 0 to 7psi boost 0.10 seconds

Orifice removed idle -20 hg vacuum 0 psi boost (bypassed)
Orifice removed WOT 0 hg vacuum 7 psi boost
Orifice removed idle to WOT ----- 0 to 7 psi boost 0.05 seconds ( this is where the throttle response is different)


Too small an orifice could delay boost to where the transmission needs to kick down... which is why I asked what color orifice you have.
Too large an orifice and it is in boost all the time, the truck will feel jerky or 'responsive' wasting fuel and undue wear on the driveline when you don't really need all the power

 

Yes. The BD GT that came with my SC kit lets me set up 4 parameters to display. Ive mine set up to show IAT, Engine Coolant, Trans Temp and Ignition advance. I dont think there is an actual SC coolant parameter.

 

Will the Harrop or Whipple be different in this regard?

 

@MrMax Where did you get yours installed at? Looks like i live just south of you and have been contemplating getting one installed in the future.

 

Installed mine myself in one weekend. I did have a buddy stop by and help set the SC on top of the engine. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and not difficult, just time consuming double checking everything as I went. There are a couple of bolts at the back of the SC you will need to be a bit of a contortionist to get to. That and make sure you have a good shorty 12mm(iirc) swivel socket as clearance is tight on a couple of the somewhat recessed sc/intake bolts

 

Thank you Nick T. Based on the info you give us, may as well live it where it is. I will take a slower reaction time and stay smooth.

Thank Mr Max and congrats on your new toy. I hope is as good you expected.

 

As far i know and based on what i read so far,, The Harrop is going to make a difference only if you looking to rebuild the engine for some serious power.
I was looking at an interview on youtube, with one of the main guys from Magnusson and he mentioned that for street driving, better response and lower end torque , the smaller supercharger is more suited for our truck.

 

Welcome sir. Happy to share any insight/advice I have learned since installing the Magnuson in late 2016 Hope you get your cooling issue sorted out.

 

A little update on my cooling issue.
I kept an eye on that gauge for the last two days and the highest I see is 195 degree. It never goes more then the coolant. I found this pretty high. I will pay attention this weekend. I will pin the thermostat is needed as a temporarily fix.
The intake temperature is about 125 degree most of the time. I found this also pretty high.
I wonder by how much the supercharger increase the temperature under the hood. It definitively feels hotter under.

 

195 is not a concern and is well within the trans normal range. Yes I imagine the SC adds to the under hood temps. That said your intake air should be coming from outside the engine compartment. I usually see a few degrees higher than ambient temp when underway. Sitting and idling or in stop and go traffic it can be higher. After clipping a deer late one night westbound on I90 the front right bumper and inner fenderwell plastic got busted up and changed the cold air intake flow the IAT temps ran a bit higher the rest of the trip.

 

I agree here with @MrMax about intake temps being within 5-7 degrees of ambient, but 195 is higher than I'd be happy with... mine runs steady ~ 175° and underhood temps are normal. When idling the SC is essentially doing nothing to create more heat. If you're running it hard, it really doesn't matter if you're SC'd or not, of course you will have higher temps across the board. It must be you, not the truck... Lol!

 

The higher temps that I see at intake, are only when I am stuck in traffic bumper to bumper. I don't know if having an aftermarket bumper helps or make it worst by allowing hot gasses from the cars in the front or not. I am trying to keep a longer distance between the cars. There is definitively more heat under that hood after the charger was installed. All we had before, was a piece of plastic where now you have a big chunk of aluminum that stays at pretty high temps. Can barely touch that when I open the hood. The moment I start moving that drops pretty quick and on the highway, I see pretty close to ambient temperatures. It could be me, I baby that too much. LOL
I pinned the thermostat and the trans is running around 165-170 now. I asked the guy that installed the supercharger if he see a potential downside and he said that he cant see one. He thinks that Tundra run hotter so we can get a little better mileage. I will keep an eye on it and winter coming, I will remove the pin if I see that it drops bellow 160.

Thank you for the comments Gents.