Looking for more power

Hello all, looking for advice on what I should be saving for to pick up some hp. Just came back from a trip where I had to go through a mountain pass, and the power was really lacking. (camper is a pop up, weighs about 1k lbs). I already have headers, but I was looking at the @dirtydeeds 12 hole injectors. From what I've read they help avoid downshifting when going up hills. Also, is it possible to run the 270cc injectors on an 01? I'd like to go supercharged, but I won't have that kind of money to spend for a while. e85 isn't an option because you can't even buy it where I live. Other than these, what options are there?

 

Whats your truck weigh? The guys on the supercharger thread talking about a regear arent wrong. These motors like to breathe, but the more i look into it, the more i lean towards a 50 shot of nitrous.

just dont hit the button until you’re past peak torque... maybe have to find a way to keep tc lockup engaged?

 

I honestly do not know the weight of the truck and camper combined. I'd estimate just under 6k? I might go to the dump and ask if they'll weigh it for me. Also forgot to add if electric fans like the Flex-A-Lite 400-116588 would be worthwhile, and that I was struggling this much with power without A/C on.

 

Find a shop that can weigh each wheel.

or some guy with a racecar in his garage, he’d probably have a set of scales.

 

Electric fans shouldnt replace engine fans. They dont flow enough. Yea, you can get away with it if you watch the temp gauge. They’re worth it, but they’re gonna work the electrical harder, and if you dont remove the engine fan, you gain no ‘power’ smaller pulleys arent worth it either. Or intake tornados or fuelline magnets.

need more air to burn more fuel. I dont have expierience with the injectors yet, but id also like to get those when i replace mine. I read somewhere about 440cc injectors, and really wouldnt mind a rowdy e85 tune.

 

Check your plugs and fuel filter, etc.

 

Any truck stop with a cat scale can weigh each axle. It will cost you $12.50. If you don't want to go inside get the app and add your debit card. It's worth it.

 

More power for the 4.7 is elusive. Good maintenance is step one. Have it in top running order first. Then if you wanna go through the trouble of injectors or headers you can, but gains are minimal. Rear end re-gear is likely your best bang for the buck. Swap that 3.91 for a 4.30 or a 4.56. Also if your running larger tires, go back closer to stock and pay attention to what the tires you buy actually weigh. Same size tire in two different options can weigh as much as 20# different from each other. Lighter tire equals better acceleration. Smaller tire equals better mechanical advantage.
And wax that beast. A fresh coat of wax reduces aerodynamic drag and adds +72hp at the rear wheels

 

I'm already running a sound system, so that's probably not a good idea then.

My truck has been maintained very well by the previous owner(my gma), and I have not let that up. As for tires, I'm running stock 265/16/70s. Regearing is tempting, but for both diffs I'd assume its not cheap. With tire weight, I've been trying for load range D for safety with the added weight, without pushing it to the heavy Es. I'm also probably going to try to get some weight savings where i can. I already removed the rear seat, but I think I'm going to pull the plastic bed liner to both reduce drag(camper will be lower), and to save a few lbs. I don't plan on ditching the bed mat though, because it makes the camper feel much more secure.

 

Regear guys: what is your rpm @70?
4.3’s might be fine, 2500ish? But if i have to spin 3k... a gt35 turbo would be perfect. Wouldnt even have to push boost, just sing its heart out.

 

Just for reference, I was at ~2700rpm doing 75. If I put it in cruise it would downshift and hit 3500. Any incline would cause me to downshift to maintain even 70, and going up a serious hill would cause me to hit almost 4k.

 

When climbing in high altitude drop out of od and run 50-60.

pics of the truck! How aero is this pop up?

 

I loaded a thousand pounds into mine and it wasnt happy, and i didnt have much aero tax. I chalk that up to bad shocks and weak springs, but i felt it back there way more than i feel it in the titan. I was running flat, and had to kick out of od for small hills, maybe even overpasses. Anytime i head uphill in my sequoia (has a fuel milage now display) i do better out of overdrive, even empty.

spinning it up doesnt cost much.

 

Better than a hardside, but not by a ton. From this angle it looks like its squatting the rear end, but in reality its pretty level, maybe even a little rake. I took it out of OD pretty often, and as for elevation, I'm sitting at about 4,800 ft. I can also say that all of the suspension work was well worth it, because it still rides great.

 

Adjust your headlights. Thats pretty nice, but extra aero tax.

 

I would go for gears, best bang for your buck. I have read others comments on gains from injectors but am very skeptical of how much gain is to be realized. Gears I can tell you first hand will wake your truck up.

The tricky part becomes what gear ratio to go for. 4.30 is a pretty logical ratio since you are running stock sized tires. 4.56 might be a bit aggressive, however a member here went 4.88 on 265/75/16 and didn't regret it. He tows boats often so his load might be heavier than yours.

I run 4.56 on 285/75/16 tires and there isn't a struggle here. When I climb steep grades it doesn't search for gears or aggressively downshift unless I stomp the gas pedal. It did search for gears before I went 4.56. I have driven it up to elevation above 7k and it didn't struggle there either.

I have a feeling that part of the struggle is the shape of that camper. Your truck is essentially driving with an open parachute. If you dial the speed back to around 60-65 I think it will ease the resistance considerably.

 

What brands should I look at, how much do you think it would be for both diffs, and is it the same ring and pinion for both? With speed I generally don't like going below 65, because most people are going 85, and the speed limit is 80. Another question, is it possible to get a transmission temp gauge, or another way to monitor it? I have the trans oil cooler, but after driving through homestake pass(probably the worst nearby pass) with it on, I am honestly somewhat scared of it overheating.

 

Need to fashion a wind deflector of some sort for this gap between the cab and camper. Or at the leading edge of the cab with a roof rack bar and a wind deflector maybe. Would help with aero.

 

That 65mph speed is killing you with Aero drag. I would leave it out of OD for sure. Or drive under 60mph to decrease the wind resistance. And if you don't have a rear sway bar, I would recommend one. Yours is the best case for one.

 

Ls swap. 4l80 wouldnt bat an eye @ 100 mph in od.

 

Easiest way to get an LS under that camper is a new truck.

 

The 4L80 is not a great trans. The LS is a great motor (most years). My trans of choice would be the ZF 8HP.

 

While that is very tempting, I don't have the tools, time, or money to do that. I'd love to put a supercharged 5.3 and a 4l80e in, its not realistic for me. I do not plan on selling it either, as it has 133k on it, and I love everything about it besides the current power. Regearing doesn't seem nearly as bad as I thought cost wise($270 for rear, $230 for front in 4.56 from Nitro). With power, my dads 2000 3/4 gmc with the 6.0 and 4l80e feels really underwhelming power wise vs mine driving in town, but I haven't seen it tow yet.

 

For brands, Nitro 100%. Others may be cheaper and my be fine, but the only brand I have experience with is Nitro. Install cost depends on if you pull the diff yourself and bring it to a shop or if you just drop off the truck and come back when its done. For reference my rear diff cost me $400 labor to drop off my truck and come back to a new LSD, new bearings, new 4.56 gears, new fluid. I have rear wheel drive so not sure what the front costs.

There are other costs to consider. You will need a master bearing kit along with each diff, cheaping our on bearings doesn't make sense because it won't change the labor cost to go new, if anything it may lower the labor. Also get the upgraded solid collar for the pinion on the rear diff, your installer will thank you and you'll have more longevity. I'm not sure of a solid collar exists for the front diff. Also if you have any want for an LSD, it is the right time to get one. You can contact JustDifferentials.com and they'll walk you through what you need, they're great.

For trans temp you can use an app if you don't mind having your phone tied up. I don't like having my phone tied up so I got a Scanguage 2 and the trans temp is an option you can add to it for no additional cost. You can learn a lot about your truck with one of those. That little gadget has been some of the best money I spent on my truck.

As far as driving 80mph, I thought that was a California thing. You're taking a hit on mpg for sure with that camper at those speeds. Some sort of wind fairing might be worth looking into.

 

This kit is looking tempting- https://www.nitro-gear.com/Toyota-7-5-CS-8-4-Nitro-Gear-Package-p/gptaco96-04-select.htm
The only thing I'm worried about for regearing is how it will drive with the camper off of it. I typically keep it in storage for 3-4 months out of the year. I'll probably get that scangauge as well. An LSD is also very tempting with the montana weather, and for driving on dirt+mud roads. I don't do any aggressive offroading though.

 

@Ghostly.- it won't drive worse. A lot of people think their MPG will take a dive if the motor revs a few hundred RPM higher but it really won't. Accelerating will feel like your truck is lighter, best way I can describe it.

Since you have an 01 you also can get one of these to calibrate your speedometer after so that you know exactly how fast you're driving and your shift points don't get weird. Ask them for 2.5 meters of harness, that should be plenty for a 4wd.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/yellow-box-speedo-calibrator.31996/

 

You can get 4.10's out of the 04 DC Tundra's or any 1st gen Sequoia. It's a minor bump but with the stock size tires it'll help.

I have an '05 which has the 5sp trans and went to 4.10's recently. Made a big difference off the line and slight improvement in mileage with the way I drive it (ymmv).

Your 4sp won't have as big of a gain off the line, as 1st gear is different (2.804 vs 3.520) but it could be done 'cheap' if you can swap the front and rear diffs yourself.

 

If i did this, could i just swap both whole assembly's? If so, I might go that route to avoid paying somebody to pull both diffs apart.

 

Pretty much, if you trust the parts you pull.

 

Yep. Swap the 3rd member for the rear and the whole assembled diff housing for the front.


You could also do the rear only first to decide if you're happy with 4.10's or want to step up to 4.3 or 4.56. 4.3's may be hard to source. Just keep it out of 4wd.